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Movement is a crucial aspect of the human nervous system, and our ability to generate a wide variety of forms of movement sets us apart from other animals. The nervous system dedicates a significant portion of its resources to facilitate movement, allowing us to run, jump, crawl, and perform various types and speeds of movement. This podcast explores the significance of movement in our everyday lives beyond just exercise and sports, highlighting how it can serve us in different contexts and relationships. The guest, Ido Portal, is an expert in movement and provides insights into how the nervous system generates movement.
When starting a movement practice, it is important to focus on individual preferences and needs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to movement, and it's necessary to choose movements and practices that align with personal goals and interests. The key is to find containers, such as certain movements or exercises, and fill them with specific content. This content can vary based on factors like contraction and relaxation, physical culture, emotions, environment, internal practice, and object manipulation. By adopting a playful and exploratory mindset, it becomes possible to uncover unique movement potentials within oneself.
Embracing challenges and failures is an integral part of the learning process in movement practice. It is through failures that we can push ourselves to adapt and learn. Failure should be seen as a marker rather than a setback, indicating that we are pushing ourselves beyond our current abilities and entering a zone of growth. By navigating the tension between success and failure, we can progress, transform, and ultimately experience the joy and fulfillment that comes with movement practice.
Observing animal movements can be inspiring and informative for human movement practice. While humans are capable of a vast range of movements, it is intriguing to witness the unique movements performed by different animal species. Animal movements can offer new perspectives and possibilities, and can serve as a catalyst for exploring new ways of moving and embodying certain qualities or characteristics. However, it is essential to approach animal movements in a way that goes beyond mere imitation, but rather dives deeper into the understanding of how these movements reflect the fundamental qualities of human movement.
Motor neurons in humans have a molecular signature and physiological significance similar to those in fish that control undulation. However, humans have additional categories of molecularly distinct neurons that control movement beyond undulation. These distinct neurons allow for more elaborate types of movement, such as moving small digits and portions of the body. The addition of these new motor neuron pools expanded the range of movement possibilities in human evolution.
Movement, specifically singing and dancing, may have played a significant role in the evolution of language and communication. The capacity for elaborate language and true song is often seen in species that also possess the ability to dance. It is proposed that movement of the body and the range of movements influenced the development of speech and language. The exploration of movement and the body's capabilities may have shaped the way we communicate.
Movement and touch are essential aspects of human interaction and should be embraced rather than avoided. Touching and being touched have physical and psychological benefits, promoting connection, trust, and emotional well-being. It is important to explore different types of touch, including proximity and contact, as well as engage in movement practices with others to foster connection, understanding, and exploration. By embracing movement and touch, individuals can tap into their innate physiological responses and enrich their interpersonal experiences.
Exploring different movement patterns and pushing the boundaries of traditional exercise practices can lead to new discoveries and improvements. Linear forms of exercise, such as weight training or yoga, may have their benefits, but they limit the potential for evolution and variability. By incorporating playfulness, experimentation, and exploration into movement practices, individuals can uncover new possibilities and experiences. This approach encourages practitioners to break free from fixed patterns and try different variations of movement, which can lead to better overall results.
Maintaining open awareness and panoramic vision during physical movement practices can enhance cognitive function, reaction time, and overall perception. This broader field of vision increases alertness and allows for faster reaction times compared to focused, narrow vision. Balancing out narrow-focused activities with practices that promote panoramic and soft gaze can improve overall well-being. Additionally, exploring different head postures, eye positions, and movement patterns can have a profound impact on the way we experience and perceive the world around us.
My guest is Ido Portal, the world’s foremost expert on human movement. Ido has spent a lifetime studying, combining and evolving elements from an enormous range of martial arts, dance genres, athletic endeavors, and science, to develop a unified theory and practice of movement called “The Ido Portal Method.” Here we discuss all things movement, including the role of the nervous system, reflexive versus deliberate movement patterns, and the link between emotions and awareness in movement. We also discuss learning and neuroplasticity, the mind-body connection and how movement itself can be leveraged toward expanding other types of skills- cognitive, creative and otherwise. As one of the most sought out teachers of movement alive today, the knowledge Ido shares in this conversation can benefit everyone—children, adults, athletes, dancers, clinicians and trainers and the everyday person.
For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.
AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab
Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman
Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman
(00:00:00) Ido Portal, Movement & Movement Practice
(00:03:42) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT
(00:07:49) What is Movement?
(00:10:56) Movement & the Body-Mind Connection
(00:14:47) Entry Points to Movement
(00:18:08) Early Education in Movement: Awareness, Play & Examination
(00:21:19) Stillness, Movement & the Environment, Playfulness
(00:31:34) Unique Postures, Types of Movement, Contents vs. Containers
(00:40:50) Discomfort: Marker of Movement, Failures & Learning
(00:47:05) Movement Diversity, Squat Challenge, Injury, Movement Evolution
(00:56:36) Animal & Human Movements, Gain & Change
(01:02:04) Core Movement, Emotion & Memory, Spinal Waves, Evolution
(01:12:39) Song, Dance & Complex Language, Movement as Language, Consilience
(01:21:39) Movement Culture, Community, Collective Knowledge, Wild & Wise
(01:26:36) Potential for Movement, “Humming”
(01:32:18) Instructiveness vs Permissiveness, Degrees of Freedom
(01:35:50) Variety, Diversity & Virtuosity
(01:38:06) Vision & Movement, Focus & Awareness, Panoramic Awareness
(01:48:28) Hearing & Movement
(01:52:43) Walking Gaits
(01:56:55) Playful Variability & Evolution, Improvisation & Openness
(02:03:05) Reactivity & Personal Space, Touch & Proximity to Others, Play & Discomfort
(02:18:13) Visualization & Experience, Feedback
(02:20:14) Linear Movement & Movement Investigation, Examination
(02:31:45) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter
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