natural

mOVEMENT

society

Natural

MOVEMENT

society

Movement Embodiment Connection

“When we dance, the journey itself is the point, as when we play music the playing itself is the point. And exactly the same thing is true in meditation. Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment.” ― Alan Watts

What does it mean to move?

Our body is designed to move,

not in robotic patterns, but fluid, strong and multidimensional forms.

“We are all HUMAN first, MOVERS second and only then SPECIALISTS.”

-Ido Portal

""We are the alchemists of our own bodies" “Cold is a stressor, so if you are able to get into the cold and control your body’s response to it, you will be able to control stress.”

- Wim HOF

"Meditating with the body as our guide, we come to feel that, perhaps for the first time in our lives, we are in the presence of a being, our own body, that is wise, loving, flawlessly reliable, and worthy of our deepest devotion. "

-Reggie RAY

"Breath wants to liberate itself, to free itself from its encasing in the body’s frozen stillness. The whole of the body wants to keep moving—not even a single little part left out, everything in motion, just like the universe."

-Will Johnson

PRIMAL MOVEMENT

Fitness, Wellness, Sports, these are all new terms.

As we are born, we first learn about our environment by exploring movement.

Crawling, Jumping, Running, Squatting, Hanging, Gripping. Now our sedentary lifestyles block and numb our natural impulse for motion, and too often our fitness regimes lead us to override ourselves too.

Fully embodied

Joyful complex

HUMAN EXPRESSION

How can

we

reconnect?

By learning to listen. No longer specialising in one sport, but our whole biomechanics, organs, emotions, mind, muscle, fascia, creativity. We combine movement and embodiment techniques for strength, relaxation, fluidity, creativity.

Our 3 workshop approaches:

MOVE

SLOW

Go Inwards, Sense, Re embody, Heal

1. Meditation
   
2. Breathwork
   

MOVE

FLOW

In and Out, Explore, Experiment, Play, Improvise, Connect

1. Ecstatic Dance
   
2. Contact Improvisation
   
3. Laughter Yoga
   

Go outwards, Learn, Push yourself, Respond, Activate

1. Primal Movement
   
2. Breathwork
   
3. Improvising with External Environment

MOVE

GROW

Check out our facebook for upcoming events or keep scrolling to see our highlighted movement practices

HIGHLIGHTED MOVEMENT PRACTICE

1. Movement Culture

A paradigm shift in physicality

Moving for movement

Beyond Specialisms

What is Movement Culture?

Popularised by Ido Portal, MC is intended to spark a cross disciplinary exchange, invoking dialogue with our bodies and each other.

“I think of natural movement like permaculture of the body. It respects the natural interplay between systems. And when you invest yourself in a broad portfolio of movement, you produce something that’s able to sustain itself for much longer.” Rafe Kelley

No more separation between health, aesthetics, performance and art.

To be mover is to recognise everyone moves, to actively seek to develop your movement practice

HIGHLIGHTED MOVEMENT PRACTICE

2. Ecstatic Dance

Intentional, Conscious Dancing

What is Ecstatic Dance?

Take your shoes off, leave your phone outside, this is an alcohol-free intentional music journey inviting you to experiment and explore your movement flow. Starting in circle, slow with periods of silence and mindfulness, waking up our freeform selves.

We dance with no words, inducing a meditative state, helping us re-embody.

A safe space for human expression

Consent is taught from the outset. Everyone is welcome here.

HIGHLIGHTED MOVEMENT PRACTICE

4. Breathwork

Rediscover your breath

Pranayama, the fourth stage of Patanjali’s Eightfold Path of Yoga, is derived from the Sanskrit terms: prana, meaning ‘life force energy’ and yama meaning ‘control’.

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Out of Pranayama, countless styles emerge

Pranayama, Wim Hof, Soma, Holotropic, Shamanic, Rebirthing and hundreds more

HIGHLIGHTED MOVEMENT PRACTICE

3. Laughter Yoga

Laugh for no reason at all. Laugh because it’s funny.

What is Laughter Yoga?

It's using breathwork to fake it till you make it, changing your state of mind almost instantly. This is a safe space to connect with others, cultivating joy and health in our lives.

Don't wait on something external to laugh, learn to laugh!

Decrease cortisol Increase Endorphins

Even fake laughter still changes your body! Try it, it' hilarious

HIGHLIGHTED MOVEMENT PRACTICE

5. Grounding

Remove the insulative rubbershoes. Touch Earth, Feel the soil

Find a safe space, connect with earth and connect with others. How can you hear earths call at a time of climate crisis if you won't even touch her?

The most recent scientific research has explored grounding for inflammation, cardiovascular disease, muscle damage, chronic pain, and mood.

Sometimes the simplest things are the most effective.

Heal your microbiome, electrically earth yourself

Mother earth calls you

THE HOLISTIC APPROACH

Our supplementary practices

Intermittent Fasting Group

We will host regular water fasting, and exchange resources for optimal fasting. Optimising also for the female cycle.

Cold Plunging

We will host wild swimming trips, cold plunging, breathwork and movement practice. We aim to raise funds to build a sauna trailer to bring on these trips!

Circling

A group circle practice of communicating and acting solely on what is present right now.

5am Club

We will also have a 5am club that meets regularly at 5am for movement practice and meditation.

Collaborations with other societies

We will expand the give it a go concept further by collaborating with other societies, creating a network between movement cultures so we can share and grow! Regenerating body is synonymous with regenerating earth, we will collaborate with climate regenerators also.

Want to host a workshop?

Do you have a movement practice you want to share? Get in touch! We welcome our members to get involved with their passions

Or keep an eye out for our #ByMembers events!

#BYMEMBERS

Further

exploration

Some of our favourite movement researchers, practitioners, dancers, movers, creators, concepts, ancient practices

Ido Portal Movement Culture

VahVah Contact Improvisation

Wim Hof Pranayama

Circling Ecstatic Dance

Primal Movement Animal Flow

Barefoot Movement Dr Peter Levine

Locomotion Vessel Van Der Kolk

Gaga Grounding

MOVNAT ReWilding

Somatic Experiencing Body Work

Authentic Relating Saunagus

THE COMMITTEE

ROLES OPEN!

If you are passionate about natural movement, get in touch via facebook or whatsapp

Secretary

Treasurer

Inclusion Officer

Why I started NATMOVSOC

Today I find myself dancing, starting spontaneous vinyasas and screaming to the wind on stanage edge

I didn't grow up with sports, I grew up with sickness

Now I'm re-embodying, transmuting the past.

The process of coming back into connection with my body was slow. I kept injuring myself by trying to force myself into fitness. I knew there was a better option out there. My progress was slow for a long time until I discovered breathwork and cold exposure which propelled me and gave me new confidence. I first attended an ecstatic dance in 2021. With the aid of skilful practitioners from acroyoga, thai yoga massage, saunagus, ecstatic dance, contact improvisation and more I have begun a journey of heightened sensory awareness. This has greatly enhanced my joy. Though I can't show you flashy tricks, or the most complex patterns, I share that I too have a uniquely human body marked by life and the desire to move. There is so much beauty in sharing your movement practice with others, wherever you are. I have learnt so much from watching others move around me.

Lots of love, Amber

DARE TO BE YOU

Stay Tuned for events, meetups and deep dives.

Follow our Social Media: https://linktr.ee/natmovsoc