Reveal how you feel: Assessing your movement potential
How does your body feel when you engage in ordinary movements, for example, reaching for something on a top shelf, bending over to pick something up, or squatting down to grab something from the bottom drawer? Do those actions feel easy or cumbersome? We do these movements automatically, but they also reveal a lot about your range of motion and how easily your body navigates ordinary life.
This standing yoga practice is an opportunity to check your body’s movement potential. The entire practice is done in a standing position and includes simple movements that reveal how efficiently you reach, rotate, and stabilize as you move through space. It offers an honest, practical snapshot of your current movement capacity.
Functional movement is at the heart of this exploration. The simple actions we rely on every day—walking, reaching, turning, bending, and stepping—require coordination across multiple joints. In this practice, you’ll move intentionally in different directions to observe how easily those joints communicate with one another. Some movements may feel smooth and easy, while others might feel guarded, restricted, or effortful.
We’ll also bring attention to your fascia, the connective tissue that supports how movement feels in your body. Fascia influences whether motion feels sticky or fluid, stiff or smooth. Through simple, mindful movement, you’ll begin to sense where your body moves easily and where it may feel sticky or restricted.
By the end of this practice, you’ll have a better understanding of your movement potential in a standing position. The practice acts as a test which can reveal places where movement feels sticky or limited, AND it can also be a tool to address that stickiness. As you move, you’re actively lubricating the joints, hydrating the fascia, and working on improving your range of motion.
Give it try!
