May 2026

 

The Evolution of Human Movement

 

 

Image Credit: Simon Infanger - Unsplash

 

The Feldenkrais Method^® of somatic education offers a unique approach to the study of humanity. The combination of active attention and purposeful movement exploration, initiates developing self awareness that can reveal 'universal' truths about being human. 

In many ways, it is like an anthropological study of the self - through movement. But rather than analyzing ancient fossils, in the lessons we dive into the rich world of our own first-hand experience. Exploring the biological complexities of our nervous system and evolutionary adaptations of our skeletal structure that make us (humans) pretty unique.

Take the human shoulder, for example. While most mammals are structurally adapted for walking on all fours, bipedalism freed our arms. We developed a highly flexible shoulder joint with a massive range of motion, allowing us to store and release energy to throw with immense power - an ability unmatched in the animal kingdom.

Then, there is walking on two legs. While other animals can manage a temporary bipedal stance, none use it as their primary, highly efficient mode of locomotion.

But how did these unique abilities develop, and what can evolution teach us about moving more comfortably today?

The answer lies in the parallels between how human species evolved over millions of years and how a child develops. The early movements of crawling during infancy form the developmental blueprint for later cross-lateral coordination and weight-bearing.

This is exactly why so many Feldenkrais^® lessons return to developmental movements. By exploring crawling and floor-level coordination, we are tapping into our evolutionary blueprint to improve our efficiency, coordination, and comfort in gravity.

Image Credit: IFF

 

Moshe Feldenkrais famously explained this idea to prominent anthropologist Margaret Mead, after she had presented him a cultural phenomena from one of the tribes she had spent time with: 

 

"If you are such a big expert on movement, explain to me why a tribe that has exquisite divers and can dance beautifully cannot do one movement - that is crossing their arms and tapping their knees as part of their dance and movement repertoire."

 

Feldenkrais replied:

"I can think of two possibilities.
One is that your observation is inaccurate.
The second is that, as babies, they don’t get to crawl enough."

 

Mead was amazed by this statement and related to Feldenkrais that the tribe had the belief that if they let their babies crawl, they would turn into animals. So they tended to carry their children until they were old enough to stand.

 

After that exchange they went on to form a close friendship that lasted until Mead passed away in 1978. She also became a stout supporter of the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education:

 

"The Feldenkrais Method is the most sophisticated and effective method I have seen for the prevention and reversal of deterioration of function."

 

-Margaret Mead, Ph.D., Anthropologist

 

Source

In this month’s edition of the SenseAbility we dive into the evolution of human movement and find out what it can teach us about moving more comfortably and efficiently in our modern daily lives. 

 

We interview author and Feldenkrais^® Practitioner Todd Hargrove about how he categorizes the different types of human movement seen throughout evolution and how gaining a better understanding of them can help us build a more nutritious movement 'diet'. 

Todd has also provided a preview chapter from his upcoming book Healthy Movement for Human Animals which he has been working on and sharing via his Substack blog.

 

The title of the chapter is Crawling - The foundation of Locomotion and it fits in beautifully with the theme of this SenseAbility!   

We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter.

Joe, Michelle, Eleanor, and Jane
FGNA Communications Team

Image Credit - Alva Shoo - Pexels

 

A Podcast Interview with Todd Hargrove

 

In this months SenseAbility Podcast we interview Feldenkrais^® practitioner and author Todd Hargrove about his upcoming book, Healthy Movements for Human Animals. In the interview, Todd shares a brilliant framework that categorizes our physical ability into four evolutionary stages: the Ground World of crawling and rolling, the Tree World of reaching and hanging, the Bipedal World of walking upright, and finally, the Tool World of using our hands to carry and throw.

 

Todd explains that humans are the ultimate movement generalists. While we might not be as fast as cheetahs or as strong as chimps, our bodies have inherited incredible physical diversity. He goes on to describe how the restrictions, comforts and habits of modern life have taken us away from using the vast wisdom of our evolutionary movement patterns and how restoring that biological repertoire can give us access to healthier movement in adulthood. 

Image Credit: Freestockpro - Pexels

 

A sample chapter from Todd Hargroves upcoming book - Healthy Movement for Human Animals

 

Chapter 4: Crawling - The Foundation of Locomotion

 

Crawling is especially valuable for overall coordination because it engages our most deeply rooted movement patterns. Our ancestors spent almost 400 million years perfecting quadrupedal locomotion before learning to walk upright just 4 million years ago. Almost everything about the structure and function of human bodies - the spine, shoulders, hips, and all the major muscle groups connecting them - was originally designed for movement on four limbs, not two. Thus, walking is essentially crawling with some minor updates to the software and hardware.

This means crawling serves as an excellent “reminder” to the nervous system about how to coordinate all the major joints and muscles of the body. This may be useful to modern humans who rarely challenge themselves to move skillfully with their hands on the ground and their spine horizontal. 

In this chapter, we’ll examine the evolutionary history of crawling, how it develops in human infants, and relate that to a number of modern exercises to help you start to crawl again! 

This email was sent to movement.by.michellep@gmail.com.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.