We’re always going here and there, doing this and that; right? We move about doing things from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep. Maybe we even move in our sleep. So why do we need more movement?

Some people would advocate for more rest and relaxation, and sometimes that is needed too. However, to be creative you have to move. To enjoy life you have to move. Maybe you can enjoy laying in the hammock for an hour or so, but sooner or later you will get bored, need a drink or a bathroom break, and you will have to move. Life is movement and absolute stillness indicates an absence of life.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the daily routines of life and minimalize our movements to only what is necessary. We tend to move less when we are bored, uninspired or feeling stuck in a rut. ~Get up for work, drink the coffee, drive to work, sit at the desk, answer the phone, do the job, come home, eat dinner, watch TV, go to sleep, then do it all over again~ Does this sound familiar? Is this the ideal way of life, the American Dream? Is this how you envisioned your life to be when you were young and looking forward to growing up?

When we’re young we naturally move a lot – running, jumping, hopping, skipping, climbing, playing all day long. We think that as we get older our energy level declines and we stop doing all these things, but sometimes I wonder if the opposite is true – we get older because we stop moving as much. Adults are always telling children to sit still, be quiet, study hard so you can get a good job, etc.  We unknowingly point our children in the direction of a more sedentary lifestyle, perhaps we even model that lifestyle for them. Is it any wonder that we now have an obesity epidemic in America? As a nation we have created a comfortable rut that’s easy to get stuck in.

If you have enough time and money you might be able to buy your way out of the rut by joining a gym, taking yoga classes, or getting involved in a sporting hobby. Many people have a hard time finding something that they can commit to for various reasons and I’m one of those people. “If I had money…if I had time…if I lived somewhere else…”. However, I think the problem is deeper than lack of time, money, interest or whatever; it’s a complex set of patterns of thought and lifestyle that have been created over years, maybe even generations.

Recently I was very inspired to find this YouTube clip of how a prison in the Philippines was transformed  through creative movement. The introduction of more movement that was directed, creative, mandatory and had to be learned, resulted in a change of attitude and relationships. I encourage you to watch several of these dance performances on YouTube to see how creative movement can transform lives.

Being stuck in a rut is kind of like being in prison. There are no bars or prison guards except the thoughts that stop us from making a change. Unfortunately, those thoughts can often be stronger obstacles than bars and guns. It doesn’t take much to move a little more, it only takes a few more steps each day, little by little climbing out of the rut. Don’t waste time thinking about it, just start moving. More movement will lead to more creative thoughts and possibilities for a life above the rut.