Unapologetic Bodies: How Shame Manifests in Movement
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Introduction
In Liberation Martial Arts (LMA), we strive to connect deeply with our bodies, our environments, and each other. This Way often reveals how deeply ingrained societal conditioning shapes our movements, behaviors, and interactions. One of the most pervasive influences is body shame—a powerful force that restricts our physical expressions while overriding our executive functions with our survival mechanisms, such as the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response. For LMA to foster ease and recycle energy (wu wei), we must unlearn shame.
The roots of body shame
We live in a society that constantly bombards us with unrealistic standards of beauty and physicality. From a young age, we are conditioned to view our bodies through a lens of deficiency and imperfection. This conditioning is not superficial; it penetrates deep into our unconscious, affecting how we move and interact with the world. Body shame is a societal construct designed to control and oppress. It teaches us to apologize for our bodies, leading to movements that reflect this internalized shame.
Trauma is not only about catastrophic events but also about the subtle, chronic stressors that accumulate over time and store in our psyches and bodies. These stressors can include societal pressures and body shaming, leading to a state of constant tension and hypervigilance. In response, our bodies adopt survival mechanisms, which influence how we move.
Fight-flight-freeze-fawn in movement
When people are tense and scared, their bodies trigger not only fight or flight but also freeze and fawn. Each of these responses can be seen in our movements:
Fight: Tension and readiness to confront or defend, often resulting in stiff, quick, big, and aggressive movements.
Flight: The urge to escape, characterized by rapid, often disjointed movements.
Freeze: Stillness, rigid posture, breath-holding, and a lack of movement to become invisible or to process.
Fawn: People-pleasing behaviors, where movements may be overly accommodating or submissive, apologizing for taking up space or moving idiosyncratically.
Fawning, in particular, can manifest as explicit statements or implied actions that amount to apologizing for our bodies or movements, reflecting deeply ingrained body shame. Fawning behavior can also say, "I am not a threat," or "I am already well aware I am not good enough." It can also manifest as behaviors meant to distract from the shame.
Body shame and tension
In LMA, we seek to achieve ease and fluidity in our movements, practicing the concept of "wu wei"—effortless action that uses natural energy from gravity and inertia rather than muscular force. However, achieving this state is challenging when body shame creates constant tension.
An LMA practitioner shared their experience, saying, "I realized how I subconsciously suck in my stomach, tense up my core, and restrict my breathing on a daily basis because of body shame." This realization is crucial in unlearning ingrained habits and reclaiming natural, unburdened movement.
Unlearning shame
Liberation Martial Arts is a practice rooted in anti-colonial, Taoistic, and Marxist philosophies, emphasizing experiential learning, community engagement, and dynamic interaction with the environment. It aims to help practitioners unlearn the conditioned responses of body shame and re-learn how to move with ease and confidence.
To move with ease, we must first unlearn the patterns of tension and self-restriction imposed by body shame. This process involves:
Awareness: Recognizing the ways body shame manifests in our movements and daily lives.
Acceptance: Embracing our bodies as they are without judgment or apology.
Reclaiming natural movement: Practicing movements that feel natural and unforced, focusing on the flow of energy rather than rigid control.
Radical self-love: Cultivating a deep, unconditional love for our bodies rather than viewing them as objects to be criticized.
The role of perception and Wayfinding
In LMA, Wayfinding is a profound interaction with the environment, blending cognitive and perceptual processes like perception, attention, memory, and decision-making​​. Understanding affordances—possibilities for action provided by the environment—helps practitioners navigate their surroundings skillfully and with ease. This interconnectedness of self and environment fosters a sense of belonging and confidence, counteracting the isolation and self-doubt induced by body shame.
Creating safe and inclusive movement spaces
Safety and inclusivity are paramount in LMA. The practice emphasizes creating environments where diverse bodies and movements are celebrated. This approach contrasts with rigid, prescriptive training models that exclude or marginalize individuals based on their physical abilities or appearances​​​​. By fostering a safe and supportive community, LMA practitioners can explore and expand their movement repertoire without fear of judgment or failure.
The intersection of movement and radical self-love
Radical self-love involves embracing our bodies as they are and rejecting societal standards that perpetuate shame and inadequacy. In LMA, this philosophy translates into movements that honor and celebrate our bodies' capabilities and uniqueness. Practitioners learn to move with intention, embrace their natural rhythm and tempo, and develop a deeper connection with their bodies and the environment​​.
Embracing radical self-love through Liberation Martial Arts
Unlearning body shame and embracing radical self-love is both challenging and transformative. By understanding how societal conditioning impacts our movements and behaviors, we can begin to reclaim our bodies and move with ease and confidence. LMA is not just about physical training but also healing and self-discovery. Our bodies are not apologies—they are powerful, dynamic, and deserving of love and respect.
Embrace your movement journey with compassion for yourself and others. Let your movements reflect the freedom and joy of a body unburdened by shame. Let's exist and move in space unapologetically and dismantle the systems that constrain us.
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