“The biggest sensory organ in the body.”

When people hear the word “proprioception,” most dismiss it as yet another body-buzzword and let it go at that. Some consider it an anatomical detail and others find it relevant only in the context of physical therapy and rehab. But muscle (in combination with mechanoreceptors in tendons, ligaments and joint capsules) is just as much a sensory organ as eyes and ears. As the Barefoot Sensei likes to remind us, “Muscle is the biggest sensory organ in the body.” When we move, we sense our world and ourselves. This sensation is vital for performance and our state of well-being.

From this perspective, we begin to appreciate the catastrophic effects of sedentary living on the modern human. To take away movement is to take away sensation and self-knowledge. When we create such a sensory deficit, we begin to feel anxious, uncertain and ungrounded. Our modern epidemics of distorted attention, depression and anxiety all make sense in this context. We can medicate people all we like, but in the end, we have to start moving to remember who we are.