Movement as a Form of Self-Respect: A Gentle Guide

This piece was inspired by two people.

The first is a childhood friend—now a busy working mum of two—who still finds little moments to connect with me through Instagram. Every so often, she’ll message me about my posts and stories which resonate with her. Sometimes it would be enough to get her moving again, or to find a moment for herself amidst the chaos.

My recent story of a lymph massage technique brought relief to her, and she decided to get herself a small guasha tool. Our Instagram chat keeps us connected to each other, and I feel a pang in my heart when I know she is carving out a few minutes to show the same kind, loving attention to herself, as she does to her children.

The second person is a student of mine—a dedicated animal vet who spends long hours performing surgeries at her clinic. Her work is meaningful, but it’s taken a toll. Chronic aches in her working shoulder and nerve pain in her elbow are something she wakes up with every morning.

She reminds me that people don’t need more pressure to perform or push harder—they need small ways back into their own body. And that sometimes, just being reminded that you’re allowed to care for yourself is enough to change things.

So this article is for them, and for anyone else who needs a reminder that movement can be a form of self-respect. You don’t need special clothes. You don’t need to be thin or flexible. You don’t even need a full hour. You just need a few minutes, and a willingness to check in.

We’re often taught to think of movement as something we should do. To burn calories. To stay in shape. To counteract sitting too long, eating too much, or ageing too fast. But what if we reimagined movement not as a task to be completed, but as a form of self-respect? What if it wasn’t about proving something—but about listening?

🧭 Movement Isn’t One Thing

Some people move in powerful, athletic ways. Others barely make it through the day without pain. Some are navigating postpartum changes, grief, long-term fatigue, or disability. Some are tired in a way that doesn’t have a name.

All of that counts. All of that matters.

You don’t need to be pain-free, motivated, or even mobile to relate to your body with respect.

🤲 Start Where You Are, Not Where You Think You Should Be

If you're already active—lifting, running, taking classes—it’s easy to stay on autopilot. You might feel strong but disconnected. You push through tired days. You forget what ease feels like.

For you, self-respect might look like:

• Choosing not to push when your body is asking for rest.

• Taking your shoes off and walking barefoot to reconnect with sensation.

• Moving slowly and intentionally instead of chasing performance.

If you're living with pain, exhaustion, or limitation, movement can feel far away or even scary.

For you, self-respect might look like:

• Breathing into areas of tension without forcing release.

• Gently adjusting your position so your body feels less burdened.

• Asking: “What’s one part of me I can move today, even just a little?”

🧶 10 Simple Practices to Reconnect With Your Body

These don’t require money, gear, or free time. Just a willingness to try—even for 30 seconds.

1. Three Breath Check-In

Sit, lie down, or even stand at the sink. Inhale slowly through your nose, feel your ribcage widen. Exhale through the mouth with a soft "shhh" sound. Do it three times. That’s it.

2. Supported Floor Rest

Lie on your back with a cushion under your knees. Feel your body settle into the floor. Let gravity hold you for once. Notice what areas feel heavy, what areas are clinging.

3. Hand Massage

Rub your hands together for 10 seconds. Then gently massage your palm with your thumb. One hand at a time. It sounds small. It often brings tears.

4. Wall Y-Press (Back Body Wake-Up)

Stand facing away from a wall, let your back body rest against the wall.

Have the backs of your arms and hands gently pressed into the wall, elbows bent at 90 degrees like goalposts—shoulders relaxed, wrists in line with your elbows.

Now, very slowly, begin to slide your arms upward into a gentle Y-shape—but here’s the key:

🔑 Focus on pressing the backs of your arms and hands into the wall, not on straightening your elbows.

Let the movement be led by your upper back muscles, not momentum. Stop if you feel your ribs pop forward or shoulders hike up.

Breathe into your ribs. Press gently. The goal is connection, not height.

You’re waking up postural muscles in your upper back that often go offline when we slouch.

5. Sit Differently

Adjust how you’re sitting. Wiggle your seat bones. Rest your feet flat. Unclench your jaw. Sometimes this is all the movement we have in us—and it counts.

6. Shoulder Rolls + Sighs

Inhale, lift your shoulders up. Exhale with an audible sigh as you let them fall. Do a few rounds. Especially helpful after bad news or a tense meeting.

7. Back Body Breathing

Lie face-down with your head to one side. Breathe into your lower ribs and belly, letting your back rise with the inhale. This often reconnects us to the part of our body we forget exists.

8. Open and Close

Lie on your back with arms out to the side. Bring them in to hug yourself. Repeat slowly: open, close. A physical way of saying: I am safe here.

9. Reach and Recoil

Reach your arms forward as if to grab something just out of reach. Then gently pull your arms back toward you and let them rest. Do it seated, standing, or lying down. It mimics the natural cycle of giving and receiving.

10. Micro-Stretch Before Bed

As you sit on the edge of the bed, drop one ear to your shoulder. Hold it. Switch sides. Then, slowly look left and right. Gentle, slow, honest movement to end the day.

🔄 Movement as Relationship

Self-respect isn’t only about doing the “right” thing. It’s about staying in relationship with your body—even when it doesn’t behave, perform, or feel how you wish it would.

That might mean:

• Letting go of the image of how your body used to move.

• Checking in with your needs more often than your goals.

• Reminding yourself: Discomfort doesn’t mean failure. Slowness doesn’t mean weakness.

🌱 A Practice, Not a Performance

Movement as self-respect isn’t a pose or a plan. It’s what happens when you stay curious. Some days it’s lifting heavy. Other days it’s barely lifting your head off the pillow. Both are valid.

You don’t need the perfect class, mat, or moment. You just need a breath, a pause, and the decision to listen.

🧘‍♀️ Final Thought

You don’t owe anyone proof that your body is worth care. You don’t need a schedule, a six-pack, or a streak of motivation. You just need a moment of honesty.

Ask yourself:

“What would feel kind right now—not to change my body, but to be in it?”

And whatever that answer is—it counts.