105. The Joy of Movement: Embodied Curiosity, Injury Recovery, and Playfulness with David Bantje

“One reason why it can feel so hard to listen to your body is because it is not normalized to move in a variety of ways that you would want to. There are certain ways of moving that are allowed or socially accepted but others are very rare to see. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense that we don't know what our body wants or can't listen to it because we always shut it down.” - David Bantje

In this episode, I’m joined by natural movement practitioner, and my loving partner, David Bantje. In this episode, he offers a refreshing, intuitive reframe on how we can shift our relationship to movement for a more liberated , and playful life. Rather than treating movement as a chore, isolated workout, or something we only do in designated spaces, David invites us to see movement as a birthright—something our bodies crave and have evolved to do in diverse, dynamic ways. He discusses how mainstream exercise culture, with its narrow focus and rigid intensity, can leave us disconnected from the deeper intelligence of our bodies. Instead, natural movement emphasizes accessibility, variety, injury prevention, and playfulness, allowing us to reconnect and reclaim our capacity for taking risks, curiosity, and aliveness. This isn’t about perfection or discipline, but about attunement: giving our bodies the space to lead.

In this episode we discuss:

• How chronic pain and injuries "stack up" from habitual postures and sedentary lifestyles
• What natural movement is, and how it helps realign us with what our bodies evolved to do
• The limits of conventional fitness culture and why high-intensity, short bursts of exercise can do more harm than good
• The power of movement snacks—simple, frequent movements throughout the day—to support flexibility, awareness, and healing
• Movement as medicine in the context of illness, disability, and injury (including David’s experience with a herniated disc)
• Relearning how to listen to your body, even when it doesn’t communicate in language
• Why reclaiming natural movement can be a path not only to health—but to joy, agency, and freedom

Bio

David Bantje is a movement practitioner, teacher, and facilitator based in Potsdam, Germany. His interests span movement disciplines such as natural movement, parkour, dance, somatic movement, running, climbing, and their interconnections. He researches the importance of movement for our individual lives as well as our communities, how our modern societies have affected our movement habits, and ways to reconnect to our physicality and playfulness. In 2019 and 2021 he got certifications as a MovNat Natural Movement Trainer, and has since taught movement classes and workshops on various topics. Currently, he is co-hosting Monday Motion, an open community event for freely exploring movement and dance. He just started to write a Substack called "Movement Invitations".

Links

• David's Substack: https://davidbantje.substack.com/
• Katie Bowman: https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/
• Natural Movement Classes: https://movnat.com/

Resources:

• Get the book: ⁠⁠⁠Mad Studies Reader: Interdisciplinary Innovations in Mental Health⁠⁠

• Become a member: ⁠⁠The Institute