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Essentials: The Science & Practice of Movement | Ido Portal

Feb 5, 2026 38m 50s 16 insights
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Ido Portal, a movement coach and world expert on human movement. We explore the science and practice of movement, including how the nervous system shapes our actions, the distinction between reflexive and deliberate movement patterns and how emotion and awareness influence our movement. Ido shares how to build a holistic movement practice into everyday life through an exploration-based approach grounded in playfulness and self-inquiry.
Actionable Insights

1. Movement as Self-Inquiry

Approach movement practice as a form of self-inquiry, bringing awareness to your body in motion, and recognizing that your mind, life, and emotions are also types of movement.

2. Cultivate Nonverbal Motion Awareness

Engage in nonverbal experiences to foster awareness of motion, which will clarify over time and can provide a safe haven, unlocking potential attributes and strengths.

3. Strive for Posture-less Movement

Work to free yourself from habitual physical, emotional, and thinking “postures,” aiming for a more fluid, “posture-less” way of doing things to overcome problematic limitations.

4. Introduce Variability for Evolution

Intentionally introduce variability and playful exploration into any practice, as this is essential for evolution and discovering new possibilities beyond mere technical execution.

5. Personalize & Test Practices

Take responsibility to examine and test information, making practices your own rather than accepting them as fixed truths, as even reliable tools may not universally apply.

6. Embrace Exploration & Unconventionality

Continuously explore and embrace unconventional approaches in your practice; if you’re not encountering “weird looks,” you might not be pushing boundaries or discovering new directions.

7. Control Proximity Reactivity

Practice removing or controlling your reactivity to proximity and touch, as this “volume control” is vital for performance, clear thinking, and avoiding becoming a “slave” to external stimuli.

8. Explore Playful, Consensual Proximity

With mutual agreement, explore various ways of being within different distances and spaces from others, practicing non-martial, playful touch to disarm ingrained reactive patterns and build strength.

9. Balance Visual Focus & Awareness

Actively balance your visual practice by incorporating more open, panoramic, and soft gaze awareness, as modern culture often overemphasizes narrow focus, limiting broader perception.

10. Nature: Open Awareness Practice

When in nature, practice an open, panoramic awareness, immersing yourself in the general movement, and only focusing on specific details when something naturally attracts your attention, then return to broad awareness.

11. Continuously Vary Movement Practice

When exploring new movements, avoid getting stuck on one variation; continuously examine and vary it (e.g., different head postures, eyes closed) to uncover new insights beyond associative thinking.

12. Embrace Non-Linear Walking

Incorporate non-linear movements like swaying, coiling, and uncoiling into your walk, coordinating it with your breathing, as overly linear movement can be wasteful and limit natural air pumping.

13. Vary Walking Posture for Impact

Experiment with different walking postures, such as approaching someone with a chin down or more rounded with a tilted head, to observe and affect different communication outcomes.

14. Optimize Head & Ear Placement

Experiment with angling your head and adjusting your chin position to enhance listening, as the placement of your head and ears can significantly affect how you perceive sound.

15. Crowded Environment Movement Practice

To integrate movement, walk in crowded areas and intentionally try to avoid touching anyone, engaging fully in your body and developing yourself through this involved practice.

16. Dynamic Seating for Focus

Use dynamic seating like rocking chairs or introduce subtle motion while sitting to support continuous movement, which helps refresh you and prevents mental staleness, allowing for longer periods of focus.