The “Why” Behind the Made to Move Guidebook
It might sound a little cheesy to say, but I created this guidebook because it’s what I needed five years ago when I first discovered Human Design. At that time, my life looked a lot different than it does now. I was training and competing full time as an endurance athlete, and had just represented Canada at the ski mountaineering world championships. I was on a long drive home after my final competition of the season, when I downloaded a podcast where the hosts were receiving Human Design readings from their invited guest. Something activated within me while listening to that episode, even just from hearing the words “Human Design.” I looked up my chart as soon as I arrived at home, and was shocked to discover I am a Projector Energy Type!
One of my first Google searches after discovering I am a Projector and learning a little more about what that means was “Human Design Projector Athlete.” I was searching for an answer to my question: Can I continue to do what I’m doing as a Projector? Deep down, I already knew the answer. I felt in my body almost immediately after learning about my chart that I was doing way too much. I knew on some level that if I continued on the road I was on, there would be severe health consequences down the line. However, I also was not satisfied with the information I was finding online regarding Human Design and sport/exercise/physical activity/movement. First of all, I could barely find anything on the topic at the time - maybe a handful of blogs, or a brief mention here and there in an Instagram post. As someone who has been active and athletic my entire life, I felt very dissatisfied with the description of Projectors I read in one Human Design book: “You’d better get a comfy armchair to relax into because you’re going to be there a lot!” None of it fully resonated with me, and I couldn’t find anyone who was investigating this area. I knew then it would be up to me to do the investigating!
So that’s what I’ve done. Over the last five years, I’ve learned Human Design from many different teachers. I’ve been seeing clients for Human Design Readings for the last three years, and hearing their stories and feedback has added to my knowledge. I’ve looked up the chart of every person in my life, and have observed those closest to me for the last five years and have connected their behaviour to various aspects of their designs. Although my days as a competitive athlete are behind me, I remain an avid sports fan. Whenever I can, I look up the charts of athletes that I follow and correlate what I’m seeing them do in competition and training with how they are made to move according to their Human Design charts. Finally, I’ve of course been experimenting in my own life with finding my healthiest movement practice that works for me on all levels, and supports my life and my purpose rather than takes away from it.
My intention for this guidebook is that it gives you what I didn’t have five years ago: A guide for how you are made to move, based on the relevant characteristics of your Human Design Chart. The fitness industry and the sporting world are rife with “shoulds” - the proper way to train, what you absolutely HAVE to do, the right workout for everyone. While some basic principles certainly apply to most people - like the fact that it’s healthy to have some kind of cardio, strength, and flexibility in our routines - not every fitness or training method will be right for you as an individual. Of course, there are the variables most people are more aware of, such as age, baseline fitness, weight, height, body composition, genetics, sex, health conditions, etc. that are helpful considerations when choosing a movement practice. And while those considerations are essential, they don’t tell the whole story. Your Human Design Chart has so much to say about how you are made to move, and it’s my intention to provide you with a firm foundation of understanding in your customized Made to Move Guidebook.
The focus of this guidebook, in alignment with the principles of Human Design, is health rather than athletic performance. Those two factors are related but they are not the same. Using my own experiences as an example, a Projector could be a really talented endurance athlete because their undefined Sacral does not have a built-in signal telling them when it’s time to stop. They can pick up on and amplify the energy of other people around them, making them feel like a super energizer bunny! Perhaps this works for them for awhile and they can perform quite well, but over time it is unhealthy for Projectors to continuously deplete their bodies in this way. When I trained full time as an endurance athlete, I was constantly sick (with the flu, colds, etc). I thought that was a normal part of pushing yourself, but deep down I could always feel something was off. Despite being naturally gifted in this area, I always sensed others had something I don’t have. Turns out, that “something” was a defined Sacral centre, the home of life force energy! Since discovering I am a Projector, I’ve been moving my body a whole lot less and in much more aligned ways, and as a result I have been a whole lot healthier. In my performance-focused days, I would get sick over ten times per year. Now in my health-focused, aligned-with-my-(human)-design days, I have only gotten sick twice in the last five years. That’s just one small example of how things have positively shifted for me and my health since beginning to move my body in harmony with my unique design.
This equation for healthy movement is going to look different for everyone depending on your unique chart, and of course many other factors as well. For some, their healthiest and most aligned expression is being a high-performing athlete! Like everything in life, it depends on the individual and your unique situation. However, I feel it is important to mention that the primary focus of the information in the Made to Move Guidebook is on health, well-being, and alignment, rather than athletic performance.
The bottom line is that each and every one of us is made to move. Movement is such a beautiful expression of these human bodies we each inhabit. Our movement practices influence so much in our lives, and can really set the tone for our days. I’ve always found that while moving my body does feel good and fun in the moment, the real benefit is how it makes me feel in my life outside of that practice. The benefits of movement are endless and we’ve likely heard them all before - it benefits our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. However, if we’re forcing ourselves to do things we don’t like to do because we think we *should*; If we’re over-doing it or perhaps not moving enough; If we’re being overly competitive or focused on results when we’re not designed that way; If we’re setting the wrong goals for ourselves… then our movement practice is not serving us.
It’s my sincere hope that the Made to Move Guidebook will serve as a valuable tool in your toolbox, to encourage you to move in whichever ways feel the best to you.
Are you ready to create a movement practice that’s right for you, using the wisdom of your Human Design Chart? Click the button below :)
