As a parent, my deepest wish is for my children to grow into confident, compassionate individuals who feel at home in their own bodies.
But what I didn’t fully realize until I became both a mother and a practitioner of Movement Shiatsu, is just how much our early bodily experiences shape not only our physical development, but also our emotional resilience, self-awareness, and relationships.
This understanding has transformed the way I parent, the way I work with clients, and how I view the intricate dance of human development.
Movement is more than crawling and walking—it’s the first language we speak.
Through movement, babies learn to trust themselves, navigate the world, and connect with others.
And according to the pioneering work of Bill Palmer, founder of Movement Shiatsu in the UK, these early patterns of movement form the basis of our personality, our emotional habits, and even how we relate to others.
Bill’s theory of the Three Families of Meridians—rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine—offers a new, yet timeless lens through which to understand how infants grow into individuals. Each "family" corresponds to specific developmental stages, energetic pathways, and psycho-emotional milestones.
My own childhood taught me how easily boundaries can be overlooked.
I was told when to eat and how much—my body’s cues often ignored.
As a result, mealtimes were filled with conflict. It wasn’t until I learned about the Earth Element and the Individuating Stage in Movement Shiatsu that I understood how those early bodily experiences shaped my sense of self.
That insight gave me the tools to parent differently. With my own children, I chose to respect their bodily autonomy from the start—to trust that they knew when they were full, hungry, tired, or overstimulated.
The result? Mealtimes are now joyful, attuned, and respectful. That one change has had ripples in every part of our family life.
In the first three months, babies begin to activate muscle tone, creating fullness in their bodies. This stage is about learning to be in the body—to eat, breathe, and excrete.
The Stomach and Large Intestine meridians (known as the Yang Ming) work in tandem with the Spleen and Lung meridians (the Tai Yin) to support both internal stability and outward expression.
These movements help infants start to sense their bodies as distinct from their caregivers. It’s the beginning of boundary formation and the emergence of trust in themselves and the world.
Parenting Tips for This Stage (Erikson: Trust vs. Mistrust):
As babies begin to coordinate limbs and connect movements across the body, the focus shifts to integration.
The Liver and Pericardium meridians (Jue Yin) work with the Gall Bladder and Triple Heater meridians (Shao Yang) to unify left and right, upper and lower, back and front.
The baby begins to roll, sit, and reach in coordinated spirals—embodying wholeness and connectivity.
This stage supports emotional integration, too—how the baby processes conflicting sensations and emotions within a cohesive inner world.
Parenting Tips for This Stage (Erikson: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt):
With better skeletal alignment and coordination, babies now move with clear intention—reaching, crawling, and pursuing goals.
The Small Intestine and Bladder meridians (Tai Yang) collaborate with the Heart and Kidney meridians (Shao Yin) to align the body around a central intention.
The baby not only learns what they want, but also how to act on it—creating harmony between will and ability. Psychologically, this is the root of motivation and personal agency.
Parenting Tips for This Stage:
After these foundational nine months, development doesn’t stop—it deepens. The families of meridians cycle again in reverse order, guiding psychological growth:
This spiral approach shows us that human development isn’t linear—it’s a rhythm that revisits core themes with increasing complexity.
Understanding how early movement shapes emotional and psychological development empowers us to support children more holistically. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, teacher, or therapist, the message is the same:
The body holds the key to selfhood. Respecting and supporting natural movement is a profound act of love.
When we nurture a baby’s freedom to move, explore, and feel, we are helping them build the foundations for autonomy, connection, and resilience. We’re saying: “I see you. I trust you. You belong in your body, just as you are.”
