Animal Flow Movements
🐾 Animal Flow Movement
Animal flow movement is more than exercise—it’s a playful, powerful return to how the human body was designed to move. Blending strength, mobility, coordination, and mindfulness, animal flow movements reconnect us with natural, ground-based rhythmic movement patterns inspired by animals.
🧠 What Are Animal Flow Exercises?
Animal flow is a bodyweight exercise that combines elements of yoga, gymnastics, parkour, capoeira, and dance. The movements, which are performed mostly close to the ground, are fluid and continuous, emphasizing control, mobility, and coordination rather than reps or machines.
Each movement can be learned and done separately; however, as movements begin to transition with smooth flow and rhythm, the body can learn to string them together like lyrics in a song. This creative expression makes animal flow exercises a fun way to develop into a bodyweight athlete.
🐒 Six Common Animal Flow Exercises
Here are some of the most widely practiced foundational movements:
🐻 Beast – A quadrupedal position (hands under shoulders, knees hovering). Builds core strength, shoulder stability, and body awareness.
🦀 Crab – Face-up, hands and feet on the floor. Opens the chest and shoulders while strengthening the posterior chain.
🦎 Lizard – A low, crawling movement that improves hip mobility, spinal rotation, and coordination.
🦂 Scorpion – A controlled kick-through pattern that challenges thoracic spine mobility and balance.
🦍 Ape – A dynamic squat-based movement emphasizing hip power, ankle mobility, and fluid transitions.
🐸 Frog – A deep, ground-based squat movement that opens the hips and ankles while building lower-body strength, mobility, and smooth transition control.
Each movement can be practiced statically or dynamically and movements can be linked together into flowing sequences.
❤️ Why Are Animal Flow Exercises So Effective?
Using compound movements, animal flow movements train the body as a system, not as isolated muscles. Because movements are dynamic, multi-planar and integrated, they improve how the body performs in real life. They strengthen, train and maintain the body’s ability to lift, reach, twist, and get up off the ground with ease and grace.
They also reintroduce play into our day, which lowers stress hormones and increases adherence to movement routines.
👥 Who Should Practice Animal Flow?
Animal flow is highly adaptable and can benefit:
Adults with sedentary work tasks that contribute to stiff hips and shoulders
Athletes seeking better mobility and injury resilience
Older adults wanting to maintain ground-to-standing independence
People who want strength and flexibility without using equipment
Anyone craving joyful, non-repetitive movement
You don’t need to be “fit” to start—you need to be curious and willing to get on the floor.
🌱 Key Benefits
Regular animal flow practice can lead to:
Improved joint mobility and flexibility
Greater core strength and stability
Better coordination and fluid movement
Reduced aches from sedentary lifestyles
Enhanced mind–body connection and confidence
Some people even report feeling more energized, grounded, and mentally clear after practicing such sessions.
⚠️ How to Start Safely
Because we all different and are starting at different levels of flexibility and strength, it’s important to:
Start with gentle range-of-motion stretches
Then, begin with static holds before trying dynamic (moving) flows
Keep movements slow and controlled
Modify knee or wrist load as needed (pads help)
Stop short of pain—mobility should feel challenging, without excessive strain or discomfort
Build endurance with each animal flow exercise
Slowly introduce transitions from one animal flow exercise to another one
Consider learning from a certified Animal Flow® instructor, especially at the start
Learn more by searching Mike Fitch who developed the Animal Flow® ground-based movement program
Progress is not about speed—it’s about quality of movement and form.
NOTE: When starting any exercise routine, it’s good to know your own abilities and to check with your doctor regarding your individual exercise duration, frequency and limitations.
🌤️ Inside vs. Outside Practice
Indoors 🏠: Offers controlled surfaces, privacy, and year-round consistency—great for learning new patterns.
Outdoors 🌳: Adds sensory stimulation, fresh air, and uneven surfaces that enhance balance and nervous system engagement. Grass, sand, or smooth concrete all bring different challenges while offering grounding/earthing benefits.
Both environments are valuable—rotate when possible, but most of all, keep it fun.
✨ Final Thought
Animal flow reminds us that movement doesn’t have to be rigid, repetitive, or boring. We don’t need machines or fancy equipment.
When we move like animals, we are not just training our bodies to be strong, adaptable, and aware of its potential; we are rediscovering freedom, resilience, and joy we felt when we were younger.
As I want to maintain strength and flexibility, I added 5-minutes of body flow movements to my daily routine and I make sure to share my new routine with family and friends to create a social network filled with support, encouragement and accountability.
Use animal flow exercises to tap into your body’s natural rhythm and write some expressive body lyrics that that charge your body with fun, energizing movement.