Body functionality through an indigenous lens: Learning from indigenous knowledge systems to facilitate appreciation

Body functionality, a facet of positive body image, has demonstrated its strong relationship with improvements in body image and wellbeing. While body functionality is an emerging field of research, its principles have been deeply embedded and practiced within Indigenous cultures for centuries. This review examines the socio-cultural barriers in modern Western contexts that impede intuitive appreciation of body functionality, contrasting these with Indigenous perspectives that intuitively cultivate it. By exploring six important Indigenous facilitators of body functionality—land, community, spirituality, movement, creativity, and sexuality—we demonstrate how Indigenous practices holistically integrate awareness and appreciation of the body’s functions into cultural, spiritual, and communal frameworks. We argue that reconnecting with these values can deepen the conceptual and practical applications of body functionality appreciation.