Thank you for joining me for this gentle moving meditation on the theme of slowing down.
We'll be playing with pace as we do two very simple motions for a few minutes,
Observing the sensations in the body and how movement can often influence our mental activity and nervous system state.
This meditation can be done either standing or seated in a chair.
You can have your eyes open or close them,
But if you're standing,
You may find that keeping them open with a soft gaze helps your balance.
As I describe these simple movements,
If any of the details don't work well in your body or the verbal descriptions just don't make perfect sense,
Please feel free to make the movement your own.
This is much less about getting the movement right than it is just letting your movement facilitate a mindfulness experience.
If you're standing,
Have your feet a comfortable width apart like hips or shoulder width.
If you are seated,
Try to sit evenly in your chair and have your feet touching the floor if possible.
In either position,
See if you can reach down a little through your feet or through your legs on the chair.
And at the same time,
Lengthen up gently through your spine.
Notice how you're feeling at the beginning of this practice.
Is your mind busy or calm?
Are the thoughts moving quickly or slowly?
Do you feel rushed,
Speedy,
Or impatient?
Or more balanced and steady?
Do you notice any tension or discomfort in your body?
And maybe you can also notice some areas of ease.
There are no right or wrong answers as we check in with ourselves.
Shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and then let them relax all the way down.
Now let's start to lift the arms out in front of the body,
Perhaps as far as shoulder height,
And then lower them back down to your sides.
Start at somewhat of a faster pace with your arm movement.
It doesn't need to be a very fast movement.
It's just a little bit of a pace with your arm movement.
It doesn't need to match your breath right now.
Keep moving your arms up and down in a comfortable way.
And as you do that,
See if you can relax your joints and let them be loose,
Even while you're moving a bit more quickly.
Can you let your fingertips be the last part of you to arrive at the top of your movement and at the bottom of your movement?
Think Tai Chi or Qigong arms,
Even at this quicker pace.
Noticing what it's like.
Now let's start to slow this movement down a bit.
As you gradually take it at a slower pace,
Can you start to match the breath to the movement?
Breathing in as you lift the arms and breathing out as they lower.
Taking a moment to sync that up,
Linking the breath to the movement.
Continuing to slow it down a little bit more.
If you're standing,
You could choose to sink your hips back a little bit,
Bending the knees as the arms lift up.
Then standing tall again as the arms come back down to your sides.
Sinking back more than down as the arms rise.
Standing tall again as the arms lower.
In a similar way,
If you're seated,
You could lean your chest forward a few inches as the arms rise.
Then return to neutral,
The shoulders over the hips as the arms lower.
This little sink and rise or sway with the arm movement is optional.
Keep moving in a way that feels relaxed.
If your arms are getting tired,
You can rest one while moving the other,
Then switch after a while.
How does it feel to take this slower pace?
Can you soften and smooth your body as you rest?
Can you soften and smooth your movements even more?
And let's try going even slower.
You might even be able to make your arm movement so slow that it takes more than one breath cycle.
So just let your breath do what it needs to do as you try on this super slow movement of the arms.
Letting the arms float with as much ease as possible.
What do you notice about moving at these different paces?
Maybe you observe some different sensations or even different sounds and sights when you're going slower.
Sometimes the mind is really receptive to the slow movement and it slows down its own activity.
Other times you might notice some impatience or boredom or inner pressure that arises when you challenge yourself to go more slowly.
You simply be aware of whatever comes up in this present moment.
And then what if we go faster again?
Maybe you want to go back to your medium pace or even revisit your original fast arm movement.
Curious,
What is there to notice at this speed?
Experiment for a moment and then as you continue,
Settle into whatever pace seems to best support a feeling of being present right now.
On different days that might be faster or it might be slower.
Let's take a few more moments with the arm movement at your chosen speed.
Keep it light and easy.
And then slowly let the arms come back to your sides or onto your lap and rest.
Let's continue for a few more minutes with a smaller movement,
Mirroring the breath.
As you're exhaling,
Curl your fingers in towards your chest.
As you're inhaling,
Open the hand and let the fingers comfortably stretch out.
As you breathe out,
The hand closes into a very,
Very soft fist.
As you breathe in,
The hand gently opens like a flower.
Let the breath and the hand movement be as if you were holding a flower in your hand.
Let the breath and the hand movement be easy.
After a while,
You might let the movement go and simply feel the breath by itself moving in its own way.
Or if you're enjoying the hand movement,
Keep going as you are.
Keep going as you are.
As we're coming to the close of this meditation,
Notice how you're feeling now.
It may or may not be different from before.
Either way,
Just the mindful noticing practice is so valuable.
What is the activity level like in your mind right now?
Do the thoughts have a certain tone or flavor?
Is there a sense of internal steadiness or less rush?
Perhaps a little more patience,
Clarity,
Or presence?
Do you notice the same tension in your body in the same places,
Or has that experience shifted a little bit?
What do you notice about your breathing?
Whatever the outcome of the practice today,
Perhaps you can have a sense of appreciation towards yourself for taking the time to explore this with mindfulness and curiosity.
When you're ready,
You can open your eyes if they were closed and look around with your fresh eyes,
Your mindful gaze,
And be present to your space.
Maybe incorporating a few stretches that feel good right now.
Take your time coming out of the meditation.
I hope you can take a sense of curiosity with you as you move through the rest of your day,
Perhaps noticing yourself whenever you're going fast forward in your day.
Thank you so much for your presence and your practice.
