Standing Mindful Movement

This is the MBSR standing mindful movement practice. The purpose of this practice is to help you reconnect with your body by bringing a curious and receptive awareness to the sensations of physical movement. It includes gentle stretches of the arms, shoulders, and back, as well as some slightly challenging balance postures.

This practice is helpful for people who have difficulty doing floor-based practices. With a few exceptions, these stretches can also be practiced sitting in a chair.

Please practice self-care, and feel free to modify or skip any movement that causes undue discomfort.

Transcript

Welcome to the standing yoga practice.

This practice is a way for us to connect with the body in a standing posture,

A posture that's very accessible to us in our daily lives.

And as with all mindfulness practices,

We'll be maintaining moment-to-moment awareness of our own experience during this sequence of stretches.

And we're doing this in a non-judgmental mode,

Not trying to force or strain the body,

But exploring our experience with a spirit of gentleness and curiosity.

And remembering always to breathe naturally in a way that supports your motion,

Inviting the breath right into these movements.

Also remembering that this practice is an exercise for cultivating mindfulness,

But it's also its own reward.

And during this time,

Allowing yourself to be fully present with your own experience from moment-to-moment as you offer yourself the gentle and healing gift of your own awareness.

So beginning our practice now in a standing posture with the feet hip-width apart and pointing directly forward,

Parallel to each other.

And with the shoulders balanced right above the hips,

Creating a sense of balance forward and backward and left and right in the body.

And perhaps pulling the shoulder blades together slightly to open up the chest for easy breathing.

And letting the arms hang relaxed at your sides.

And breathing into this posture,

Noticing your feet connected to the floor.

Perhaps noticing where your body's weight is carried in the bottom of the feet.

And if it's possible,

Redistributing that weight so that it's carried equally on the balls and the heels of the feet.

Now noticing the straightness of the back.

And perhaps a lightness in the shoulders and the head.

As the head is drawn towards the ceiling,

Extending the spine to its full length.

And in this posture known as the Mountain Pose,

Sensing the stability and the base of the mountain in our feet and our legs and our hips.

And the lightness and majesty of the mountain peak in our shoulders and head.

And simply resting for a moment in this regal posture.

And now gently raising the arms up to the sides until they're parallel to the floor.

And then continuing to allow them to float up until they're above the head and pointed to the ceiling.

And simply taking a moment to notice the body in this posture.

And now stretching the fingers up towards the ceiling or the sky.

And holding this posture.

Breathing into it naturally.

Keeping the heels on the floor and fully extending the body in this way.

And when you're ready,

Allowing the arms to float back downwards ever so slowly.

Noticing the sensations as they follow their arc until they're hanging again at rest by the sides of the body.

Taking another breath.

And on the next in-breath,

Allowing the arms to float back up over the head until they're pointing back up towards the ceiling or the sky.

And one more time on an in-breath.

Stretching those fingers up.

Keeping the heel on the floor.

Keeping the heels on the floor.

And breathing into this fully extended body.

And now allowing the arms to float down again.

Resting again in the mountain pose.

And this time allowing just the right arm to float up again until it's over our head.

And on an in-breath,

Stretching the fingers of the right hand up as though you're trying to reach a branch that's just out of reach on a tree.

And feeling the full stretch on the right hand side of the body.

Keeping the heel on the floor.

The right heel on the floor.

And just noticing the sensations on the right side of the body.

And also noticing the sensations on the left side.

What's loose here and what's tight?

And breathing into this stretch.

Seeing if we can release the tension from anything that's not working right now.

And now allowing the arm to float back down as we release this stretch.

Noticing any differences in sensation from the left side to the right side of the body.

And when you're ready,

On an in-breath,

Allowing the left arm to float up and over the head.

And stretching out above us.

Breathing into this stretch.

And when you're ready,

Stretching the fingertips up again as though you're trying to reach that branch.

Extending the left side of the body.

Extending the left side of the body to its full length.

Feeling that stretch up and down the left side of the body.

And breathing into it naturally.

And noticing the right side of the body.

Letting go of whatever might be tight there.

And on an out-breath,

Allowing the left arm to float back down through space.

Float back down until it's resting and hanging on the side of the body again.

And noticing what sensations are present.

And what might have shifted in the body due to these simple stretches.

Noticing again the weight on the floor.

The stability of the feet on the ground.

And when you're ready,

Allowing both arms once again to float up past parallel until they're extended above our heads again.

And now moving the hip out to the left.

And tipping the upper body over to the right.

Creating a crescent moon shape.

With the arms pointing off to the right.

And the weight of the body carried on the left foot and the left hip.

And just holding with this stretch.

And perhaps playing with different angles.

If it's comfortable for you,

Bringing both arms,

Both hands together.

And when you're ready,

Coming back up to balance.

Arms extended straight up.

And now tipping the upper body over to the left as the hip goes out to the right.

Making a crescent shape into the other side.

Noticing what's being stretched.

What muscles are working now.

And just holding this stretch as long as is comfortable.

And now coming back into balance with the hands straight up above us.

And letting the arms once again float gently and slowly down.

Down through space until they're hanging at our sides again.

Perhaps taking a couple of deeper breaths now.

Noticing any sensations in the body.

What's warm.

What's cool.

What's tense or loose.

Just noticing the sensations that are present.

Without the need to judge or compare or evaluate.

Just being present.

And now on the next in-breath.

Raising the shoulders up and scrunching them up against the neck and under the ears.

Keeping the arms at the sides.

Just tightening those muscles.

And breathing into this scrunchy neck for a moment.

And when you're ready,

On an out-breath,

Rotating the shoulders backwards and down.

Forwards and up.

And making circles with the shoulders.

Large circles or small circles.

Whatever feels natural.

Noticing any sensations in the neck,

In the back,

In the arms.

And noticing what the breath wants to do to support this motion.

And coming into stillness.

Noticing how the muscles in the shoulders feel now.

And now with another in-breath.

Raising the shoulders up again and scrunching them up towards the ears.

Breathing into this scrunchy neck.

And when you're ready,

Rotating the shoulders forwards and down.

Backwards and up.

Giving the shoulders a nice gentle massage.

Creating a little bit of freedom of motion,

Perhaps.

Noticing what might be present as you're rolling your shoulders.

And now coming back to stillness in the Mountain Pose.

And preparing now for some gentle neck stretches.

And as we do these stretches,

Being very careful and slow in your stretches.

Paying attention to your own limits of flexibility.

And for the first stretch,

Allowing the chin to simply drift downwards towards the chest.

As far as it may go,

As far as it may go.

Perhaps resting on the chest.

Perhaps resting somewhere in between.

Noticing any stretching in the back of the neck or other parts of the neck.

And breathing gently into this stretch.

And perhaps letting the head roll from left to right ever so slightly.

Now bringing the head back up to looking forward.

And very gently now tipping the head back as the eyes move upwards to look towards the ceiling.

Ever so gently tipping the head backwards.

And again,

If it's comfortable for you,

Letting their head,

Letting the head roll back and forth ever so gently.

Now coming to face forward again.

Noticing any sensations in the neck area now.

And now letting the head tip over to the left as the left ear moves down towards the left shoulder.

Noticing the stretching in the right part of the neck.

Noticing any other muscles that are tensing.

And seeing if they need to be tensed.

And perhaps letting go of any tension that can be let go of now.

And again,

Letting perhaps the head move back and forth ever so slightly.

Roll back and forth in this stretch.

Bringing the head back up now into balance.

And letting it tip over to the right.

The ear traveling down towards the right shoulder.

Noticing what muscles are tense,

What muscles are simply being stretched.

Holding this posture for a moment and breathing into it.

Letting the head roll forward and backward ever so slightly,

If that's comfortable for you.

And now bringing the head back up into balance,

Looking straight in front of you.

And taking a moment to notice what's present in the body now.

And moving into a balance pose now.

And for this posture,

Looking in front of you on the floor,

Perhaps three or four feet ahead of you.

And keeping your focus there to create some additional balance.

And when you're ready,

Raising your arms up to create a T.

So that there's.

.

.

To create a T.

And now moving the weight of your body onto your right foot.

And lightening up your left foot.

And when you feel comfortable,

Raising your left foot up towards the left.

Keeping the leg straight.

And in this way,

Balancing on the right foot.

And feeling free to tip down whenever that's called for,

To help you maintain balance.

And perhaps noticing the micro motions that the body engages in to stay balanced.

And when you're ready,

Bringing the left foot back in.

And allowing the arms to release and come down to your sides again.

Noticing any sensations in the muscles now.

And when you're ready,

Once again raising the arms up to make a T.

And this time,

Bringing the weight to your left foot.

And raising your right foot up,

Off to the right.

Keeping the leg straight.

Balancing your weight on your left foot.

Breathing into this stretch naturally.

Noticing what's present.

What's working.

And what's at rest.

And when you're ready,

Allowing the right foot to touch down again.

And lowering the arms.

Noticing sensations of temperature or tension or looseness in the arms or the shoulders.

And raising the arms now to put the hands on the hips.

And when you're ready,

Keeping the hips facing forward as you turn just your upper body to the left.

Turning it as far to the left as is comfortable.

And then turning the neck to the left as well.

And turning the eyes to the left to see how far behind you you can look.

While keeping the hips facing forward.

Breathing into this posture.

And now coming back to facing forward very slowly.

And continuing this stretch off to the right.

Pelvis facing forward.

Twisting the upper body to the right.

And then the neck.

And then moving the eyes as far off to the right as you can.

To look behind you as far as you can.

Just giving the back a nice gentle twist.

A nice stretch in this posture.

Now coming back to facing forward.

And letting your arms drop.

Noticing any sensations that this stretch has brought.

And now raising the arms again onto the hips.

And this time stretching.

And this time twisting the body to the left from the ankles up.

So also twisting the pelvis to the left.

And the shoulders.

And the neck.

And the head.

Seeing how far behind you you can look to the left as the entire body stretches.

As the entire body twists from the ankles up.

Breathing into this stretch.

And coming back now to face forward.

And continuing to twist the body over to the right.

Twisting the entire body from the ankles up.

The hips.

The shoulders.

And the neck.

And the head.

Twisting the entire body over to the right.

Holding this posture and breathing into it.

And now coming back to center.

Looking straight in front of you again.

And letting the arms dangle loosely again.

Bringing awareness to the sensations in the body.

And perhaps checking in with the thoughts and emotions as well.

What kind of thinking is going on?

What are you saying to yourself now?

And what's the emotional tone?

What's the weather like inside now as we move through this series of stretches?

And now moving into a forward bend.

And beginning this bend by raising the arms up above the head.

And when you're ready allowing the arms to move forward and down.

And allowing the torso to follow until you're hanging forward from the hips.

With your arms and your head dangling in front of you.

Letting the arms dangle down towards the floor.

Remembering it doesn't matter how close to the floor you get.

Simply finding a relaxed posture that's comfortable for you.

And letting the upper body dangle downwards.

And breathing into this stretch.

And perhaps swaying the body back and forth a little bit to let the arms also sway back and forth.

And now raising the torso up just a little bit so it's parallel to the floor.

And then raising the left arm above our head so it's pointing out in front of us.

Parallel to the floor as well.

And holding the left arm in this extended position.

Breathing into this posture.

Noticing any sensations in the left arm.

And anything in the left shoulder or the right shoulder or the right arm.

And now releasing the left arm from this stretch and letting it hang loosely again.

And now raising the right arm up so it's pointing parallel to the floor out in front of us.

Noticing the sensations in the arms and the shoulders.

And perhaps also in the legs and the torso.

And now releasing the right arm and letting it dangle again.

And bringing yourself up to a standing posture very slowly.

Unfurling yourself upwards one vertebra at a time.

From the bottom to the top of the neck.

Until you're standing erect again.

And perhaps bringing those shoulder blades together a little bit again to open up the chest.

And maybe taking a couple breaths now in this posture.

Noticing what's present for you.

And now raising the arms and extending them out in front of you.

And now lowering your body as though you're sitting down on an imaginary chair.

Bending the legs and sticking the butt out backwards.

Taking a posture as though you're a ski jumper ready to take off with your arms extended in front of you.

And noticing what muscles are working in this posture.

Perhaps noticing heat,

Warmth in the muscles,

Tension.

And remembering to breathe naturally.

Breathing in and out.

Holding this as long as is comfortable for you.

And straightening the body up again now.

Letting the arms loosen up and rest at your sides again.

Noticing the sensations after that stretch.

And now preparing for another balance pose.

And doing this by finding a spot on the floor three or four feet in front of you.

And keeping your focus on this spot to give you additional balance.

Now if balance is a challenge for you,

Perhaps doing this pose with the back of a chair nearby for added balance when you need it.

And beginning this stretch by bringing the palms of the hands together in front of the chest.

And now moving all the way to the side of the body onto the right foot.

And raising the left leg and placing the sole of the left foot against the side of the right leg.

And doing so wherever is comfortable for you.

It can be at the thigh or at the calf.

Or the toes of the right foot can even still be touching the ground.

And holding this posture.

Again perhaps noticing micro-movements that keep the body in balance.

And perhaps some of the movements are not so micro.

And when you find a sense of balance here,

Parting the arms to create a T.

And then bringing the arms together above your head.

And bringing the palms together again above your head.

Now resting in this posture known as the Tree Pose.

Breathing into this posture,

Feeling free to touch down to keep your balance whenever is necessary for you.

And when you're ready,

Bringing the arms back down and letting both feet back onto the floor.

Back into the Mountain Pose.

And when you're ready,

Repeating this stretch on the other side.

Once again picking a place on the floor in front of you.

Bringing the palms of your hands together in front of the chest.

And loading up the weight onto the right foot.

And raising the left leg up.

Placing the sole of the left foot against the side of the right leg wherever is comfortable for you.

Balancing.

Noticing the sensations of balance.

And if you're comfortable,

Extending the arms out and bringing them together again.

Bringing the palms of the hands together again above the head as we balance on one foot.

Resting again in the Tree Pose.

Fully extending our backs.

Fully extending our entire backs in this posture.

And breathing in and out naturally.

Noticing what's tense and what's relaxed.

And where tension might be let go of.

And when you're ready,

Allowing the arms to come down again.

Placing both feet on the floor.

And noticing what sensations are present now.

And for this next posture,

Sitting down on a mat or carpet or on the floor and extending the legs in front of you.

And lowering your body over your legs just slightly.

Just testing the flexibility in the back in this moment.

And now pulling the feet towards you so that the soles of your feet are together in front of you.

With the knees sticking out to either side.

And wrapping your hands around your feet if that's comfortable for you.

And seeing if you can pull the feet any more closely towards the groin.

Ever so gently.

Breathing into this posture.

Now releasing the left foot from this stretch.

And extending the left leg out in front of you.

With the right leg,

The sole of the right foot against the left leg.

And now raising both arms over your head.

And gently letting them settle in front of you until they make contact with the extended left leg.

Perhaps making contact at the thigh.

Or at the shin.

Or at the ankle.

Or perhaps not making contact at all.

Whatever feels comfortable for you.

And perhaps on an out breath,

Seeing if it's possible to stretch.

Seeing if it's possible to settle just a little bit more into this stretch.

Once again noticing the breath.

Noticing what the breath feels like in this posture.

Now raising the arms back up over the head.

And pulling the left leg in.

And extending the right leg out.

The sole of the left foot against the right leg.

And again stretching the arms up above the head.

And now gently lowering them down.

And lowering the entire torso as much as is possible down onto the extended right leg.

Very gently being aware of your own limitations and your own capacities in this moment.

And resting in this stretch out over the right leg.

And when you're ready,

Raising the arms again up over your head.

And letting both legs extend out in front of you again.

And letting both legs extend out in front of you again.

And now lying down on your back.

Extending your body fully onto the floor with the legs extended beneath you.

The arms at your sides.

Perhaps with the palms facing up if that's comfortable for you.

And taking the rest pose.

And bringing awareness to any sensations in the body now.

Noticing how the body feels after this full series of stretches have been completed.

Perhaps noticing sensations in the feet or the ankles.

The legs.

Any sensations in the abdomen.

The torso.

The back.

Noticing what's present in the shoulders.

And the arms.

And the hands.

And the head.

Once again bringing awareness to the entire body.

And noticing the sensations of the breath as it's drawn into the body and then released.

How the breath feels in this posture.

Bringing full awareness to the changes that have come to the body from these stretches.

And perhaps also changes in thought or thinking patterns.

Or changes in the emotional tone.

And coming into full presence in this moment.

With whatever's present right here and right now.

Allowing it to be just as it is right now.

And opening up to every aspect of your own experience.

And allowing the healing and gentle light of awareness to bathe the entire body.

Holding the entire body in awareness until the bells sound.