Welcome to this 20-minute moving meditation.
We'll do simple sequences of movement with the focus onto our breath.
Before we start just making sure we have enough room around us.
The intention of this practice is to become aware of our body and sensing into the movements while we are doing them.
So this is not about becoming more flexible or stronger or doing the movement exactly right,
But about bringing our awareness really into our body and into the movement itself.
The attitude we bring to this meditation is patience,
Acceptance and non-striving.
So accepting our bodily limitations,
Is it possible to move in a kind and caring way?
Now let's start with this meditation.
We begin by starting to move our shoulders,
Maybe doing small circles now with our shoulders.
Simply sensing into how this movement feels inside the shoulders and then slowly getting bigger with the circles.
Now as big as we can and then we start to get smaller again.
Eventually now coming to a halt and now starting to circle the shoulders the other way around.
Starting small,
Getting bigger with the circles and then getting smaller once again until we come to a halt.
Now stopping the movement in the shoulders and coming to the mountain position where we simply stand with the feet shoulder-wide apart and sense into our body.
Maybe closing the eyes for a moment and feeling into our feet,
Sensing our breath and really arriving and grounding ourselves.
Then gently opening the eyes again and now bringing some movement into the head and the neck.
Letting the head drop in front,
Moving the head in half circle from side to side and noticing if there's some tension in the neck or somewhere else and simply respecting our limits,
Not going into the pain.
What is okay and what's too much and then simply bringing our head into neutral position and then letting it drop onto the backside.
Maybe noticing a stretch in the chest muscles now and starting to move our head also in a half circle from side to side.
Noticing tensions and see if we can play around with them a little bit.
Observing how far we can go and what's too much.
We do not want to go into pain.
Respecting our limits.
Bringing the head back now to a neutral position and coming to mountain position.
Noticing the feet,
The legs,
The arms and observing what's the sensation right now in the neck.
Now bringing some movement to our hips.
So placing our hands onto the hips and start circling slowly the left way around.
Simply noticing what's here.
Tension or relaxedness and looseness.
What can you notice?
This is not a competition.
It doesn't matter how it looks.
It just matters if it's possible for you to really bring the awareness part into the movement in the hips right now.
What can you notice here?
While respecting our limits,
Not going into pain.
Then coming to a halt and now going the other way around.
Maybe starting with small circles and then getting bigger and bigger until we are as big as we can and then slowly getting smaller again.
Then bringing the movement of the hips to a stop and now going into stretching exercises.
For that we are spreading our legs and want to stretch our groins.
Lifting up our arm and stretching it over to the other side so that we get a side stretch in our abdomen.
Sensing into this stretch,
Breathing,
Being present.
Now going into the reverse stretch.
So bringing up the other arm and stretching it over our heads to the other side so that we get a stretch on the other side on the belly.
Bringing now our upper body back into neutral position and also bringing our legs together so that we end up in the mountain position.
Becoming fully aware of our body,
Our breath,
Sensing how the feet make contact with the ground.
Simply grounding ourselves.
Now bringing the upper body to the front,
Letting go of the arms,
The head,
The belly,
So that we can feel a stretch in the legs and maybe the back.
So that we can feel a stretch in the legs and maybe the back.
When it feels right maybe crossing the arms and then start to move our upper body from side to side,
Massaging our hips and back.
Noticing what we can sense in this position,
In this movement and respecting our limits.
We do not want to go into pain but we can play and see how far can we go.
And as we do this really bringing the mindfulness part to this movement.
Sensing into our body,
Being fully present.
Doesn't matter how far down we can go or how it looks.
This is not a competition.
Maybe breathing into the places that we can feel some pain or some tension and practicing letting go.
Slowly coming to a hold now and maybe letting go of the arms.
And then slowly starting to stand up again.
So bringing our back back into position,
Vertebra by vertebra.
By vertebra.
Slowly bringing our spine to an upright position.
Bringing the shoulders back,
The head equally balanced on top of the shoulders.
We have arrived now in the mountain position.
Maybe when it feels right,
Gently closing the eyes.
Noticing the body.
And arriving in this breath right now.
Grounding ourselves.
Now opening the eyes once again and bringing now some movement into the legs.
Standing now onto one leg.
So feeling how our weight is shifting.
Noticing how this might be a challenge for our equilibrium.
So maybe placing a hand to a wall to stabilize us or simply being with this challenge.
You can decide to stay here.
Or you can also bring up your knee to a 90 degree angle and then bring the leg to the side.
And then bring the foot down again.
Bringing the knee up again to the side and down.
We repeat this now a couple times and observing if our mind has wandered off.
If that's the case,
Simply coming back to the movement.
Maybe noticing how this is a little bit exhausting and that's okay.
But if this is too exhausting,
Then it's okay to take a break.
Maybe one last repetition on this side.
And then bringing this leg very slowly and consciously back onto the floor.
Noticing how the weight now gets distributed equally onto both legs.
Arriving at the mountain position,
Taking a breath and grounding.
Sensing into our legs,
Maybe one leg a little warmer,
More blood flow.
Maybe the desire is here,
Now doing the same movement with the other leg.
But how is it if we don't do this?
Now bringing the weight on the leg that we used before and then lifting the other leg slowly off the ground.
Can our balance handle this position?
Or do we need to support ourselves by placing a hand onto a ball?
If so,
Please do that.
And if you like,
You can bring your knee in front again to the side and then lower it back again.
Then again lifting our knee to the side and lowering it.
Repeating this movement now and really being present to the movement.
Sensing into it what's happening right now and how does that feel.
What muscles are involved?
Is it getting any warmer?
Is it challenging for our balance?
Noticing that maybe holding the equilibrium on that side is more difficult than on the other side.
And then doing one more repetition.
Bringing now this leg mindfully and slowly back onto the ground.
Sensing into the soles as we do this.
Noticing then how the weight is getting back onto that foot.
Arriving at this mountain position.
Sensing into the breath and into the body.
Maybe sensing into the legs.
Now bringing some movement into the feet.
So starting to lift the left foot and start to circle it.
Circling our foot now and really practicing being in the movement.
Maybe the movement itself is simple and easy but we want to bring the awareness into the movement,
Into the toes,
The feet and all the muscles and bones that are involved.
All the muscles and bones that are involved really being present.
Maybe bringing to mind that it's magical that we can just move our body the way we want.
Maybe now reversing the rotation.
Then bringing this movement to a stop.
Placing the foot onto the mat.
And then starting to do the same thing with the right foot.
So lifting it slowly off the ground and start to circle.
Is it possible to sense into the toes,
The foot,
The calf,
The knee,
The thigh and even the hips as you are circling with your right foot?
Maybe reversing the rotation if that feels right.
Or maybe moving your right foot in whatever way feels good to you right now.
And then slowly bringing this movement to an end.
Putting the right foot onto the ground.
And now just starting to shake out everything.
The legs,
The feet,
The toes.
The arms.
Maybe moving the head.
Whatever feels good right now.
Slowly coming to a stop now.
Entering the mountain position.
Noticing what's in the body and the breath.
Slowly we're bringing this meditation to a close.
Becoming aware where in the room we are standing.
Maybe becoming aware of our body shape and our facial expression.
Maybe tense,
Loose,
Relaxed.
Or neutral.
And in case our eyes are closed we can now open them.
And fully coming back to the room.
This mindful movement meditation is now complete.
