Mindfulness Of Movement

This mindfulness of movement practice is typically offered as part of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapies (MBCT) programmes. The practice offers guidance on bringing attention to the body in movement. The listener is invited to engage in gentle yoga stretches.

If you have any existing medical issues, please speak to a medical professional prior to engaging in this practice.

Transcript

Mindfulness of movement practice. For the next 10 to 15 minutes we'll be bringing awareness to our body in movement. I will guide you through a series of gentle stretches. This practice will culminate with a brief sitting meditation. So finding a place and a time where you can be undisturbed for the next 25 minutes. As we move through these series of gentle movements, Inviting you to be very gentle with the body. Trusting in the wisdom of your own body. Finding what's right for you. Letting go of any judgement, Comparison to the past. And instead, As best you can, Bringing your awareness to the different parts of the body. Exploring all that you find during these series of movements. So coming to stand. Standing in an upright posture. The feet are flat on the floor, Shoulder width apart. There's a very gentle bend in the knees, So the legs aren't straight and stiff. Allowing the hands to fall down by your sides. Tucking the chin slightly in so the back of the neck lengthens. And here we are in this standing posture. Stable. Grounded. Almost like a mountain. Now you can do this practice with your eyes open or closed. And perhaps if it feels right for you, At times allowing the eyes to close and then to open again. There's no right way or wrong way to go about this. Beginning to bring the awareness to the breath in the body. Noticing the sensations just below the navel as you breathe in and as you breathe out. Following the breath as best you can. And if the mind wanders, Simply note where the mind has gone. And with kindness and curiosity, Coming back to the sensations of breath. And recognizing that at any time during this practice, That the breath is available for you. Somewhere you can rest your attention. A place where you can come back to. So for the first movement, Inviting you now to allow the hands and the arms to just gradually rise up by your sides. Very slowly. Up over your head so that both arms, Both hands are pointing straight up. At the ceiling. Or the sky above. And linking both thumbs together. Quite often we hold our breath or we forget to breathe during movement. So reminding ourselves now to breathe into this stretch. This stretch down the right and left side of the body. Breathing into these parts of the body. And on the next out breath, Allowing the hands to just drift back down very slowly, Noticing all of the sensations and movement involved in this. And allowing the hands and the arms to rest down by your side again. And if the eyes have been open, Perhaps closing the eyes now and just tuning into how the body is now. The effect of this movement on the body. Connecting with the breath. And for the next movement. On the in breath, Allowing the right arm to drift up from your side. All the way up. Above your head. Pointing towards the sky, The ceiling. And as you do this movement, Allowing the left foot to gently come up off the ground. So the top of the foot, The left foot, Is still making contact with the floor, The ground. But the left heel is just slightly raised off the floor, Off the ground. It's almost like you're picking an apple from a tree and it's just out of reach. So the right arm is reaching for this apple. And the whole of the body is trying to get just a little extra inch. So that we can grasp this apple. Now finding what's right for you. Finding the place between not challenging the body and challenging the body too much where you're experiencing discomfort and pain. Working with this boundary. And being curious. Perhaps on the next in breath scene if you can just lean into this stretch a little bit more. Really working out this boundary for you. All the while breathing. And feeling the stretch all the way down the right side of the body. Breathing into this area. And on the out breath allowing the arm to drift back down. The left heel will come in contact with the floor again. And coming back to centre and stilling for a couple of moments. And once again bringing awareness to the body now. What do you notice now? Maybe noticing how the right side of the body might feel a little different to the left side of the body after this stretch. Now we'll do the same movement on the other side. So on the left side. So on the in breath gently moving the right heel off the ground allowing the left hand to rise up above the head. So that the left arm is now reaching for this apple. And the whole of the body is just stretching a little bit further to try and pick this apple from the tree. Being very gentle and careful with yourself during this movement. If it's not quite right for you that's ok. Find what is right for you. Breathing into the stretch. So feeling the stretch all the way down the left side of the body. And on the out breath allowing the left arm to drift back down by your side. The right heel comes into contact with the floor or the ground again. And just coming back to centre. And how does it feel now? What do you notice? What are the after effects of this movement in the body? Connecting with the breath. If the eyes have been open maybe just closing them for a moment. Experimenting with this. And for the next movement on the in breath allowing both hands to rise up by your sides. The arms are drifting slowly through the air above your head. And again linking both your thumbs together. And then pushing out the right hip and bending over to your left side with both thumbs linked together. So that you're forming a half moon shape. Breathing into the stretch that you feel down the right side of the body. Maybe on the next in breath stretching a little bit further if that's right for you. If not just holding it here remembering you can come back to centre at any time and connect with the breath. Not pushing yourself too far but working with the boundary between not challenging the body and pushing ourselves too much. And coming back to centre allowing the hands to come back down to rest by your sides. And feeling the after effects of this movement. So that the whole of the right side of the body has been woken up, Energised. And we'll do the same movement on the other side so allowing both arms and hands to rise up above the head. Very slowly linking the thumbs together. Pushing out the left hip out to the left. And moving the arms and the hands over to the right side now so that you feel the stretch all the way down the left side of the body. Breathing into this part of the body. Feeling the stretch down the left side. And then coming back to centre allowing the hands to rest down by your sides. And bringing awareness now to the whole of your body standing here in this mountain posture. The feet flat on the floor, A slight bend in the knees. The shoulders down away from the ears. The chin tucked slightly in and the top of the head is like the top of the mountain. Here you are stable, Grounded. And bringing awareness to the breath. The in breath and the out breath. And if your mind settles on sounds from inside or outside the room. Maybe there is a part of your body calling for your attention right now. Maybe there is a distracting thought or emotion. That's to be expected, Something to be acknowledged. Something to hold in our awareness momentarily. And as best you can just coming back to the breath. So for the final movement we are just going to do some gentle neck stretches. I would ask you to be very careful with your neck during these movements. So if you have any issues with your neck, Doing what's right for you. So allowing the chin to come down to the chest. So you feel the stretch at the back of the neck. Breathing into this part of the body. And then very slowly on the next in breath, Rolling the head over. So the ear is just above the right shoulder. The right ear is above the right shoulder. So you feel that stretch all the way down the left side of the neck. Breathing into the stretch. And on the next out breath coming back to centre. And rolling the head over to the left side of the body. So the left ear to the left shoulder. Feeling the stretch down the right side of the neck. Breathing into this part of the body. And on the out breath coming back to centre. So just repeating this movement now yourself in your own time. Maybe aligning the movement with the breath. So moving on the in breath and as you move out of the posture, Out of the roll on the out breath. Letting go of any judgement, Any inclination, Tendency to get this right. For this movement to be perfect. It is how it is. Doing what you can. Doing what's right. For you at this very moment. And coming back to centre. Feeling the whole of the body now. From the top of your head all the way to the tips of your toes. And in a couple of moments I will invite you to sit. For a very short sitting meditation. So rather thinking of this as a separate practice. As best you can folding this into your current practice. So being aware of any movements required. Moving from a standing position into a sitting position. Becoming aware of all of the parts of the body that are involved in this process. Tuning into the body. How is it right now? And accepting that this is how things are right now. In this moment this is how things are. And so now slowly moving into the sitting posture. Being aware of all of the movements involved in this. And as you come to sit. If it feels comfortable for you. Maybe closing the eyes. Or if the eyes are open just having a soft gaze. Bringing your awareness to the points of contact with the chair or the ground if you're sitting on the ground. And now connecting with the breath. So bringing the awareness to the breath. The sensations of breath as you breathe in. And as you breathe out. And there's no right way or wrong way to breathe simply allowing the breath to be as it is. As you find it. Each in breath a new beginning. A new moment. Each out breath a letting go. A letting be. This breath. This moment now. And when the mind wanders which it surely will. Recognizing where the mind has gone. Where the attention now is. And as best you can. Making note of where the mind has wandered to. And coming back to settle. Your awareness on the breath. Nothing else to do nor else to be. Right now. Breathing. That's it. Each in breath a new beginning. Each out breath a letting go. A letting be. And as we bring this practice to a close. Again coming back to the points of contact with the ground or with the chair. Knowing that you're sitting here. Becoming aware of your posture. The space the body occupies. And appreciating that you've taken the time out of your day to practice mindfulness to cultivate. An attitude of openness curiosity and acceptance. Slowly opening the eyes if they've been closed. Maybe wiggling the fingers and toes. And making sure to take care of yourself in the next moments of the day. This ends the mindful movement practice.