Mindful movement.
This is a short standing practice.
Mindful movement is for everyone.
It can be an easier practice than sitting or lying still.
Let's explore a simple mindful movement together now.
Stand comfortably with your feet about hip-width apart.
Your knees soft and relaxed.
And when you're ready,
Take a few deep breaths.
Breathing in deeply and out fully.
Breathing in and out.
And notice the contact with your feet on the ground.
Being really aware of your feet and where you feel the contact with the ground.
For any mindfulness practice,
It's usually better to close your eyes.
However,
If you prefer,
You could also have a gentle gaze down onto the ground.
Or maybe you would like to do a mix of both.
Try and tune into your body now and become aware of the whole body.
Please know that at any time during this practice,
You can adjust and do what is right for you.
Making this practice an act of kindness to yourself.
Then starting the first movement,
When you breathe in,
Lifting your arms slowly with the palms facing down up to shoulder height.
And when you breathe out,
Slowly move your arms back down to the sides of the body.
Continue to move your arms a few more times with the natural flow of your breath.
Moving slowly and taking your time.
If your mind wanders during the practice,
That's okay.
Just kindly guide your mind back to focus on your practice when you notice that your mind has wandered.
And without judging or criticizing yourself.
Then let your arms on the next inhale continue to move up until the arms are by the side of your head and your hands up above your head.
Your palms are facing each other and your arms are about shoulder width apart.
However,
If this movement is too much for your shoulders,
Then you might like to continue just moving to shoulder height.
Or you could also simply imagine and visualize your arms moving.
And then when you exhale,
Slowly move your arms back down to the sides of your body.
Breathing in,
Moving your arms up.
And breathing out,
Slowly moving your arms back down.
If this movement is okay for you,
You can continue a few more times.
And adjust the movement and do what feels right for you.
And then finish the next time you exhale and your arms are down by your side.
And then rest,
Simply standing with your arms by your side,
Your knees relaxed,
Feet firmly on the ground.
With your eyes closed,
Take a moment to tune into your body and see if you notice anything.
How do your arms and hands feel?
Any sensations?
Any warms or tingling?
How do your arms and hands feel?
Any sensations?
Any warms or tingling?
And how do you feel right now after this mindful movement?
Do you feel the same like when you started?
Or has anything changed?
Or do you feel more balanced?
Anything is okay.
We are not judging how we are feeling,
But rather simply accepting what is.
Just observing,
Noticing and accepting.
And then,
Let's simply move the shoulders,
Simply rolling your shoulders forward.
Noticing any tension that you might be holding and how your shoulders feel.
And then also move the shoulders a few times backwards,
Taking your time.
And then finishing the movement of your shoulders,
Let's move your head around in circles.
Let's start circling your head clockwise.
Let's start circling your head clockwise.
Slowly moving,
Noticing any tension that you might be holding in your neck.
And being aware of how this feels.
And then,
Changing the direction and move your head the other way around,
Moving anti-clockwise slowly.
Try and stay focused and if your mind wanders,
Guide it back to only focus on the body and the movement of your neck and head.
And your breathing.
And then slowly finish this movement and notice how your body,
Neck and shoulders feel right now.
Tuning in and staying focused and aware.
What can you feel right now?
For the next movement,
Keep your knees soft and slightly bent.
We're gonna move into the standing forward bend.
Breathing in,
Lifting your arms up,
Stretching up.
And then exhale slowly and move forward from your hips.
Moving your torso and head as one unit.
And then just stand with your arms hanging down relaxed towards the floor in a standing forward bend for a moment.
You might notice a stretch in your legs,
But simply feeling what you can feel.
You're not trying to create a stretch to do more.
This is more about what you can feel and staying focused and aware and in the moment than stretching.
And then when you inhale,
Slowly rolling up,
Moving up,
Coming up to standing.
And as you come up,
You can also stretch your arms up again above your head.
If this movement feels okay for you,
Then you could continue and do this a few more times.
Or otherwise,
You could just visualize yourself doing this movement.
And then on the next inhale,
Stretching your arms up again.
And exhale,
Moving forward into a standing forward bend.
Repeat this a few more times as long as it feels okay in your back.
Or you can just choose to stand with your eyes closed and feeling your breathing.
And always,
If your mind wanders off again,
Simply guide it back when you notice that it's wandered off.
And then,
If you're still moving,
Finishing this movement.
Slowly bring it to an end.
Come up to standing with your arms relaxed by your side again.
And tune into your body for a moment.
Noticing your feet on the ground and how your body feels.
Notice how your mind is doing.
If there is still a lot of thoughts or maybe there's not so many thoughts,
Both are okay.
Simply notice what is.
Do you feel any different now than when you first started this practice?
And as we bring this mindful movement practice to an end,
Congratulate yourself on having taken the time to nourish yourself in this way.
And remember that this state of relaxation is accessible to you by simply paying attention to your breath in any moment.
Let your breath be a source of constant strength and energy for you.
And when you remember,
Be aware of your breathing throughout your day.
I wish you a mindful day.
Until next time,
Jomola!
