Welcome to the Standing Mindful Movement Meditation.
Begin by standing,
Feet hip width apart,
Hands down at your side,
Gazing forward.
This is Mountain Pose.
And as you stand here,
Sense into the feeling of the body,
Just as it is today,
Breathing naturally.
We'll begin by raising our arms overhead.
On an inhalation,
Sweep up,
And on an exhalation,
Sweep down.
Do this several times at your own pace with your breathing,
At whatever pace is comfortable for you.
And as you return to Mountain Pose,
Notice any subtle sensations listening to your body.
And if any movement feels uncomfortable,
Or causes any pain,
You might want to modify or just skip it altogether.
So again,
Standing in Mountain Pose,
We will do shoulder rolls,
Beginning with a shoulder roll towards the front of your body,
Moving front and up,
Back and down.
Do that a couple more times,
Exploring the full range of the motion in your body.
And when you're ready,
Do the shoulder rolls in the opposite direction,
Noticing that your range of motion might be a little different as you go from back to front.
Returning to Mountain Pose,
Push your feet into the floor,
And your head to the ceiling,
Lifting your heart out of your chest.
From here,
We'll do a standing side stretch.
So,
Arching to the left with your hand and arm overhead,
Stretch the right side.
Just notice how it feels to open up the entire right side this way.
And then returning to standing,
Repeat that to the other side.
So,
Arch to the right,
And feel a stretch along your entire left side.
Return to standing.
Repeat this movement on each side,
And possibly lifting as you arch to the left,
You might try lifting your right foot,
A bit off the floor.
And arching to the right,
Feel the stretch in your left side as you lift your left foot.
Exploring how it feels to stretch the torso in this way.
As you return to standing,
Notice any lingering sensation just from the couple of moves that we've done just now.
How does that feel in your body?
Next,
We're going to do a standing balance.
You might want the support of a chair or a wall,
So reach out and grab that if you need it.
And as we're standing here,
Lift the ball of your left foot,
Maybe just a couple inches off the floor,
Or maybe reach your foot higher,
Just up to your knee or hip.
And notice as you do this,
If your mind has a sense of striving,
To get there or go further.
And then slowly return your foot to the floor.
How do you feel now?
And now we'll try the other side.
So lift your right foot a little bit off the floor,
And if it's comfortable,
You might lift it so your knee is the height of your hip.
And just have a sense of curiosity with this movement.
We will repeat this,
And if balance is an issue in addition to holding onto a chair or the wall,
You might also put your gaze on a single spot,
And that often helps balance.
So try again,
Lifting your left foot as high as is comfortable,
And this time you might want to put your arms straight out to the side.
And just notice what muscles are working and how your body keeps you standing up and balanced.
And then slowly drop your foot back to the ground,
Picking up your right foot as high as is comfortable,
Again with your arms outstretched and perhaps your eye on a single point.
Noticing that this side might be different than the other side.
And return your foot to the floor and come back to Mountain Pose.
Our next movement is a Forward Fold.
Always being careful of your back,
You might want to bend your knees a bit as you lean forward.
Your belly on your thighs if that's comfortable,
Your head relaxed and hanging,
And you might even slowly move your head side to side.
And just feel that range of motion.
And slowly,
Bending your knees,
Raise your body back to an upright position.
And without striving,
Just be curious how is this in your body.
And we'll repeat this movement,
The Forward Fold,
Leaning forward,
Bending the knees,
Hanging,
Hinging at the hips with the head,
Hanging forward,
Your chest on your thighs,
And then slowly move your head from side to side if that's comfortable for you.
And then bending your knees,
Slowly raise your body back to an upright position,
To Mountain Pose.
Our next movement is Chair Pose.
So,
With your arms out in front of you,
Slowly bend your knees as if there's a stool behind you,
As if someone were to slip that stool right under you.
And as you go down into this position,
There's an invitation to play at your edge here,
Going deeper or not,
Noticing perhaps the fatigue in your legs.
And as you notice that,
You might also notice that it is pleasant or unpleasant.
And when you're ready,
Slowly raise yourself back up to Mountain Pose.
And as you stand here in Mountain Pose once again,
Just notice any sensations in your body.
And that concludes our Standing Mindful Movement Meditation.
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