MBSR: Lying Down Mindful Movement

This is an MSBR Lying Down Mindful Movement for use by Children's Mercy team members. Children's Mercy Hospital is the primary location for Children's Mercy Kansas City, a comprehensive pediatric health system with multiple locations in Missouri and Kansas.

Transcript

Welcome to this session of lying down mindful movement.

This is an opportunity to slow down and be very intentional about being in the body.

We're going to find an area on the ground where we can be comfortable and in a quiet space where we will be undisturbed.

I invite you to put down a blanket or a mat on the ground and then go ahead and get down on the ground,

Lying on the back,

Allowing the arms to be at the sides,

Palms up,

And allowing the feet to just fall away from each other and relax.

This is referred to as corpse pose.

It's an opportunity just to slow down,

Relax into the body,

And be supported by the ground,

Bringing the awareness to the breath,

To each inhalation and exhalation.

Then slowly raising both arms up above the body,

Slowly,

Very slowly,

Up toward the ceiling,

And then allowing the arms to fall to the ground,

Raised above the head with both palms up,

Allowing the arms,

The shoulders,

To get a full stretch,

Breathing into this posture and with the exhalation,

Allowing the arms to relax even more,

And slowly raising the hands and arms up toward the ceiling,

And then allowing them to come to rest back at the sides of the body with the palms upward.

Now bending the legs at the knees,

Bringing the legs up so the feet are flat on the ground,

Adjacent to the buttocks,

And allowing the arms to move out away from the body as if flying in the shape of a T,

And allow the palms to be downward toward the ground,

Being aware to allow the back to be flat on the ground,

Pressing the abdomen down so that the full length of the spine is against the ground,

Breathing into this posture,

And then slowly raising the abdomen and the back to allow a space in between the spine and the ground without raising the buttocks or the shoulders off the ground.

Just allow there to be a curve in the spine,

Remembering to breathe in this posture before slowly allowing the spine to come back down to the floor,

And again,

Allowing the back to be pressed against the floor completely,

And again,

Shifting the pelvis so that there's a slight arch in the back raised up off the floor,

Keeping the shoulders,

Arms,

And buttocks against the floor,

Feeling a slight stretch of the lower back,

And then allowing the spine to relax,

Come back down to the ground,

Taking a moment to pause in this posture,

And slowly,

Gently raising both feet up off the ground,

Bringing the knees to the chest,

Bringing the arms and hands around the lower legs to give support as the knees are brought up to the chest,

Breathing in some softness,

And on each exhale,

Just bringing the knees a little bit closer to the chest without striving,

And if it's comfortable,

Lowering the forehead down to meet the knees as closely as is comfortable,

Remembering to breathe in this posture,

Feeling the full stretch of the back and the neck,

And slowly releasing,

Allowing the head to fall back and the feet to come back down to the ground,

Allowing the legs to come back down to the ground,

The arms at the side and the palms facing upward,

Taking a moment to pause,

And then allowing the right knee to come up toward the chest,

And again,

Supporting the lower right leg with the hands,

Feeling the stretch of the legs,

And then gently lowering the forehead to come as close as comfortable to the right knee to feel the stretch of the back and the neck and the right leg,

Breathing in softness,

And with each exhale,

Just bringing the knee up a little closer to the chest without striving,

Slowly allowing the head to fall back again to the floor,

And lowering the right leg back down to the ground,

Now raising the left knee up to the chest,

Supporting the lower left leg with the hands as the knee is brought up to the chest,

Slowly raising up the head off the ground,

And bringing the forehead down to meet the left knee,

Breathing into this posture,

And slowly releasing the muscles in the neck,

Allowing the head to gently fall back to the floor,

And allowing the left leg to lay back down onto the floor,

Both arms at the side,

Palms upward.

I'll invite you to roll over onto the stomach,

And then raise up,

Allowing the body to be supported by the hands and the knees,

With the lower legs resting gently on the floor,

Allowing the back,

The spine,

To be parallel with the ground,

And with the inhalation,

Allowing the spine to round up,

Raising it toward the ceiling,

Tuck the chin toward the chest,

Peeling the stretch of the spine,

Breathing into this posture,

And then on the next exhalation,

Relaxing the abdomen and the spine,

Allowing the abdomen to move toward the ground,

Arching the back in the inverse position,

The back in the inverse position,

Lifting the head and the tailbone upward,

Being careful not to place any pressure on the neck by moving too quickly,

Slowly engage the abdomen,

Allowing the spine again to round up toward the ceiling,

Lowering the chin to the chest,

Arching the back toward the ceiling in the room,

Breathing into this posture,

Slowly releasing the abdomen,

Allowing the spine to be parallel with the ground,

And then relaxing the abdomen,

Allowing the spine to arch toward the floor,

Gently raising up the chin,

Slowly allowing again the spine to become parallel with the ground,

Balancing on the right knee and the left hand,

Raise up the right arm forward in front of the body,

And the left leg extended out behind the buttocks,

So the body is balanced on the left hand and the right knee,

Bringing the attention forward out in front of the body,

Noticing the balance of the body in this posture,

Slowly allowing the right arm to come back down to the floor and the left leg to come back so that the body is supported by both hands and the knees,

Shifting the weight of the body to the right hand and the left knee,

Raising up the left arm in front of the body and the right leg out behind the body,

Keeping the back parallel with the ground,

Allowing the body to be supported by the right arm and the left leg,

Remembering to breathe in this posture,

Slowly lowering the left arm and the right leg back down to the floor,

Allowing the body to be supported by the hands and the knees again,

Taking a moment to pause in this posture before returning to laying down on the floor on the back,

Lying down on the floor,

Resting the hands at the side,

Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor,

Just below the buttocks,

Slowly raising both arms up toward the ceiling,

And then over the head to lie flat on the floor,

Lifting up the hips and the buttocks away from the floor,

The body's now being supported by both feet and the upper back,

Peeling the stretch in the thighs,

The upper thighs,

The hips and the abdomen,

Slowly releasing this posture,

Bringing the back flat on the floor,

And again,

Tightening the abdomen,

Raising the buttocks off the floor,

So that the pelvis is pushing toward the ceiling,

The body being supported by both feet and the upper back,

With the arms laying flat on the ground,

Allowing the legs to relax and the back to come back down to the floor,

Bringing the hands up underneath the head,

Keeping both feet flat on the floor beneath the buttocks,

Knees together,

And twisting at the waist,

Allow the knees to drop to the right side of the body toward the floor,

And turning the head to look to the left of the body,

As if looking at the left elbow,

Feeling the stretch of the body,

The torso,

The torso,

Feeling the stretch of the back,

Slowly allowing the head to come back and face toward the ceiling,

And raising up both knees toward the ceiling,

And allowing both knees to gently drop to the left of the body toward the floor,

And turning the neck gently to be facing the right side of the body,

Allowing the head to be looking at the right elbow,

So that the stretch of the body can be felt on the right side,

The right leg,

The side of the right side of the torso,

The spine and the neck,

Breathing into this posture,

Slowly raising the knees upward toward the ceiling,

And gently turning the head so that the face is looking toward the ceiling,

Releasing the hands from behind the head,

Allowing the arms to fall gently toward the sides,

Palms upward,

With both feet still being flat on the floor underneath the buttocks,

Slowly raising up the right foot off the floor,

And raising it above the body,

Bringing the toes pointing toward the ceiling,

And with both hands coming up and gently grabbing the lower leg or the upper leg,

Whichever is most comfortable,

Just supporting the right leg to allow a little bit of a stretch,

Stretching the right leg so the knee is brought closer to the chest without bending the right leg,

Releasing the hands from the right leg,

Allowing the right knee to bend,

Bringing the right foot again flat against the floor,

Raising up the left foot off the floor slowly so that the toes are pointing toward the ceiling,

Bringing the hands up around the lower left leg or the upper left leg,

Whichever is most comfortable,

Allowing the stretch of the left leg,

Keeping the left leg straight,

Giving a bit of support just to bring the knee a little bit closer to the chest to feel the back of the leg stretch,

And then allowing the hands to release the leg,

Allowing the left foot to come back down to the floor,

Allowing both legs to rest gently on the floor,

Both arms at the sides,

Palms upward,

Taking a moment to pause in this corpse pose,

Slowly rolling over onto the right side of the body,

Allowing the right arm to bend so that the right hand is supporting the head,

Allowing the left arm to gently fall forward in front of the body so that the left palm is supporting the body against the floor,

Slowly raising up the left leg so that the toes are pointing toward the ceiling as much as possible without striving,

Feeling the balance of the body being supported by the right side and the left hand and arm,

And feeling the stretch of the inner left leg,

Allowing the left leg to gently fall back down against the right leg,

And again,

Raising up the left leg off of the right one,

Allowing the toes of the left foot to point up toward the ceiling,

Slowly releasing and allowing the left leg to gently fall back down to the right one.

Now rolling over to the left side of the body,

Bending the left arm at the elbow so that the left hand is supporting the head,

Allowing the right arm to be in front of the body with the right hand flat against the floor to support the body,

Keeping the left leg against the ground,

Raising up the right leg slowly so that the toes are pointing toward the ceiling,

Allowing the stretch of the inner right leg to be felt,

Breathing into this posture and slowly releasing,

Allowing the right leg to fall back down toward the ground against the left leg,

And again,

Raising up the right leg slowly,

Toes pointing to the ceiling in this scissor pose,

Releasing the right leg and allowing it to gently fall back down against the left leg.

Now rolling over onto the stomach with the arms,

Resting gently at the sides,

Lying on one side of the face,

Gently against the floor,

Now raising up the head off the floor,

Looking forward,

And slowly raise up the right leg the right leg up off the floor,

Feeling the stretch of the abdomen,

Breathing into this posture,

Just lowering the right leg back down to the floor and allowing the head to fall back to the floor,

Raising up the head against off the floor,

Looking forward in front of the body,

Slowly raising up the left leg,

Feeling the stretch of the abdomen,

The body being supported by the torso and the right leg being balanced by the arms,

Slowly lowering the left leg back down to the floor and lowering the head,

That it may rest against the floor,

Now raising up the head again off the floor,

Looking forward in front of the body and raising both legs now up off the floor and both arms up off the floor,

This is often called the superman pose,

Slowly allowing the arms and legs to come to rest again on the floor and the head,

Rolling over onto the back now,

Again in corpse pose with the arms resting gently at the sides of the body,

Palms upward,

Allowing the legs to be supported by the ground,

Allowing the feet to fall away from each other,

Bringing the awareness to being supported by the ground,

Being aware of the stillness of the body,

Bringing the awareness to the breath,

Taking a few more moments to pause,

Being aware of being in this amazing body before resuming the activities for the remainder of your day.

I wish you all well.