Standing Mindful Movement

Gentle directed standing mindful movement that follows the MBSR guidelines. Each day always practice within your own limits. Focus on the body as you gently move through guided standing poses suitable for a variety of levels.

Transcript

Beginning this formal mindful movement,

Starting in a standing pose,

Often called the mountain.

Standing with feet,

Hip distance apart,

With your body weight equally distributed on both legs,

With your arms hanging loosely by your side.

And as you stand here,

Invite yourself into this body by taking a couple of nice big deep breaths,

Feeling your breath flow throughout your body,

And just settling in to this body,

The only body you will ever have.

And as we go through this formal mindful movement practice,

Remembering to acknowledge the limitations of your body,

Perhaps choosing to push to the limits of your body,

But never pushing beyond those,

Honoring your body as it is today.

And this body may be very different than the body you had yesterday,

Or the body of tomorrow,

The focus being your body,

This body,

Right here and right now.

As you take this time for formal mindful movement,

You may wish to acknowledge your body with gratefulness for the ability to move however much you can,

Knowing that as you spend the next many minutes focusing on each part of your body that is moving,

You are nourishing your body and practicing strengthening that muscle of attention,

Bringing your attention to this present moment,

Which is all we have.

Starting our practice in the mountain pose,

Allowing our hands to just lie,

Fall loosely from the shoulders,

Noticing the shoulders,

The back,

The hips,

The hips,

The hips,

The hips,

The hips,

The hips,

The hips,

The hips,

The legs,

Bringing attention to how the body feels in this very supported pose.

Breathing in through your nose,

Allowing your breath to move throughout your belly,

Throughout your body,

Perhaps noticing the rise and fall of your shoulders,

Noticing where your breath is most prominent in your body,

Bringing attention to any impulsivity to move,

To hurry forward.

And when you notice that,

Just smile and gently bring your attention back to this mountain pose.

When you're ready,

Raising both arms up over your head,

All the way up over your head,

And locking your thumbs together,

Stretching these arms up,

Feeling the stretch in your hips,

In your sides,

In your armpits,

All the way up.

And breathing fully and deeply throughout your body,

As you're stretching in this mindful way.

Breathing in and out,

Feeling your belly expand and contract,

Perhaps bringing attention to your feet on the floor as you stretch,

Keeping your feet flat on the floor.

And when you're ready,

On your next exhalation,

Slowly bringing your arms out wide,

Bringing your arms down to your sides with your wrists bent and your fingers pointed to the ceiling,

Feeling the muscles as you bring your arms slowly,

Slowly down to the sides of your body.

And then allowing your arms to hang loosely by your sides.

And experiencing your body right now,

After that very small movement.

And when you're ready,

Raising your right arm slowly up over your head,

And just as if you were picking grapes,

Reaching up,

Just trying to get those grapes just beyond your reach.

And if you wish,

Raising your left heel up off the floor to give you a little more height,

Just to stretch a little bit more.

Stretching that right arm up,

Feeling that stretch all the way down the right side of your body.

Breathing into this pose,

Stretching.

And when you're ready,

Placing your left heel back on the ground,

And again slowly,

Very intentionally,

Lowering your right arm with your wrist bent and your fingers pointed to the ceiling.

Slowly moving that right arm,

And paying attention to the release of the muscles once that right arm is to the side.

And now doing the same with your left arm,

Raising it up,

Slowly over your head,

Stretching with that left arm,

Trying to reach those grapes.

And bringing the heel of your right foot up,

Just to give you a little bit more reach,

Reaching up,

Feeling that stretch.

Feeling that stretch all the way down from your fingertips all the way down,

Feeling it in your rib cage,

Your hips,

Your legs.

Breathing into this pose as you're stretching.

And when you're ready,

Moving your right foot,

The right heel,

Back to the ground,

And slowly experiencing the muscles of your left arm as you're so slowly bringing that left arm back to the side of your body.

Noticing the release of the muscles when your arm is all the way down to the side.

It is important as you do these mindful movements that you pay attention to striving.

Mindful movement is not an athletic event.

It's a training of the muscle of your attention.

It's training your awareness,

Your attention,

To pay attention to this body as you are choosing to move it intentionally.

So when that striving arises,

Just notice it and come back to this movement and this moment.

And now when you're ready,

Raising both arms back up over the head ever so slowly and intentionally,

Breathing into your body as your hands meet at the top,

Locking your thumbs into place,

And breathing throughout the whole body.

And when you're ready,

Stretching,

Bending over to the right,

Feeling that stretch in your left hip all the way down your left side,

Not striving,

Honoring the limits of your body,

Breathing into this pose.

And when you're ready,

Coming back up to the center,

Taking a couple of nice,

Big,

Deep breaths.

And then stretching,

Bending over to the left side,

Stretching out down from the right hand all the way down the right side of your body,

Perhaps taking a moment to just appreciate how this feels,

Bringing attention and awareness to all that is happening right now in your body.

Then coming back up to center and taking a nice,

Big breath and slowly releasing your thumbs and moving your arms as they're out straight with your wrists bent and your fingers pointed to the ceiling or the sky,

And slowly releasing your arms,

Noticing when the muscles release and your hands and arms are now back at your sides.

And experiencing what is going on in the body right now.

How was that movement experienced in the body?

Now placing both hands on the hips and keeping your hips facing forward,

Turning your head to look over your right shoulder as far as you can see and as much as you can stretch within your limits,

Noticing any inclination to move your body,

Just bringing attention to this movement and how it feels in your neck,

In your hips,

In your torso,

In your eyes as you look over your right shoulder.

And when you're ready,

Coming back to center and now looking over your left shoulder,

Again,

Noticing any inclination to move,

But keeping your entire body facing forward and just moving your head,

Breathing into this position,

Bringing attention to what you see,

What your eyes are experiencing,

And then bringing your head back to center.

And now moving your hips,

Allowing your hips to move and your body to turn from your ankles,

Turning all the way to the right,

Looking over your shoulder,

And allowing your whole body to twist.

Again,

Not striving,

Just noticing all the intricacies of the muscles and the tendons and the breath working together,

Which allows the movement,

Which allows this experience in your body,

Remembering to breathe throughout your body as you're in this pose.

And when you're ready,

Coming back to center and repeating this pose on the left side,

Allowing your entire body to move from the ankles,

Moving to the left,

Looking over your left shoulder,

Feeling the twist in your hips,

Feeling your torso respond,

Perhaps noticing some sensation in your neck or your head or your eyes.

Whatever you notice is perfectly normal.

And when you're ready,

Coming back to the center,

Dropping your hands and experiencing the breath in the body.

Now when you're ready,

Moving into shoulder rolls,

Bringing your shoulders up to your ears,

Scrunching them up,

And then allowing your shoulders to drop back down.

Bringing them up and then allowing them to drop.

And at your own pace,

Experiment with raising your shoulders and then dropping them.

And when you're ready,

Squeezing your shoulders in front of you,

As if you're trying to touch your shoulders,

And then coming back to center,

Squeezing them in front of you,

And then releasing,

Allowing your shoulders to drop.

And then again,

Moving your shoulders back behind you as if you're trying to touch your shoulder blades,

And then releasing,

Bringing them back behind you,

Trying to touch the shoulder blades,

And then releasing.

And now experimenting,

Just going at your own pace,

Perhaps combining these moves,

Squeezing your shoulders together in front,

Releasing,

Coming to the back,

Releasing,

Moving your shoulders up,

And then releasing.

Whatever feels most comfortable and whatever is most needed for your body at this time.

And when you're ready,

Coming back to mountain pose,

Just dropping into the body,

Experiencing the body as a whole.

Now moving into a balance pose,

Moving all your weight to your right foot and to your right leg,

Raising your arms up to shoulder height,

And bringing your left foot out.

You may wish to just use your left toe to touch the ground and balance in that manner,

Feeling how that balance is throughout your body.

You may wish to raise it just a little bit.

Whatever your body needs right now,

Whatever is right for today,

For this body today,

Remembering to breathe into this movement,

Perhaps noticing if your mind is getting busy,

And just smiling,

And bringing your attention back to your body,

Back to your right foot and your right leg,

Supporting your body,

And your left leg,

Finding the place of balance.

And when you're ready,

Bringing your left foot back,

Flat on the floor,

And lowering your arms back to your sides.

Now moving your weight to your left foot and your left leg,

Feeling that shifting of weight,

Bringing your arms straight out to your shoulders,

And then taking your right foot,

Perhaps starting with the toe on the floor or the ground,

Or perhaps raising it just a bit,

Experiencing this balance pose and your body as it is right now in this moment.

Each moment is uniquely new and different,

And our body changes every moment from moment to moment.

Some days the balance pose is perfect for your body,

And other days your body needs other things.

Really accepting,

Trying to accept where your body is right now.

Breathing into this pose,

Appreciating how you can do the pose today.

And when you're ready,

Bringing your right foot back,

Flat on the ground or the floor,

And lowering your arms so they're resting at your sides.

And now making sure your feet are hip-width distance apart,

Bringing your arms again up over your head with a nice big inhalation of your breath.

And then folding over your body,

Allowing your body to fold,

Bending at the waist,

Allowing your fingertips to go to the ground,

Or to your feet,

Or to your shins,

And just hanging there,

Allowing yourself to feel the experience of letting go.

Just hanging out with your feet and your hands close,

And allowing the experience of letting go.

And then,

With your knees slightly bent to give you support,

And breathing into this pose,

And perhaps with each exhalation,

Letting go of just a little bit more.

You may wish to raise one arm straight out while in this position,

Starting with your right arm,

Feeling that stretch,

And the experience of your body folded over into itself,

But your right arm stretched out.

And then you may wish to change arms,

Feeling your left arm stretched out straight,

And experiencing the stretch and the breath in your body in this position.

And when you're ready,

Having both arms down by the feet,

Slowly,

One vertebrae at a time,

Bringing yourself up out of this position,

Feeling all the muscles interact and engage,

Slowly,

Slowly bringing your body up from your lower back,

To your middle back,

To your upper back.

And the last thing that is upright is your head.

And again,

Taking a nice big deep breath,

And settling into this upright body that is now in the mountain pose.

Now moving into the chair position,

So bending your legs at the knees,

And raising your arms straight out in front of you to give you balance,

And sitting back in this position as if you were sitting in a chair,

Breathing in and out of this position,

And perhaps sitting upright a little bit more,

Feeling the muscles,

Feeling everything it takes for you to be in this position,

Noticing your feet supporting you,

Your hips,

Your arms giving you balance,

And just notice any resistance,

Perhaps trying to accept the feelings that you're feeling in your body,

Just allowing yourself to experience this fully.

And when you're ready,

Dropping your arms to the sides,

And slowly standing up,

And again taking notice,

Bringing attention to your experience of this movement in your body.

We are now going to move into another balancing pose.

And balancing poses are a great opportunity to really connect with this body today,

In this moment,

Paying attention to whatever is needed,

And however we need to modify or honor our body today.

So we're going to start with shifting all of our weight onto our right leg and right foot.

And first begin this tree pose with lifting your left foot up,

And starting with just placing your left foot up against your right ankle,

Bringing your arms straight out with the wrists bent and your fingers pointed to the sky.

And if this feels balanced enough for you,

Then allowing yourself to raise your right,

Your arms up all the way over your head,

Clasping your hands together,

And holding your arms up against your ears.

So resembling the shape of a tree,

Breathing throughout this pose,

Stretching,

And bringing attention to all the sensations that this pose brings to your body.

Now you may wish to make this pose a little more challenging.

If so,

You can bring your left foot up and place it on your right calf,

Or you may wish to bring your left foot up much higher on your right leg,

On your right thigh,

Inner thigh,

Being very careful not to place it on your knee,

Wanting to honor and protect your body.

So whatever pose,

Wherever it feels right for your body right now,

Again,

This is not about striving.

This is about bringing attention to when you are striving and then making a choice to honor what the body really needs right now in this moment.

Now when you're ready,

And as you start bringing your arms down,

And when they're about shoulder height,

Raising your left foot and bringing it down so that it hits the ground at the exact time as to when your arms are at your sides,

Allowing your body to work in unison.

And now repeating this with shifting your weight to the left side of your body,

Your foot and your left leg,

And again,

Perhaps starting with your right foot up against your left ankle,

Raising your arms up over your head,

Clasping your hands and bringing your arms into your ears.

You may wish to move your right foot to your left calf or up to your inner left thigh.

Whatever works for the body today and whatever honors the body,

Breathing into this pose,

Accepting and acknowledging all the sensations you feel.

And when you're ready,

Bringing your arms back down,

And when your arms reach shoulder height,

Releasing your right foot and purposefully bringing your foot and your arms down in unison to meet the floor and be at the sides of your body.

We're now going to move to the floor and do some seated stretching poses.

Begin by bringing your feet together,

Bottoms of your feet together,

And pulling your feet up toward the middle of your body.

And as you do this,

Notice the stretching and the gentle tugging of the muscles and the ligaments,

But being very careful and aware to not force or strain any part of your legs or your inner thighs.

And just gently bringing your feet as close to the middle of your body as you can,

Perhaps breathing into this pose and allowing your knees to relax and settle just a bit more,

Straightening up your spine a little bit,

And always remembering to breathe in all of these poses.

And now when you're ready,

Straightening out your left leg and keeping your right foot up against your left inner thigh,

Tucking it up in there,

And with an inhale,

Bringing your arms up over your head,

Again locking your thumbs.

And with your next exhalation,

Slowly bending over your outstretched left leg and bringing your hands as far down your leg as you can.

That may be at your knee or your shin or maybe your ankle or your toes.

Again,

Honoring the limits of your body,

Allowing yourself to go to the boundaries of those limits,

Yet not crossing those boundaries,

Not striving.

Stretching over your leg,

Remembering to breathe,

And perhaps with your next exhalation,

Allowing your stretch to go just a little bit deeper,

Feeling the stretch on your lower back.

And when you're ready,

Releasing your stretch and reversing this,

Now putting your right leg out straight and bringing your left foot up to your inner right thigh.

Bringing your hands up over your head with an inhalation,

Locking those thumbs,

And with your next exhalation,

Stretching over,

Bringing your arms down,

Folding your body over,

And bringing your fingers to your knees or your shin or your ankles or your toes.

Feeling your body in this stretch,

Breathing through it,

And perhaps allowing just a little bit more of a stretch on your last inhale,

Exhalation.

And when you're ready,

Releasing your hands and your thumbs,

Bringing your arms back down to your sides,

And straightening out both legs,

Perhaps shaking them out,

Allowing them to have a little break from the stretching.

And when you're ready,

Lying back on the floor in the integration pose.

With your feet,

Allowing your feet to lie,

To fall to the sides,

Having your hands at your sides,

Palms up,

And just noticing,

Experiencing the body sensations that are present right now,

In this moment.

Feeling your breath in your belly,

Accepting the support of the floor or the mat again.

And you may wish to do another stretch,

Bringing your feet flat on the floor and raising your pelvis up into a bridge to give yourself to stretch that back in a different way,

Breathing into this position.

Or you may desire to just stay on the floor,

Experiencing all the sensations that these movements have brought to your body.

And now bringing your knees to your chest,

Wrapping your arms around your knees,

And giving your lower back one last stretch,

Hugging your knees to your chest,

Perhaps rocking from side to side.

And if you wish,

Raising your head up,

Your chin up,

Stretching your back out,

Honoring the full limits of your body.

And then stretching back out,

Back to the integration pose.

Back to your breath in your belly,

In your body.

Perhaps taking a moment to congratulate yourself for taking this time to give your body some nourishment,

Paying attention to it,

Listening to what your body has to say to you.

And as you go throughout the rest of your day,

Know that you can always drop into the present moment by dropping into your body sensations and your breath.

For your body and your breath are always in the present moment.

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Reviews

This was so delightful and I must listen to it again .

Super work out. Love to see more standing programs, as in Tai Chi and Qigong lots of poses are standing.