Standing Mindful Movement For MBSR

This is a guided standing mindful movement practice for the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program from Present Moment Mindfulness. With this sequence of postures, attend to the body with curiosity about what movement is like, what stillness is like, and connect with whatever the experience may present in each moment. This practice continues exercising your natural capacity to notice as you’ve done with the body scan and lying down mindful movement. With mindful movement, the exploration awakens to the lively interplay of the body in motion and the body when motionless.

This recording is best used as part of an MBSR program, and is intended for beginning meditators. There is several minutes of introductory material, and a significant amount of verbal guidance.

Transcript

This is a guided standing mindful movement practice for the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program from Present Moment Mindfulness.

With this sequence of postures,

Attend to the body with curiosity about what movement is like,

What stillness is like,

And connect with whatever the experience may be present in each moment.

This practice continues exercising your natural capacity to notice,

As you've done with the body scan and lying down mindful movement.

With mindful movement,

The exploration awakens to the lively interplay of the body in motion and the body when motionless.

Take care of yourself during this guided meditation.

Choose a location where you can be undisturbed during your time with mindful movement if you can get the support of others to let you focus on this practice.

It should be a place you feel as safe as you can be and able to devote yourself to the meditation.

It can be helpful to wear comfortable clothing that enables and supports unrestricted movement and breathing with enough space in your immediate surroundings to follow the guidance of reaching,

Extending,

And moving the body.

If you're able to use a yoga mat or carpeted floor,

That can provide a helpful blend of comfort and firm support for the body.

Having a chair nearby,

Or other props like foam blocks or even a few pillows,

Can help with necessary adjustments that may be beneficial to your body's needs,

Particularly as some of the standing postures involve balance.

You're encouraged to modify the poses if what you hear in the guidance is reaching beyond what is comfortable for you.

You can do a portion of the movement,

Or even remain still while visualizing the movement,

Exploring what it would be like to do in your mind.

Practice this kindhearted attention to what the body may be saying,

Sometimes very quietly,

In each moment.

This may also mean listening to what emotions and thoughts may arise,

Allowing for space for them to speak up and be heard too.

Patterns of judgment about performance,

Or the body,

Or others showing up of the inner critic or inner aggrandizer may arise.

When you notice them,

Acknowledge these thoughts and feelings,

Let go of them as best you can,

And return to the mindful movement.

If particularly strong or difficult thoughts and emotions come up,

You can put attention to a helpful home base.

Lean into the sensation of breathing where you feel it the most on the body,

Or another physical location you can settle the attentional spotlight,

Until you're comfortable enough to bring attention back to what's happening right now.

If you would like to stay in a particular pose longer,

You're welcome to pause the recording,

And likewise if you need a few moments to rest.

This recording is just a guide,

And your experiences that come alive from this framework are entirely unique to you.

Connect to what that may be by inviting a playful curiosity and kindness to yourself,

And for this body.

Take a few moments now to get your physical space arranged for practice.

Give yourself permission,

And accept that permission to take this time,

And to give yourself the gift of attending to experience.

You may also want to review the Mindful Movement PDF,

Pages 5 through 8,

To see what the poses look like.

You can pause the recording now if you need a few moments of preparation and adjustment of your surroundings.

Begin by coming to awareness of simply standing,

Not a special pose,

Just taking in the fullness of this body,

Breathing in,

And breathing out with a soft attention to maintain balance.

Notice what is touching the senses,

What sounds may be present,

What might be seen in the immediate surroundings,

If there are any scents caressing the sense of smell.

As best you can,

Just receive them as part of the environment of the moment,

Not to be pushed away or clung to,

But just felt,

Acknowledged,

And allowed to ease back as awareness highlights the body.

Warming up this capacity for noticing,

Guiding attention to the feet touching the ground,

Encouraging some curiosity with a silent question,

What does the floor feel like?

Is there texture?

Does the mat or carpet cling to the feet?

Is there any sense of temperature or tingling or other sensation?

Not having to move to create feeling if nothing is noticed,

Simply feeling with the body even if there's no sensation to be found,

In the same way you might listen deeply when there's only silence.

Realizing what subtle movements may be occurring to sustain balance.

What's happening in the legs,

The belly?

How does keeping balance feel?

Becoming familiar with simply standing,

Inviting a sense of connection to the ground,

A firm stability like a mountain.

No force is needed in this quiet,

Dignified stance,

Tall,

Strong,

And open,

Aware of breathing moment by moment.

Sensing into the arms and aware of your intention to move them before any movement occurs,

What will happen as you get close to movement before taking action?

Aware of the subtle adjustments as you begin to slowly raise the arms in front of you,

Continuing up to reach towards the ceiling or within your comfortable range of motion.

Feeling the gentle stretch through the entire length of the body,

Aware of the companion process of breathing as the arms are held above the head.

What is known in the fingertips,

Through the arms and shoulders,

Or elsewhere in the body?

And when it feels right to you,

Again inviting awareness of the intention to move before doing so,

Release the arms to gravity,

Slowly guiding them down to hang loosely at the sides.

Get reacquainted with the standing mountain pose,

Perhaps finding some new and different sensations alive in the arms or elsewhere.

What's different?

What effects might be here now?

Reaching with the arms now to the sides like the letter T,

Pushing out in either direction.

Invite an opening of the chest,

Drawing together of the shoulder blades at the back,

Continuing to experience breathing in,

Breathing out,

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

Is there any change of sensation in the shoulders as the arms are held out?

Is there a feel of pushing against something to the sides,

Even if nothing solid is there?

And gently lowering the arms once more,

Settling into the home base of standing mountain,

Perhaps arriving at this pose with freshness and wonder about how each time there may be differences to be noticed.

Reaching up now with the right arm over the head,

Allowing the left arm to remain at the side,

Perhaps lifting some weight off one foot,

Tilting slightly into the raised arm,

Highlighting this stretch and feeling what happens along the sides.

How does the body shift to support this lengthening of the body on one side?

How is breathing well extended?

Continuing to refresh interest in what might be here,

Moment by moment,

What is comfortable and perhaps uncomfortable.

And now lowering the arm,

Aware of breathing as you do,

Aware of the adjustments being made in the torso,

In the legs,

At the feet,

Pausing for a few moments and checking in,

What's here?

Reaching with the other arm,

Slowly as the body lengthens with the extension of the arm overhead,

Perhaps shifting slightly,

Leaning up into the stretch.

What is it like to meet this pose on this side in this moment?

Is there noticing of the same sensations,

Or slightly different tingling or opening or holding?

Inhabit the fullness of the body as best you can,

And then following the arm's release,

Slowly lowering to the side,

Adjusting to the body standing evenly once more.

Raising both arms once more,

Slowly traveling up overhead to a comfortable reach,

And then curving the body to one side so the body has a soft arc in the direction you choose.

One hip becoming an outside hip,

As care is taken with the back and neck,

Perhaps bending slightly at the knees.

Notice breathing here,

Noticing how balance is maintained,

Receiving how your view of your surroundings may be different,

Slightly sideways.

Still with care,

Only reaching as far as is comfortable for you,

Respecting any boundaries of the body in any movement.

Not having to give yourself a hard time about tending to those needs,

Just working within them,

Doing what you can,

And perhaps even remaining still and doing the movements in the mind.

Aware of other kinds of judgments or evaluations that may arise,

Just noticing them and not giving them more solidity than that.

Knowing this is a practice of awareness,

Rather than perfect poses or bodies,

Inviting yourself to simply inhabit this gentle movement as you return to center,

Lower the arms,

And feel into the standing mountain once more.

Pause here.

Get a feel for how the body is right now.

Raising the arms again with caring attention,

Pausing as they reach the highest comfortable placement to receive the pose,

And then creating a soft arc in the other direction.

The other hip becomes the outside hip.

Curiosity energized towards the sides,

And the full length of the reaching body.

Breathing,

Noting balance adjustments,

Breathing again.

Where might strength or uncertainty be showing up in this moment?

Straightening to center,

Little by little,

Pausing with the arms raised,

Opening to what it's like to decide,

To heighten awareness before releasing the arms to return gently to the sides.

Raising to what tensions may have taken up residence in the body,

Not having to change them if you find them,

But perhaps choosing to do so.

Guiding attention to the shoulders before beginning the next movements,

Brightening the attentional spotlight on that wide area of the body.

Knowing what's there,

Even if sensations may be subtle or even silent.

Feeling closely,

Even with no sensation present,

Exercising your capacity to simply notice and inhabit awareness.

Begin by raising the shoulders up towards the ears,

Noticing what may happen to the position of the arms when the shoulders are held high on the body.

Then,

Allowing them to come back to a more natural place before moving the shoulders close together in front.

Also noticing what the arms are like here,

Perhaps refreshing a soft awareness of breathing with the shoulders close together.

Establishing some familiarity with this holding.

And drawing the shoulders down,

As low as you can comfortably place them,

Neither forward nor back,

Just down.

Now moving the shoulders back,

Drawing the shoulder blades together,

Becoming aware of how the chest may shift in front to foster this new position.

Moving through this sequence on your own in silence.

Up,

Front,

Down,

Back.

Experimenting with the range of motion from smaller to larger circles,

The pace that works well to support the inner listening of sensation as you move.

And also moving in the other direction,

Experimenting with range,

Pace,

And sensation that way too.

Now shifting to just a gentle upward and downward movement of the shoulders,

And connecting that to the breath.

Exhaling as you raise the shoulders,

Exhaling as you lower the shoulders,

Little by little,

Noticing where effort and release may be part of this sequence.

When you've explored movement of the shoulders,

Circles in both directions,

Different sizes,

Different speeds,

What breathing,

Effort,

And release are like in just this basic motion,

Come back to the familiarity of Standing Mountain once more.

What's here?

What might be noticed in the shoulders in this still,

Easeful position?

Raising the attentional spotlight to the neck,

The entire shape and fullness of it,

Checking in with what might be felt on the surface of the skin,

To any sensations of air moving through the throat with each in-and-out breath.

Aware too of any emotional arising,

Or perhaps surprising physical responses to becoming aware of this area of the body.

Know that you can always move attention to another part of the body if feelings of overwhelm come up,

Settle into that home base before returning to the guidance and seeing if there's a subtle change in the experience.

Taking care to respect any needs for gentleness and moving,

Slowly release the head forward,

Keeping the body upright as you bring the chin as close as you comfortably can towards the chest.

No stretching or straining,

Just gently lowering and noticing what may accompany this one motion.

Is there sound or feeling in the neck as you move it?

And what's breathing like with the head lowered?

Next,

A careful shift to one side,

Lowering one ear as best you can towards the shoulder on that side.

Invite a gentle examination of the comfortable range of motion that's suitable for your neck as it is right now,

Without pushing too hard.

Again,

Opening to all the senses,

Noticing what vision may be like with this sideways tilt too.

What's it like to receive this as an opening and lengthening?

Now tilt the head back,

Taking care with balance and comfort.

You can hold on to the back of a chair during whatever movements might benefit from the additional stability as you attend to this new shift in perspective and sensation.

What might be present in the back as you gently hold the head back while standing upright?

Move the other ear close to the other shoulder,

Still inviting care with the neck,

Focusing on mindful movement rather than stretching or reaching.

Checking in what this orientation in the other direction might be like.

Continue to welcome breathing to the wide expanse of this moment's sensory environment.

Coming to center once more,

Briefly checking in with the familiar companion of Standing Mountain.

Take a few moments to establish awareness in the stillness before slowly and carefully moving the head through this sequence of down,

One side,

Back,

The other side,

And returning to center.

Do this a few times on your own,

Changing direction,

And get a feel for the many experiences that may be an inclusive aspect of this gentle movement.

As the next movement involves engaging with balance more closely,

You may want to have a chair or wall nearby for support if you don't already have one at hand.

This is about exercising awareness more than developing physical balance,

So do your best to attend to the movements.

Existing as best you can with a light playfulness.

It may help to have a slight bend to the knees and a soft gaze on the floor a few feet in front of you.

As you move,

You may become aware of judgments or striving to meet some performance expectations.

This is a common occurrence.

Do your best to notice it if it happens,

Not having to chastise yourself,

And just bring attention back to awareness of movement.

You can also do part of the movement,

Or simply sit and do the movements in your mind if balance is particularly difficult.

Slowly lifting the arms out to the sides,

Once again meeting the shape of the letter T.

Shift the weight to one leg,

And slide the other leg out to one side,

Keeping the toes on the floor until you're ready to lift the foot a few inches off the floor.

Explore all the small movements and holdings,

Dynamic and alive in each moment,

As balance is maintained,

Sometimes lost,

And regained.

What story might the mind be weaving as you balance on one leg?

Can it be noticed and let go of,

Returning to a more direct closeness with what's happening in the body right now?

Are there memories or emotional associations touching awareness,

And what's it like to just return to the body?

As you lower the leg and arms to come to a stable standing mountain,

Re-establish a deep connection to the ground,

Inviting a felt sense of the mass of the body,

Of any aches or other feelings that may have joined this stage of experience.

What muscles are rising to the surface of attention?

How do they feel?

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Raising the arms once more,

Shifting the weight to the other leg,

Again with a slight bend in the knee,

Sliding the other leg out until the foot is ready to lift off the floor.

How is finding,

Perhaps losing,

And finding balance again in these next few moments?

Again,

Allowing the inner critic or aspirations about performance drop away,

Just coming back to direct experience as best you can.

And when it feels like the right time for you,

Allowing the arms to be received by gravity,

Lowering them to the sides as you bring the leg back down and center the body into mountain once again.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

When you're ready,

Keeping the body facing forward,

Turn the head gently in one direction to look as far as the gaze will allow behind you.

Checking in with what is comfortable for your neck,

Ensuring you can maintain balance,

Noticing what seeing is like with this different perspective.

Not a sharp twist,

More of a soft turn.

Just inhabiting seeing for a few moments,

Not having to identify and analyze what's in the field of vision,

But simply seeing whatever is there as the head is turned in one direction.

Returning to center,

Checking in briefly with how the neck is,

And then turning the head in the other direction.

What's looking over this shoulder like?

What's breathing like?

Where might there be some holding in the body?

And again,

Returning to center.

Keeping the hips facing forward,

Turning the head and upper body in the other direction,

Aware of sensations that might be present in the full length of the body.

Allowing the hips to turn too,

While keeping the feet planted,

Moving just a little further if you can,

And noticing what inhabiting the entire body is like and looking behind you is like.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

With attention to balance,

Releasing to the center once more,

And establishing an intention to keep the hips forward as you turn the head in the other direction,

And then the upper body.

Seeing the effects in the legs as you allow the hips to turn in this direction too,

Looking over your shoulder as far as you comfortably can with stable balance.

Breathing.

And then return to center,

Releasing the arms to hang loosely at the sides,

Finding the familiar territory of Standing Mountain.

If you have any particular challenges with dizziness or sudden shifts in blood pressure,

You're invited to do the next forward-bending movements in a chair if you would prefer.

You're the owner of your own experience,

And have the best insight to what's right for you.

If you do these movements while standing,

Simply maintaining that attention to self-care and adjust if you need to.

From the Standing Mountain,

With a refreshed,

Stable connection to the floor through the feet,

The legs,

And feeling the mass of the middle of the body,

Gently begin to release the upper body to gravity,

Bending forward at the waist,

Allowing the head and arms to remain loose,

Perhaps swaying the body slightly for a moment just to check in,

Head and arms swaying with that slight movement.

You may also rest the hands on the legs wherever the gentle reach allows,

Perhaps the thighs or lower legs,

Maybe all the way to the floor if the body can comfortably fold that much,

Not reaching with the arms,

Just allowing them to dangle,

Noticing what might be felt in the hands,

The head,

And the lower back,

And the whole body standing bent over,

Breathing moment by moment.

That tension or holding might be present that is not needed right now.

Might a further releasing to gravity be fostered with the next out-breath?

Slowly,

Vertebrae by vertebrae,

And starting at the lower back,

Begin to engage the muscles of movement to raise the body little by little back to standing upright,

Taking care to move with a gentle pace to avoid dizziness as you come up.

As you get to full standing once more,

Coming to the stillness of Standing Mountain,

Get even closer to any new sensations that may be present in the face,

In the hands,

With breathing.

Taking in the full length of the body,

Whatever is here,

Taking in this unique moment with the freshness of playful curiosity,

And noticing judgments that may be here too.

Acknowledge them,

And attend to the fullness of embodied experience once more,

Again and again,

Each time the mind is drawn away.

If it's comfortable for you to do so,

Again with a gentle bend in the knees if it's helpful,

Or perhaps while seated on a chair,

Slowly lean forward at the waist once more,

Taking a few breaths,

Then raising the head and one arm,

Extending that arm out in front of you,

Almost parallel with the floor,

While the other arm remains down or perhaps supporting you by holding onto a leg,

Not overextending the head,

Still facing down towards the floor,

Aware of the new muscle sets being used to extend the arm and hold the neck.

How is the breath?

What's it like to shape awareness to the full form of the body?

Return to the full bend,

Both arms and head relaxed and held by gravity,

Then extend the other arm out towards the front,

Head slightly elevated.

You can also support this posture with the hanging arm too,

Braced on a leg as you attend the dynamic processing of tiny body movements and sensations.

When it's comfortable for you,

Slowly lower both arms and head once more,

Take a few breaths,

And slowly return to standing,

Taking care should any dizziness arise.

Is there a receding fullness in the face and hands as blood flow resumes its normal course?

What other sensations are filling out the experience in this moment and the moment after the mind may have wandered when you've returned attention to the body once again?

And again?

Reaching forward with both arms parallel to the floor and then slowly bending at the knees,

Lowering the body as if you were about to sit in a chair.

You may notice extending of the lower body to the back,

Creating a slight leaning forward as you find balance,

Going as low as you comfortably can.

Aware of unneeded tension at the top of the use of legs and shoulders,

Allowing whatever you can to just ease into the posture,

Sinking into the pose.

How are the feet pressing into the floor?

What are the small movements keeping the body held in this way?

What are the changing sensations in the thighs,

The arms,

Over the course of a few more mindful breaths?

Moving back to standing mountain when you're ready,

And perhaps taking a few moments to invite looseness back into the body by having a good shake.

Shimmy the torso like you're shaking off water,

Flap one foot then the other,

Shake the hands and arms,

Loosen the neck,

The face,

Allowing yourself to be a person-shaped bowl of gelatin.

Introduce a little lightness into your awareness of the body as you move,

Even and perhaps especially as you return to the stillness of standing mountain.

As you explore balance once more,

You're welcome to have a chair or wall nearby if it may help in the poses and during movement.

Shifting the weight over to one leg and pausing,

Noticing how that feels at the feet and the rest of the body.

Lift the other leg up to standing on tiptoe,

Just touching the floor lightly while supporting leg holds the weight,

And then sliding that foot up off the ground,

Keeping it in touch with the supporting leg,

Bringing it up as high as you're comfortably able to do.

It may be in close contact with just the ankle,

Perhaps further up alongside the calf of the supporting leg,

Or perhaps up to the thigh,

But maybe avoiding any pushing against the supporting knee if the foot is raised to that point.

Getting familiar with balancing on one leg,

Perhaps a slight bend at the knee,

Eyes in a soft gaze a few feet in front of you.

And if you choose,

Raising the arms little by little,

Noticing how the body naturally responds to this shifting center of gravity as you do,

Allowing them to point all the way towards the ceiling if it's comfortable for you,

Going only as far as feels right.

Perhaps crossing the hands,

Palms together,

And interlocking the fingers if balance allows.

Releasing and noticing,

In and out of balance,

Tiredness or alertness,

Whatever is in the environment of the moment received just as it is.

Releasing everything back to gravity's embrace.

Notice when the toe first makes contact with the floor,

As if it's the first time you've noticed this touch point,

And as the full foot presses more firmly into the ground,

Evening out the weight on both legs as you return to Standing Mountain,

Pausing and refreshing the opening to what's here.

Shifting the weight to the other leg when you're ready,

And slowly sliding the other foot up along this supporting leg.

Again,

Notice the transition from tiptoe to standing completely on one leg.

Raising the foot further if the body allows with balance.

Raising the arms overhead,

Aware of the adjustments in the body as the hands meet overhead,

Pass,

And palms then join with interlocking fingers.

Breathing in,

Aware of the whole body.

Breathing out,

Aware of the whole body.

Inviting ease and releasing of tension,

Stable in each cycle of the breath.

And then when ready,

Letting go of the hands and lowering the arms and one leg,

Sensing for the touchdown of the toe,

The ball of the foot,

The heel,

Shifting the weight to center and welcoming alertness to standing once more.

Just here,

Just now.

Before moving,

Set light intention to be aware of each movement as you transition to a seated position on the floor.

How many movements are involved with this careful lowering of the body?

How are arms used?

Just be aware as you come to a comfortable sitting,

The arms at your sides,

The legs out in front of you.

Take a few moments here to just settle in,

Taking in your surroundings as they are lower to the ground,

Closer contact with the floor,

Perhaps inviting a greater sense of rootedness,

Stability and connection.

You can sit on a small pillow if it's more comfortable,

Raising the hips off the floor as we shift into the next posture.

Bringing the feet together and gently drawing them to the body,

Knees in an easeful position on either side.

Using the hands to hold the lower legs or the feet,

Bringing the feet closer if it's within your comfortable range of motion.

Bringing the back straight,

Noticing any tendency to lean forward and just allowing the body to remain upright,

Awake,

And receiving the fullness of this moment.

Noticing and if you choose to do so,

Releasing any unnecessary tension,

Inviting a sense of length to the body,

Of openness.

The knees releasing to gravity,

Not having to be pushed,

And holding them up if the body needs care,

Tending to the hips.

Following the breath all the way in,

A brief pause at the top,

And breathing all the way out before another pause and the cycle repeats.

Letting go of the feet and extending one leg out in front of you along the floor while keeping the other leg close,

Tucking the bottom of the other foot next to that extended leg.

Using small shifts in the body,

Where is it pressing most firmly into the floor?

Reaching up with the arms overhead and then carefully bending forward,

A gentle reach down the length of the extended leg,

Resting the hands wherever they come into contact with the leg.

Where might you feel this easeful reach?

What's noticeable in the back,

The arms,

Perhaps a gentle stretch in the leg,

All while also receiving each breath.

Sitting back up,

Sliding the hands along the leg as you do,

Aware of the movements as you switch legs,

Extending one and bringing the other closer to the body,

Placing that foot along the inside of the long leg.

Reaching up overhead and then leaning forward,

Placing the hands where they can be within your comfortable reaching distance as you can remain in touch with the body,

Breathing in each moment.

Noticing thoughts arising too,

Simply touching the field of awareness and then moving on,

Not needing to push anything away,

But allowing them to come into awareness and move out as you return bright attention to the body.

When you've become familiar with what this posture has to show in a few moments of breathing into this shape,

Coming back to the center with the arms and legs both out in front of you,

Refreshing a little lightness by shaking the legs loosely for a few moments,

Noticing if the arms may also welcome some playful energizing swiggling.

How might that influence your state of mind or heart?

Shifting the body once more,

Coming to lay on the back,

Arms at the sides,

Legs lengthening the body,

Supported by the floor beneath you.

Taking a few moments to invite whatever movements may feel right to you,

Maybe rocking a bit or rolling the head or shaking the feet and coming to center in stillness,

Inviting an open receiving of how the body is right now,

Held in soft awareness.

Letting go of any striving or effort,

Letting go of any sense of doing meditation,

And simply accepting permission to just be here,

Not having to accomplish anything,

Be anywhere else,

Or do anything beyond simply being here,

Receiving the full environment of this moment.

Taking a sense of gratitude towards any others who may have been supportive of you taking this time for practice,

Towards yourself for doing the practice as best you can.

Also inviting appreciation to this body,

Perhaps some tenderness and compassion for all that it does,

All that it's been through,

And all that it can do in the amazing process of just taking breath.

Thank you for taking this time for self-care,

Exercising your awareness and nourishing body,

Heart and mind.