Mindful Movement

One of many Relaxation Exercises You Can Use to Feel Relaxed-and-At-Ease

Mindfulness is the practice of noticing your experience without judgment.

So... Mindful Movement is the practice of moving and noticing your experience...

... Noticing your sensations, images, thoughts, feelings, and how you're moving - without judgment.

Try it! Listen to this short Mindful Movement practice or read it to yourself... (see below)

This practice is one of the key elements in my personal spiritual journey.

It has helped me be present and awake in this body more than anything else.

I've shared it with many clients. Some people love it and some people don't.

If you're interested in using this practice regularly, my Time to Breathe and Relax CD/mp3 includes a Mindful Movement practice track in addition to other meditation and relaxation exercises.

Find out more about the Time to Breathe and Relax CD/mp3.

Mindful movement helps us become aware of...

• Tense places in our body and release them through gentle or expressive movement.
• Emotions we've been holding onto and begins the process of moving through them.
• What our body needs like stretching or exercise.

There is no way to do it right and no way to do it wrong. Whatever happens as you do this practice is perfect and right.

When you were a child, were you told to sit still, not squirm?

When I was younger, I was an assistant teacher in a preschool for one summer. I observed that the four year olds were asked to sit still in a circle during circle time. It was not strictly enforced, but the experience stuck with me.

When I began to work with relatively normal, high functioning adults using dance/movement therapy, it was clear that many people experienced high levels of discomfort, shame, and inability to freely move their bodies.

Because of my own personal experience with movement, I knew what a potent tool it is on the healing journey. However, most of my clients were unable to even begin to use it.

I have theorized that early on, most of us, were taught to disconnect our minds and bodies. When we were told to sit still or move in a certain way, we learned to shut down our bodies inner impulse to move.

This impulse to move is either strongly connected to or related to the life urge, our sense of Self - who we truly are, and our ability to self-heal.

This movement practice begins the process of reawakening the inner impulse to move and reconnecting our body, mind, and emotions.

It is a key tool on the self-healing journey...

And it is simple and easy to do.

Another way to use movement as a relaxation or stress management technique is to take a couple minutes once or twice a day to do some gentle movement.

Stand up and stretch... gently move your head and shoulders... circle your arms and hips... and stretch your legs.

This gets us out of our heads and into our bodies... and it only takes a minute or two.

To do mindful movement...

Just stand up...

Close your eyes or have a soft focus...

Bring your awareness to your breath...

And when you are ready begin to move your head in any way that feels right...

As you're moving, notice your sensations, images, thoughts, feelings, and how you're moving...

When you're ready, move your shoulders in any way they want to move...

Noticing your experience without judgment...

Continue through your whole body...

If this practice is new to you and you have any questions, please use the contact form below. I'm happy to answer any of your questions.

Go from Mindful Movement to Expressive Movement