Mindful Movement

Mindful Movement Before you begin this practice you may want to have a chair close by and we can begin by just standing or sitting,

Feet nicely connected with the ground below,

Feet parallel and a shoulder width apart and then just feeling into your posture whether you're standing or sitting and again as always bringing to mind our intention and motivation for this practice.

Perhaps an intention to develop mindfulness using movement as a support and then briefly touching in on our motivation,

Why are we practicing,

What meaning does this practice hold for us,

Just finding a way to connect with the heart of why we're doing this and then just letting go of our intention and the motivation and once again finding our feet.

We can now just bring a connection with the ground below with the soles of the feet and maybe just sway ever so lightly so that the patterns in the feet show themselves to us as our bodies move.

And if we can lift our hands so they are in front with the palms facing upwards and just wriggling your fingers and watching your hands as you do this.

So just being aware of the hands and the fingers moving and now seeing how it is to close our eyes yet still wriggling our fingers and just feeling from the inside,

Noticing how it is to do this from the inside.

This idea of just being aware of the difference of looking at our body from the outside and noticing our body from the inside and relaxing the hands and moving them back to the side.

Once again just connecting with the feet and feeling the body rising up from the floor and how is the breath moving within the body right now.

So now if you are sitting and if it is comfortable for you just to stand up and is it possible to rock from the feet.

Just experimenting with moving the body and shifting the body around and feeling the different parts of the body engaging as you move.

You may like to experiment just a little bit becoming aware of the edges of where it is possible to balance and just playing with that edge without pushing too hard and again just noticing any kind of sensation as we do this with your feet remaining on the floor.

So there may be some sensations that feel a little unpleasant and so just experience these two as you work with this edge of what is possible in our experience.

Now just coming back to stillness and shifting all the weight onto one foot without moving the feet.

Noticing how one side of the body is holding all the weight and how the other side is more free.

And then lifting the foot that is not holding the weight and just rotating the ankle in front of you a little bit and playing with the range of movements.

And we can see how this is a balancing exercise.

And then we can change the direction of the rotation again noticing any sensations that are comfortable or unpleasant.

Just exploring how we can just be with these sensations.

And then coming back to stand equally on both feet and arms by the side.

A sensation of a root growing into the ground.

And just checking in with your breathing after this gentle effort of rotating one foot.

And perhaps maybe are there any differences between the two sides of the body?

What kind of sensations are there?

And now moving our weight to the other side.

And again lifting the other foot and rotating the ankle.

Noticing how the mind gets involved.

How does the mind work?

Maybe a sense of success or failure.

And again when we notice this and we notice that we're thinking,

Just coming back to the moment by moment experience of movement in the body.

And then changing direction in the rotating and an awareness of how this feels within the foot.

I'll repeat that.

And an awareness of how this feels within the foot and the body.

Noticing any beginning of discomfort from holding this position.

And then just gently coming back to rest on both feet on the ground.

And now lifting one arm in front and in a similar way just rotating the wrist and feeling the sensation of the wrist and the hands in rotation.

Any thinking,

Distraction.

You can just bring your attention back to the unfolding sensation of the movement and the sensations within the body.

Changing directions of rotation.

And gently dropping the arm to one side and feeling any difference between the two sides.

And raising the other arm when you are ready.

And again just rotating the wrists.

And then changing direction of the rotation.

Noticing any distraction.

And just guiding our attention to the support of movement.

And again just allowing the arm to drop down by the side.

Maybe noticing the breath and any sensations in the body and feet.

And now drawing a small figure eight with our nose and just feeling what is involved in this.

Just gently working the neck.

Just a nice gentle figure of eight just here in this space in front of us.

And then coming to rest.

And so now maybe we can give our bodies a little bit of a treat.

Having the sensation that we are a bit like a sack of flour and all the flour has sunk to the bottom of the sack.

A sensation that our bodies are heavier right at the bottom.

And then just jumping from foot to foot.

And experiencing the body shaking by this movement.

And then we can come back to standing.

Just jiggling the body a little allowing all the flour all the way down to the bottom.

All our tension dropping down through the legs.

Just let it drop and then coming to stillness once more.

Now just rubbing the hands in front.

Creating a little bit of warmth.

And placing them very gently very kindly on the face.

And in our own way just massaging the face a little.

Just sensing the kindness of how this feels.

And pinching across the eyebrow.

And then stroking down the nose with the forefinger.

Perhaps just massaging the temple.

Little circles.

And then drawing with one hand and then just across the forehead.

And then again with the other hand.

Just drawing across the forehead.

Noticing this kind touch.

No agenda.

Just being there for ourselves through this touch.

And then using the tips of the finger to press around the cheeks wherever it feels comfortable and relaxing.

And then across the jaw and the gums.

And then pressing our thumbs under the jaw.

And towards the ears and around the ears.

Just a gentle rub.

And then maybe just taking hold of the ears.

Rotating them.

Gently pulling them.

Pinching down around the ears.

Feeling any heat that might be created.

And then releasing the ears.

And making a loose fist with the hand.

And loose wrists.

And just gently and lightly tapping over our skull with our loose wrists and fists.

Just saying a gentle hello to the head.

And then tapping over the neck in your own way.

Nice and gentle.

No agenda.

Not trying to make anything happen.

Perhaps just a little neck massage.

Just something very soft,

Very light.

And then supporting one elbow with your hand.

And tapping over the shoulder with the loose hand and wrist.

Rubbing the shoulders.

And tapping the outside of the arm down to the wrist.

And then up the inside of the arm.

Swapping sides.

Rubbing the other shoulder.

And tapping down and up the other arm.

And then shaking out both arms.

Just a good shake.

And then we can just stand for a moment.

And just seeing and noticing how the body is feeling.

Any tingling or warmth stimulated by the massage.

Just noticing whatever is there.

And as we come to rest,

Just placing one hand on the chest.

And just making some clockwise circles over the chest,

Across the heart.

And just feeling this touch.

And then very kindly,

Very gently,

Just coming to rest.

Standing,

Noticing and just breathing.