Moving Body And Breath

Hi,

It's Mandy here.

Welcome to the moving body and breath practice.

So just taking your time to connect with the posture that you've chosen for this practice.

You're welcome to do the practice in any posture that's comfortable to you,

Whether that's sitting or lying down or even standing.

Just being aware that in this practice there will be a little bit of movement,

So just adapt the invitations as best you can,

Depending on the posture that you've chosen.

You just want to have access,

If possible,

To your arms and your legs for a bit of movement.

So if you're sitting in a chair,

Just allowing the body to relax and settle,

Having the feet flat on the ground.

If you're lying,

You're welcome to have your feet outstretched or perhaps you might like to have the knees bent,

The feet flat on the floor,

Or a cushion under the knees to take a little bit of pressure off the back.

So just taking a moment to check in how you're feeling.

Do you need to adjust the posture a little bit?

Seeing if you can bring a little bit more ease into the body.

You may like to close your eyes because this can help lessen external distractions,

Or just have a soft lowered gaze.

So we're going to start this practice with just a little bit of movement.

Sometimes moving can be a good way to help us when we're feeling a bit busy or agitated or unmotivated.

It can help to shift from any stress response that we might be in,

Fight or flight mode,

And it can just be a little bit easier when we bring a bit of movement into the body.

It gives us something to pay attention to.

It can be a bit more stimulating than just being still.

So the invitation as you breathe in is to just press down with your feet into the ground.

And as you breathe out,

Just releasing that.

So breathing in,

Pressing down the feet,

And breathing out,

Releasing.

Just exploring this for yourself.

Synchronizing the breath,

Pressing into the earth with the feet,

And letting go.

Just noticing all the different sensations that this gentle movement with the breath can generate through the legs and the feet.

You may want to stay with this movement,

Or you might like to explore something different.

Perhaps lifting up the heels on the in-breath,

And then placing them back down on the out-breath.

Just noticing the heels lifting,

And then feeling that contact again with the ground.

Just breathing in,

Allowing the heels to come off the ground,

And breathing out,

Relaxing and softening.

Just noticing how it is to coordinate this movement with the breath.

And again,

You're most welcome to stay with this,

Or you might like to make the movements a bit bigger.

Perhaps trying extending the lower legs out in front of you on the in-breath,

And then bending and lowering again on the out-breath.

Just checking out if this feels okay for your body.

Following your own breath,

Your own rhythm.

Just choosing the movement that suits you best right now.

You may notice there'll be times when perhaps you get caught up in thoughts,

And find that the movement stops.

That's okay,

It's not a problem.

It's just human nature,

Our brains like to think.

It's all part of this practice.

So it's not an opportunity to beat yourself up.

Just noticing where the mind has gone.

Perhaps gently inviting it back to movement along with the breath.

Just allowing the thoughts to perhaps fade into the background.

And bringing the movement and the breath to the center stage of your awareness.

Just being with the body you have in this moment.

This moving,

Breathing body just as it is.

And perhaps you've developed a nice rhythm here,

And so you're welcome to continue that for the rest of the practice.

Or you might like to explore bringing some movement to the upper body.

So just becoming aware of your hands wherever they're resting,

Whether it's on your lap or beside you.

And you might like to explore allowing the fingers to open on the in-breath,

And gently close a little on the out-breath.

Just allowing this movement to synchronize with your breath.

Opening,

And closing.

Inhaling,

And exhaling.

Just allowing the movement of the fingers to match the speed and the size of the breath.

Not trying to force the breath or change it in any way.

Just allowing this opening,

And closing.

You're welcome to stay with this.

Or another option you might like to experiment with is maybe bringing the palms together.

And you might like to slowly swipe one palm from one side to the other,

So that the middle finger comes down to the wrist,

And then pushes back up again.

Just gently skating from one palm to the other,

Coordinating that with your breath.

Breathing in,

Pushing one palm to the side.

Breathing out,

Pushing the other palm to the side.

No rush,

Just following your own natural rhythm and breath.

Just feeling into how this feels for you,

Finding your own way.

Flowing between one side and the other.

One part of the breath to the next.

This wave-like motion of the natural breath,

Ebbing and flowing.

Inhaling,

And exhaling.

There's no right or wrong here.

Just breathing.

Going with whatever feels good for you.

And now you can either stay with these smaller movements of the hands,

Or for some of you,

You might like to make the movements bigger again.

Perhaps raising the arms on the in-breath.

Maybe just shoulder height or even higher.

And then releasing them down on the out-breath.

Just playing around with raising the arms up,

Lowering them down.

Finding your own rhythm,

The length of breath.

Breathing in,

Raising the arms,

And breathing out,

Lowering them.

Just making the movements as big or as small as you choose.

You might find there's a gentleness,

A gracefulness,

A bit of ease and flow.

Just allowing the movements to happen naturally,

Almost like you're floating through water,

Gliding and shifting in your own way.

Just finding whatever feels comfortable for you,

And noticing all the movements,

All the sensations that come with it.

Of course,

Remembering that there'll be times when your mind comes away from the movement,

Comes away from the breath.

Just noticing this as best you can.

Returning your awareness to the body and the breath when you're ready.

And at some point you might find that your mind has really settled into this motion of the breath,

And you might like to release the movements or keep them going if that feels okay.

Just checking out how it feels to notice the movement of the breath in the body.

Really feeling into the sensations,

All the different small sensations of breathing.

We're not trying to imagine or analyze or visualize the movements,

Actually feeling each breath.

What is the felt experience that you have in this breathing body?

And just allowing your attention to be wherever is easiest for you to notice the breath.

You might notice the breath coming in and out of the nostrils.

You might notice the breath in the chest,

In the movement of the ribs,

Expanding and contracting.

Perhaps you notice the breath in the belly,

That tension and release,

The slight movement as the breath comes and goes.

Wherever you're resting your attention,

It's perfectly fine.

This is your practice,

Your exploration of the moving body and the breath.

And then just paying attention as best you can in silence for the next little while.

Just letting the mind settle into each wave of the breath.

Just this breath.

And this breath.

And of course there'll be times when you notice other parts of your experience.

Thoughts,

Emotions,

Other body sensations,

Sounds,

Not a problem.

Just seeing if it's possible to notice where your attention has gone.

No need to hurry away,

Just allowing the attention.

To return to the gentle rhythm of the breath,

Coming home to the body,

The breath,

The movement,

This moment.

And soon we'll bring this practice to a close.

So perhaps just noticing your response to that,

Checking in with how you're feeling now.

Perhaps you might be feeling calm or relaxed,

Or maybe not.

There's no right or wrong,

This is your practice.

It's just about noticing all the different information that comes from your experience.

And you might like to also take a moment to give yourself a little bit of appreciation for taking the time to cultivate your attention in this way.

And only when you feel ready,

Just bringing a bit more gentle movement to the body,

If that feels right for you.

Opening your eyes when you're ready.

And going about the rest of your day.

Thanks,

See you next time.