Mindful Movement - Moving into Presence

A step-by-step Guide of how to move towards Acceptance, Understanding and Change through Mindful Movement

Mindful movement is the opportunity to practice mindfulness, that is, being aware of what is happening as it is happening
without judgement, as we move. It is related to the bodyscan, a fundamental mindfulness meditation, which we practice in week 2 of the Mindfulness Based Living Course, an eight-week transformative mindfulness course.

Mindful movement is not really exercise – although you can practice mindfulness as you exercise, of course. Exercise can also help us to build some of the skills we need in mindfulness: it can teach us concentration, train both our narrow as well as wide-focused attention, and is a useful support to stay fully present in the here-and-now.

Slow, somatic movement practices, such as Yoga, Chi Gong or Feldenkrais are often promoted as mindful movement. They can be. However, they aren’t necessarily. It really depends on the way practice.

Saying that, Yoga, Chi Gong, Feldenkrais and other somatic movement practices more often than not support the fundamentals of mindfulness: settling and stabilising the mind, helping us to focus and concentrate, as well as grounding us by bringing attention to the body, its physical sensations, our breathing and our connection to the earth and the space around. These support us in become fully present.

Feldenkrais [i] teaches us guided curiosity. So, instead of focusing on the outcome of a movement or trying to achieve a particular shape or movement, we playfully engage with what is happening as we move. We focus on sensing our body and its sensations.

Curiosity is our “mindfulness superpower”: it allows us to step out from a judgemental attitude, that attitude of negative self-judgement (“I can’t balance on one leg - I am just not good enough”) or pride (“I am so brilliant – I can stand on my head, reciting the complete works of Shakespeare…”) that stops us from being fully in the present moment. Now, be careful with curiosity: curiosity can be harsh, like a policeman questioning a suspect. Try to practice with kind curiosity, the kind of curiosity as child has when it discovers its own feet or examines a fallen leaf.

Now, nothing will stop you from taking that sense of curiosity into other movement practices: Chi Gong, Yoga, Walking, even a workout in the gym can become mindful movement practices when we engage with them with a sense of curiosity.

So how do we guide curiosity?

Step 1: Be fully present with the movement itself

Let’s start with the basics: guide your attention to your body in stillness. Notice any sensations, say the weight of your body on the floor, sensations of tension or relaxation, tingling or temperature. You may also notice natural movements that happen in stillness, like the movement of your breath in the body or a natural tendency of swaying. Just notice your body in stillness.

Now begin your movement practice. When you first start practicing mindful movement, I suggest you choose something that is slow and simple. You don't have to practice Yoga, Chi Gong or Feldenkrais, you can just take a slow walk. Make sure the movements are small and slow. This is more likely to calm your nervous system and makes it easier to sense.

Start by being curious about the movement itself, the part of the body that you are moving. What sensations can you feel as you are doing this movement? A pleasurable sensation? Or is there discomfort, pain or tension? Maybe you feel a sense of numbness – there are parts of our body that may be hard to sense. Just take note of what is happening and accept what you find. Don’t try and look for a storyline (“I injured this when I was a child” or similar), just take note and return your attention back to the movement, the sensation and your breathing….

Maybe you can guide your attention to the sensation in other parts of the body. Most movement does not just involve one part of us but actually requires the body to adapt its position. You may notice changes of pressure under your feet on the ground as you move gently. You may also notice a response in other parts of the body. Think of a balance on one leg: as you shift onto the standing leg, there will be changes in the pressure under your foot, a response in the pelvis, the waist, spine, shoulders and head. Notice what is happening as it is happening with that attitude of kind curiosity, without judgement or preference. Maybe you notice a difference between the two sides… We often notice more when we compare the two sides. It is as if our torchlight of awareness becomes a little brighter.

Then you could bring your attention to the space in which you are practicing. The easiest way is to notice the ground again: is it smooth and even, hard or soft, cool or warm. You can expand that awareness to the rest of the space, noticing the temperature, anything to the right or left side of you etc.

You can do this with your eyes open or closed (if you feel safe to close them. Maybe keep them open if your balance is bad or explore movement lying down). Notice how different movement can feel with eyes closed vs eyes open. Some of us sense the movement very differently.

Whenever you notice that your attention wanders and your mind gets lost in daydreaming or thinking, say about what you will do after this session or what happened yesterday, gently guide it back to the movement, the sensations and the breathing.

Take regular breaks of stillness and sense back into the body in stillness as you do this practice.

So, this can be your mindful movement practice. We often do this type of practice in Feldenkrais or Chi Gong but also in some Yoga or other somatic classes. Now, this is not all that you can explore in mindful movement, however. So here is more to explore if you want.

Step 2: Notice any thoughts or feelings, preferences, attitudes

This is a vital step towards becoming more aware of the patterns of our mind, into our thoughts, emotions and attitudes, into our beliefs, values and habits of responding.

So, we begin by bringing our attention to what is happening in our mind as we are moving: do you notice any preferences, likes or dislikes, and how do you react to them? Do you feel any resistance, boredom or irritability? Moments of boredom and resistance can be really interesting moments!

Do you feel at ease or is there a sense of unease? What about self-judgements, like a sense of failure or pride? Are you striving rather than bringing your full attention to what is actually happening as it is happening, without preference or judgement…

Notice your attitude towards all of these emotions or thoughts as they arise: do you accept them or are you telling yourself off, telling yourself that you should be feeling or thinking differently. Maybe you even notice a core belief that you hold about yourself.

Notice all of these things with kind curiosity. Embrace them as part of your mindful movement practice.

Just as you were curious about the sensations in step 1 of this practice, become curious about any thoughts, emotions and attitudes that arise present. Invite them into your practice. They are your practice!

Make sure, however, that you stay grounded and focused on the movement and breath. Don’t lose that connection. Your practice is movement and the focus on the body. So, 80% of your attention is on the movement and 20% on what arises in your mind. Remember that mindfulness is not just about the mind. Mindfulness is very much about staying connected to our body and its sensations!

Saying that, you may notice how thoughts, emotions and attitudes arise and them move on. Just like the waves of a lake or the clouds drifting in the sky, thoughts, emotions and attitudes will come and go if we let them. If you notice that you are getting stuck, that your mind starts to hold onto a particular thought or emotion, a kind of “grasping”, a sticky moment or that your mind wanders off to other things, like what you will have for lunch or an incident that happened yesterday, gently guide your attention back to the present moment.

Step 3: Playing the Edge

Events in our life sometimes push us towards the edge of comfort. In life, the edge of comfort is difficult to handle. It can be difficult to stay fully present when something happens that challenges us. It is hard to bring your attention to your breath or sensations, difficult to notice your thoughts or emotions with a clear mind when life becomes turbulent.

In a still meditation, this can also challenge us and become too overwhelming. We may feel that we do not have a choice when difficult emotions or thoughts arise during a still meditation. In movement we can be in charge of the "edge".

Mindful movement offers us the opportunity to playfully explore what happens when we meet our edge of comfort. It is often more possibly to be curious how we deal with "the emotional edge" when we practice movement because we can choose our own "edge"; we may choose a balance we struggle with or a movement that we dislike, say holding a stretch.

Playing with the edge in mindful movement means that we do a movement practice that brings out some emotional or physical response. When you notice that, bring your awareness to how you are dealing with that: are you avoiding it by starting to daydream or even go into a trance or maybe you have the urge to pick up your phone or get a treat? Are any emotions arising? What about your attitudes or core beliefs? Always return your attention back to your sensations as they will help to ground you. And remember to be kind! Don't push the edge too much! A little, however - and done with a lot of kindness!!!!, can help you understand how you respond to stress and can help you build resilience.

Make sure that when you explore the edge of comfort, that you do this playfully. Can you stay with loving curiosity rather than strive and push?

I hope you are inspired to try some mindful movement after reading this - or any other mindful meditation.

Mindfulness can help us change. The awareness of our flow of emotions, thoughts and attitudes can help us understand ourselves, become more compassionate about behaviours we don't like and supports a transformational process.

Mindfulness guides us to understand patterns of the mind that affect our behaviours, our relationship with ourselves and others. Mindfulness can help us transition and change – not because we need to be fixed but because we become ready to let go of some of our habitual patterns that may hold us back, that may lead us to self-sabotage.

Mindful movement is just one of the many practices that can guide us towards more spontaneity and freedom. So maybe next time, you are walking to the car or shop or when you walk from your lounge to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, bring a little attention to your movements. It may just change your life!

If you are curious to experience Mindful Movement and other meditations and be guided towards a deeper, more mindful life, why not sign up to a transformative eight week mindfulness course with me. Courses are online. If you have any questions, contact me via this link and/or, if you are just looking to be contacted whenever a new course is starting, join the mailing list via this link

Kat is a fully qualified Mindfulness Teacher with the Mindfulness Association and has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Mindfulness from the University of Aberdeen. She is also a movement teacher (Yoga, Pilates, Feldenkrais, Somatics), an intimate health practitioner and has a degree in herbal medicine.

[i] Moshe Feldenkrais' book Awareness though Movement makes a powerful case of movement as our prime source of awareness and also about its influence on our identity. As an Amazon Associate I will receive a small percentage if you buy through this link

Categories: : mindfulness