By now you likely know the benefits of mindfulness ~ calming the nervous system which in turn reduces blood pressure and cortisol, improves digestion and sleep, increasing self-control and overall satisfaction.
Yet most people think mindfulness is synonymous with meditation. While meditation is one way to practice, mindfulness isn’t limited to the meditation cushion.
Mindfulness is the act of observing some aspect of your human experience in the moment you’re currently in. You can mindfully eat, cook, knit… and yes, meditate. By this definition, mindful movement is when we train our awareness fully to whatever movement practice we’re currently doing.
Mindful movement has been gaining popularity. Disciplines like yoga, martial arts, and tai chi have long practiced moving with mindful self-awareness. Research is just starting to catch up - but through those practices, mindful movement has been shown to increase attention, self-control, and a variety of executive functions.1
Yoga, tai chi, chi gong, and similar disciplines don’t have a monopoly on mindful movement. In fact, nearly any movement practice can be made a mindful movement practice.
An additional, important benefit: increase interoceptive awareness.
If you buy the idea that mind/body split is a myth, then you already know what happens in your mind is happening to your body. Interoceptive awareness is your conscious awareness of the feedback of your body. Practices that build this form of awareness help to lessen the perceived divide between mind and body.
How to Make any Movement Practice a Mindful Movement Practice
Start with a grounding practice - this could be a few deep breaths, a moment of meditation, or setting an intention. The purpose of grounding before you start is making a clear transition between “before practice” and “start of practice”
Set an Intention - reducing stress, improving mobility, gaining strength, enjoying yourself, or connecting with your body are all simple examples of mindful movement intentions. Intentions can be helpful in re-focusing your practice if you get distracted or have intrusive thoughts as you’re moving.
Move deliberately - many guides to mindful movement will advice moving slow, which might be appropriate depending on your level of experience. However, what may be more important is the deliberate nature of your movement. For example, you could choose mindful running. The run might not be slow, but you might be deliberate about your pace, breathing, foot strike, or another aspect of the run that makes it mindful.
Remove distractions - nix the phone, pass on the podcast, and turn of the streaming service. For movement to be mindful, your focus remains on your movement. Limit distractions, even talking, so you can focus on the sensations and experience of moving.
Bring in some appreciation - mindful movement can be an opportunity to practice gratitude for your body, it’s abilities, or the present moment. Consider all the things that had to fall into place for you to have this time and the self-awareness to practice mindful movement and express appreciation to yourself and those who support you.
Find self-compassion - for many of us our bodies are a source of criticism, negative self talk, and emotional pressure. When those belief systems come up it can be helpful to have self-compassion tools at the ready, as well as your intention.
Have you experimented with Mindful Movement?
What was your experience? What did you learn or what do you wish you’d known?
Head over to the main article and share in the comments.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00297/full