The body and mind in the same place
The body is always abiding in the now, so connecting with our somatic experience brings us away from the thinking mind and into the present moment.
Mindful movement leads to increased somatic awareness and embodiment by resting the mind on the movement of the body.
Three dimensions of mindful movement
There are various dimensions to the practice of movement, encompassing the physical, the energetic, and awareness. The fusion of these aspects makes mindful movements a potent technique for becoming more embodied and present in our lives.
The physical body
From a purely physical perspective, mindful movements can help re-align the spine and improve our posture and flexibility with very low risk of injury.
Many of us sit a lot during the day. As we rely on back support and stare into screens, we tend to forget our posture. We hunch over and roll our shoulder forward, which results in a shallow breathing and puts lots of pressure on our back and necks. Over time, this pressure can lead to tension and stress.
The significance of breath
Disconnection from the breath results in detachment from the body’s wisdom, leading to obsessive thinking or an increased likelihood of injury during movement practice. For this reason, staying connected with the breath is crucial.
The energy body
The breath serves as a link between the physical body and the subtle body. Consciousness breathing during movement practice enhances the overall experience, allowing a deeper connection with the energy of the body.
In movement practice, we will be using principles from yoga and qigon. These rich traditions have elaborate systems and techniques for accessing, awakening and transforming the energy (prana, or qi) of the body.
The awareness body
By accessing the subtle energy body, our awareness becomes refined. Movement practice can take us all the way into deep states of mindfulness and absorption. In this way, we can view the physical body and the energy body as gateways into the causal body; Awareness itself.
Moving with the body
Moving with energy; Qi
Guided qigong sequences:
Enter the world of qigong and energy arts:
Guided meditations
Mindfulness bodyscan meditation (22 minutes):
Mindfulness bodyscan meditation lying down (30 minutes):
Wheel of Awareness (27 minutes):
Progressive relaxation (15 minutes):