Moving Meditation: Guided Practice for Slowing Down
This episode of the podcast is a gentle moving meditation, exploring what it feels like to slow down. We’ll be playing with pace as we do two very simple motions, observing the sensations in the body, and how movement can often influence our mental activity and nervous system state.
The meditation itself starts at 3:10 (after a brief intro).
Episode Details:
As we practice this meditation, you will check in with yourself in the present moment – noticing states like tension or ease, mental busy-ness or calm, feeling rushed or steady. We’ll be practicing these mindful observations in a dynamic way, while moving rather than sitting still.
After taking the time to practice physically slowing down, you may find that you feel more balanced and present. Being mindful of our speed in movement can help us shift out of auto-pilot, settle the nervous system, and break the momentum of a bustling daily life.
Moving Meditation Benefits and Details:
Photo: Ahmad Odeh via Unsplash
While seated meditation is the classic archetype for contemplative practice, you can also practice moving meditation! Many people find it easier to learn mindfulness skills through movement – if you’ve found yourself feeling uncomfortably restless, distracted, or overwhelmed when you’ve tried to meditate sitting still, a movement-based mindfulness practice may be a better option.
Even experienced meditators can benefit from putting their meditation into motion sometimes. Movement practices done with awareness can help you integrate mindfulness principles in a more embodied way. And, of course movement is great for releasing tension and getting your breath flowing with more ease.
This meditation can be done either standing or seated in a chair. You can have your eyes open or close them, but if you’re standing, you may find that keeping them open (with a soft gaze) helps your balance.
The movement suggestions here are deliberately simple, gentle, and accessible so that you can drop into a meditative experience more easily. In this practice, it is much less important to get the movement “right” than to move in a way that facilitates an experience of mindfulness and curiosity.
I hope you will enjoy this moving meditation, and that it will encourage a playful awareness of your pace as you move through the rest of your day!
Resources & Links from this episode:
- If you enjoyed this practice, you might like to listen to MTM Podcast Episode 49 – Slow Mindful Yoga: 6 Ways to Slow Down for even more ideas to explore in movement.
- And, for extra inspiration, check out this article by yoga teacher Charlotte Bell, “Slowing Down: The Power of Pausing.”
P.S. Did you know there is a Free Membership Tier of the Moved To Meditate Class Library? Learn more about the Class Library and sign up for your Free Library Card to access the five featured classes from the catalog each month.
