HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFUL MOVEMENT

Guest post by Jennifer Robinson

In my March Facebook Live in Dawn’s Thrive VIP group, I talk about Mindful Movement and how to incorporate it into your exercise routine. Here is the written companion to that video:

Let’s start by talking about purely mindful movement. The asana (movement) practice of yoga, tai chi, or a walking meditation are forms of mindful movement. These practices combine breath and concentration with the movement itself. I have heard yoga called “a moving meditation.” When you are practicing these forms of mindful movement you are not focused on the outcome or the end goal.

It is possible to combine mindful movement with mindset in your exercise routines Try to have at least one time per week that you dedicate your movement practice to mindful movement: Maybe you practice yoga or tai chi or maybe you practice walking meditation (try it barefoot on sand or grass).

You can even combine mindfulness and mindset within a single exercise session. When I’m on the treadmill in the mornings I start out with the display screen covered with a towel and I just let my body tell me how fast, or slow, it wants to go. I concentrate on my breath, taking deep meditative breaths. And I turn the speed up and down as my body instructs me to.

On some days, I leave the towel over the display and go for as long as my body wants to. On other days, when my body is warmed up, I take the towel off and push myself to go faster and/ or longer (mindset).

No matter what I do on the treadmill, I always follow my cardio time with at least 15 minutes of gentle yoga and 15 minutes of meditation. This allows me to get the full benefits of the mindfulness practices.

Let us know how it goes with your mindful movement practice! Are you able to combine mindfulness and mindset?

If you have questions, always feel free to reach out to me at PeacefulLivingWellness.com!

If you would like to read about what mindfulness is and the health benefits of mindfulness practices, you can read my full mindful movement blog here.