I think we all could benefit from a bit of meditation. It’s a total stress reliever that quiets the mind, and works wonders at increasing overall well-being. It’s also super accessible! Anyone can do it, anywhere they choose. And it’s pretty much the key to getting into the zone, or connecting the mind, body and soul. You can give it a go to see for yourself — a little zen goes a long way!
So here’s my confession — I don’t like to sit. I’m a mover and a shaker who prefers her zen in motion! Well, guess what? I’m not alone! Buddhists have their walking meditation. Tai Chi practitioners meditate in their choreography. And yogis flow through their meditation pose by pose. There’s absolutely no reason not to meditate in motion!
Here’s what to know about movement meditation:
** Your breath should be your main focus. You may think that you need to concentrate on the movement, but if your breath is the guiding force, the movement becomes second nature.
** Slow down! To fully settle into the breath, take the time so your actions find their rhythm. Once you’ve got your groove going — pick up the pace!
** Stay aware of your environment, but don’t let it steal your attention. Sometimes the surroundings can enhance your experience like running on the beach, or an awesome tune on your ipod. But the point of meditation is to stay present. So you’ll want to integrate your environment into your experience, rather than leave the meditation to meetup with your environment.
What’s your movement meditation? And how do you stay with it?
Discover which mind body soul practice is right for you here!
Funny, I almost sat to meditate this morning…but didn’t. I, too, love to mediate while moving. But, confession: I often let myself get caught up in mind chatter if I do a walking meditation. My best vehicle for meditation is usually when I’m cooking and DANCING. Sometimes I don’t even realize I’ve gotten into that place 🙂 But confession #2: I want to try to get back to sitting….Thanks for the continued inspiration. xo
I think there is the time and place to sit & meditate…but it definitely shouldn’t be the only way! Thank you for your confessions!! Love it when you chime in xoxo
I am definitely a mover. I have tried the sitting and it only works when I’m guided by a voice… I totally agree on the breath – its funny when I first started yoga and I heard “Breath into the back of your leg” I was like “What?!?” Years later I get it, amazing if you just focus and listen.
I focus on the sound when I sit for meditation. But when I am moving about, I focus on breath.
I wish I can sit longer.
I wish I could sit longer too. I will say that some of my best sitting meditations happened after a movement session. Thanks for sharing!
Ha Ha! It does sound funny — now breathe into your elbows… So nice to hear from you Jenny.
Thanks for your writing and contribution.
Two days ago I went to hear the first public conversation between Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra. It was outstanding!
When they were asked about their own meditation practice, Deepak shared that he regularly practices sitting meditation as he was taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. While Deepak didn’t go into more details on this, I assume that means Transcendental Meditation or mantram-based meditation.
Eckhart said that he practices “many mini-meditations” while he’s awake. He said that his practice is as he writes, that each “now” is the time to meditate. He offered that some great opportunities for practice are while standing in line somewhere, while waiting for a traffic light to change or train to come.
I’ve heard Thich Nhat Hahn teach that every moment is a good moment for meditation, even those involving everyday tasks such as eating and washing dishes.
I’ve tried all of these and they all work well for me.
Wow, that must’ve been so cool to hear Deepak & Eckhart speak together…I wonder if that’ll go on YouTube. I really appreciate you sharing what you learned. All the advice I can get to help with my meditation practice is so encouraging. Mini meditations seem so do-able!! Thank you thank you thank you!