Mindful Movement

This won’t be the first time you’ve heard that physical movement is good for your mental health, but encouragements to exercise are usually accompanied by athletic looking women running gazelle like through the park (and more power to them!) and the focus is on distances, times and weight loss goals. Mindful movement comes at it from a different, more holistic angle.

I’m writing this in midwinter, a time when people vow to renounce their old couch potato ways, ditch the takeaways and embark on a well-intentioned but ultimately doomed self improvement programme. An important aspect of my work is as a nature connection guide; one look out of your window should confirm to you that (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) nature is not on its version of a juice cleanse/30 day fat burn challenge/doing daily shred & sculpt workouts. Winter is a time of rest and slowness; it’s quite simply not the time for high intensity exercise nor low calorie raw foods. However, there is still the desire for many to be healthy, balanced and look after their bodies, especially after a time of stillness and excess of rich winter foods. So, rather than swing from one extreme to another, I propose a calmer, more regulated and long-term approach: mindful movement.

How do we make movement mindful?

If the word mindfulness conjures images of people serenely meditating on a jetty facing a lake and mountain, you might be wondering how this relates to exercise. Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment with awareness, acceptance, compassion and non-judgement. It is being in the here and now. Connecting to your senses and observing the mind are key elements of the practice.

Technically you can do anything mindfully, and some movement practices are inherently mindful, such as yoga, tai chi or qigong. Swimming also has a meditative quality to it. Consider how an ability to focus on what is happening in the present moment and be connected to your body would be helpful when playing sports.

A big part of a mindful movement practice is about intention: why you are doing it. We bring awareness to our motivations by noticing thoughts and tuning into our bodies. Maybe we have a burst of energy and fancy a dance in the kitchen whilst dinner’s in the oven. Or maybe we are stressed after work and know that a run round the park will release some fiery energy. Perhaps we’re in a slump and choose to stretch it out on the yoga mat to bring some life back into the body.

What you’ll notice with these intentions is that they are intuitive, compassionate and non-judgmental. That’s what I mean by mindful. They are the opposite of running on the treadmill even though you hate it because you have absorbed the idea that you should look a certain way. A mindful movement practice – whatever movement you choose - is not about rigid rules or routines. By nature, it rejects exercise as punishment or to ‘earn’ rest or food. It’s about knowing yourself and making smart choices about what feels good and helps you achieve what really matters to you.

From ‘home body’ by Rupi Kaur

For example, my health goals are around longevity (being able to move well and reduce illness into old age) and being strong enough to go on long walks, walk up hills, explore new places and lift my suitcase onto the scales at the airport. I have a knee problem that strength training helps a lot with (hello squats, my old friend). I also want to have fun, get a sense of achievement and feel energised. So my movement choices, which can vary from gentle qigong, swimming, strength training and bounce fit classes, are in line with these motivations and values. Sometimes, when I need to rest, the most mindful movement is getting into bed at 9pm.

‘Yoga routine’ by Giselle Dekel

Mindful movement changes our relationship with our bodies and with the concept of exercise in general. Instead of movement being a means to an end or about how we are perceived by others, it’s a practice of being connected to our physical selves with present moment awareness and care. If you grew up hating school P.E and being bombarded with toxic diet culture and unhealthy body image messages as I did, it can be quite a life changing approach.

Feeling tired? Maybe you actually need to do more.

You might not expect a therapist – whose job it is to help people improve their mental health through talking – to say this, but sometimes we need to talk less and move more. Getting out of our heads and into our bodies can be one of the wisest things to do, especially when we are anxious, stressed or feeling low.

Emotions are energy. They are a physiological response to our experiences and thoughts. This energy needs to move through us, else it becomes stagnant or expands and overwhelms us. There are lots of ways to regulate and process our emotions, including talking, meditating, breathwork and journaling. Moving is another important way to regulate, especially when words are not working. But what about when we are feeling sluggish and lack motivation? It could be that you need to accept where you’re at and embrace rest. However, if you feel that resting isn’t actually making you less tired, it could be that you need to move more, even if you don’t feel like it. The best plan is to test this out in a gentle way i.e. don’t commit to a months worth of HiiT classes, instead try a 20 minute yoga video after work, or go for a half hour walk first thing in the morning.

Physical movement like this is called ‘up-regulating’; if you are stuck in a flop or freeze state – disconnected, low energy, unmotivated, stuck etc – then you need a bit of activating energy to bring you back to life. Movement that feels non-threatening, uncomplicated and accessible is a great way to coax your nervous system out of this sympathetic stress response. This can then work in a positive spiral (opposite of vicious cycle) where movement gives you energy and you want to keep doing it, in a sustainable way. Think of it like a car’s battery – too long being still and it won’t start up again; regular movement keeps it working. Whilst we’re very different to machinery, we too are made to be in regular motion, it’s what our bodies are built for.

Some questions to reflect on:

·         What associations do you have to exercise? What images, memories or emotions come up for you when you think of this word?

·         What is your movement practice like at present? What would you like to be different?

·         How do you imagine being more mindful when you do physical activity would benefit you?

·         Are there any types of movement you’d like to try? Or return to?

Next steps….

Having absorbed all this, what would you like to do next? Take a moment to set a gentle intention for yourself.

If you’d like to connect with like minded individuals on the topic of Mindful Movement, you’re invited to join my free Facebook group. This is a closed group for accountability, support and inspiration around being active for mind-body health.

Mindful movement is a daily morning practice at our Full Recharge Retreat in Greece and is part of several of my seasonal events.