Moving Meditation

Many people say they cannot meditate as they feel it means they must sit still with a quiet mind and we all know that can be impossible.
Whether sitting still or moving practice giving the often busy mind something to do by observing the breathing. Notice the movement of the belly, the length of the breath – encouraging the out breath to be longer, the sounds and feel of the breath. This means you can meditate anytime, anywhere with no one else knowing.
Did you know that we already meditate naturally many times a day? Do you ever feel like you have good ideas when you are out walking for instance. I know I get my best ideas when swimming.
By being active, we naturally become mindful and more aware of our senses and what is going on around us. Getting out of the head and being more aware. This takes us to a mildly meditative state even if we are moving around.
Some people call it moving meditation or mindful movement. We are combining focused awareness alongside physical activity.
The benefits both mentally and physically for our wellbeing include reducing stress and anxiety, improving mood and enhancing mental clarity and concentration. Moving meditation is strengthening our wonderful mind-body connection which leads to an improvement in sleep, digestion, coordination and balance and general physical health.
Examples of activities where you are likely to be in a doing moving meditation are: golf; walking; running; horse riding; gardening; Qigong; TaiChi; yoga; stretching; dancing; swimming; paddle boarding and even cleaning. Whatever it is that you enjoy, notice how calming for the mind it can be, allowing ideas to come forward. You may feel more present in the body and be aware of the breath as you move. Your senses become heightened in this state so you may notice more. The calmness allows ideas to flow.
If you are outdoors there is certainly plenty to stimulate the senses. Birdsong is regarded as one of the most calming and relaxing sounds that we can be aware of because of its predictable and rhythmic patterns. These trigger a sense of safety and positively affect our parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and promoting relaxation. Nature sounds often have a calming effect on us. Many people enjoy waves or the sound of a river or stream. Even the sound of your footsteps as you walk can be soothing as you become aware of the ground beneath your feet.
Whilst your senses are enjoying the activity, your conscious mind is busy, giving the subconscious a chance to be heard so you may receive intuitive thoughts and fabulous ideas or the solution to something you’ve been wanting to solve for a while.
Enjoy your moving meditations! I love mindfully meditating whilst walking, swimming, clearing the donkey field, horse riding and doing yoga stretches.