Use Both Movement and Meditation to Feel Better
First the body, then the mind.
There are many ways to meditate. You can practice while seated, finding stillness and watching your breath, or you can practice while moving, like with walking meditation. I also find swimming and hiking in the woods to be wonderful ways to meditate and move. You can read about walking meditation in my post from May 2023 called “Walking Meditation and Walking as Meditation.”
Today I would like to discuss how using movement first will get you out of your head and into your body as preparation for seated meditation.
Why movement first
Many meditators come to meditation to find calm and clarity for their ever racing mind. As a physical person, I find it challenging to simply stop what I’m doing and sit still. Sometimes I get fidgety or parts of my body start to hurt.
First thing in the morning, my body often feels stiff and cranky from lying still all night. This is distracting when I try to meditate. Yoga Asana practice (poses on the mat) was originally created to help people loosen up their body and prepare for meditation. When the body feels strong and relaxed, it’s easier to focus on the mind.
Many times with seated meditation, sensations in the body distract the mind. Your back, hips, or knees can start to complain which takes you out of moment. It is common and easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole and start to catastrophize about having to amputate your foot if it falls asleep, or when you feel any type of discomfort. Of course that is also part of the practice; you bring your mind back to your breath and you begin again.
I have found that when you move your body first, even for a short period of time, many of the distracting aches and pains go away and you can sit more comfortably during meditation. This is why I created the online class Movement and Meditation.
Movement
My students repeatedly say “this is the best class ever!” every Monday morning after class. They leave feeling relaxed yet energized for the day. Each class is different. I teach spontaneously, dropping into the flow and the moment, tuning into the needs of the students.
We start with 20 minutes of gentle yoga movements, like Cat and Cow, to warm up the body and get the blood flowing. We rarely stand up, most poses are on the floor, either face up, face down, or seated. It’s an earlier class and many people (including myself) haven’t been awake for very long.
I choose yoga poses to reduce stiffness in the hips, legs, back, neck, and shoulders so that seated meditation is more comfortable. I usually “take requests” from students ahead of time, so sometimes there is more focus on the lower back, “hips and hammies,” or some other body part that is bothering them that morning. I combine easy movements, gentle stretching, and breath to connect the mind to the body. When you focus on the body, the mind feels less racy and scattered.
Meditation
After movement comes 20 minutes of both guided and silent meditation. I offer the option to stay in Savasana (Corpse pose) lying on the floor, or to sit up in a supported position. Personally, I am most comfortable kneeling with a rolled blanket under my hips. Some people sit in a chair with their feet on the floor or blocks. Others sit cross-legged on a cushion, block, or rolled up blanket. I leave it up to the student to find the position that makes them feel the most comfortable. Listen to your body and give it the support that it needs.
For seated meditation, I recommend sitting with your hips higher than your knees, and with your knees supported on something (floor, blocks, chair). When your pelvis is higher than your knees, it takes the pressure off of your hip flexors (fronts of your hips), which can speak quite loudly after awhile. This position makes it easier to sit with a vertical spine using less effort. When in doubt, support under your hips and raise them higher.
When the knees/thighs are supported on something it also relieves pressure in the hip flexors. When the knees hang, the hip flexor muscles get tired and strain after a while, which can become a distraction. When you sit in a chair, your your feet planted on the floor (or something else) prevents the knees from hanging.
Take the time to set yourself up as comfortably as possible first, so that you can focus on your meditation practices without the body adding to your distractions. The mind distracts itself enough as it is, it doesn’t need any help from the body.
Movement and Meditation
I love this combination of movement and meditation. It’s just enough movement to shake off the sleepiness and stiffness of the night, setting you up for a more comfortable meditation practice. I lead both guided and silent meditation for all levels of experience.
I use verbal cues to give you something on which to focus your mind. This could be something related to observing your breath, sensations in your body, sounds in your environment, or even watching your thoughts. Sometimes I give visualizations, like sitting on a river bank watching the water flow by. Between directions I allow periods of silence for you to explore, occasionally breaking the silence to redirect you back to your breath.
The mind likes to wander, it’s what it does. Like strengthening a muscle, it takes practice to make the mind focus on only one thing. The mind finds events of the past and the future tempting, and full of drama to rehash or create. Coming back to the present moment over and over is what strengthens your mental “muscle” and improves your focus. With regular practice, the mind wanders less and you will find more stillness and space between your thoughts.
It doesn’t happen overnight, but you also don’t have to fully clear your mind. Meditation is the practice of observing the mind, with all of its chaos and calm. It helps to have a guide to help you find your way.
Meditation support
If you are interested in meditation but feel like you “can’t,” check out the free eBook, “3 Myths About Meditation and Why it’s Easier Than You Think!” I debunk 3 myths that might prevent you starting a meditation practice. Click the button below for your free copy!
Get your 10 Day All Access Free Trial to my online yoga studio, Purple Room Yoga, and join me online for Movement and Meditation, Mondays at 8am ET. If that time doesn’t work for you, this free trial also give you access to the Video Library full of yoga and meditation classes for all levels of experience. Take as many as you like! The 10 days begin on the day you “purchase” it. Cancel within the 10 days and it’s free! If you’d like to continue beyond the 10 days, do nothing, and it will automatically convert into an all access subscription. If you prefer an On Demand Only subscription, message me before the 10 days are over I can take care of that for you. Click the button below for your 10 Day Free Trial!
Coming in December:
End of Year Yoga Launch runs December 9-20 and includes two Movement and Meditation classes, plus eight 15-minute yoga classes that are easy to fit into your hectic holiday schedule! Take classes live or on demand. Click the button below for all the details and daily schedule!
In my classes today, I did more meditation than I would normally do. Seemed like everyone needed to create more space in their breath, their mind. Especially today. Great tips!! (I always tell my students before we begin that it is okay to move if their selected position becomes uncomfortable. I think sometimes people think that once they’ve “picked” a position they have to stay that way the entire time of the meditation.
Great tips on meditation poses.
I used to try to sit cross legged for every meditation. Unfortunately, this is counterproductive for my body. But I used to think I “wasn’t doing it right” if I didn’t use some fancy pose. Turns out it’s unnecessary to sit a certain way.
I now sit straight backed on a chair for every other meditation to give my hips a break and a chance to recover. And when I do sit cross legged, I always use a pillow or block to support each knee.