The Miracle of Mindful Movement
Is your mind listening to your body?
Do you listen to your body when it’s trying to tell you something? Or do you (figuratively speaking) have your fingers stuck in your ears saying, “La, la, la! I can’t hear you!” while your body screams its lungs out at you?
I definitely fell into the latter camp before I deepened my mindfulness practice.
Hi, I’m Holly - coach, mindfulness facilitator and author of Zestful Zen. I write about self-care, change, personal growth, mindfulness, and purpose. If you like life to be full of zest and energy, complemented by a zen, calm mind, Zestful Zen is the community for you! 💖✨
I’d always thought of myself as fit and healthy, but decades of hunching over an office desk ruined my posture, and I got used to ignoring chronic low grade back pain.
I reasoned to myself that it wasn’t “that bad”, certainly not on the scale of my late twenties when I had weekly traction sessions to release the pressure on my compressed lumbar discs.
But it wasn’t just my back crying out for help. Although I loved my workout classes, regardless of how well I cooled down, stretched or rested, my calves were always super tight. I felt “the burn” in a whole different way to my gym buddies (I blame clomping around in high heels since my teens ignoring blisters and pain – a recurring theme…)
Not to mention an accident years ago that knocked my left and right sides out of synch. But I never really thought of this as something that needed fixing (or that actually could be fixed). It just “was”.
Really, when I stopped to think about it, my whole body was full of tension.
I knew that I carried my stress physically, but I was resigned to this. And perhaps, subconsciously, physical pain seemed less confronting than the mental anxiety some of my friends faced – better the devil you know?
Only when my mental stress became too great to bear, did I finally act. As I felt myself hurtling towards burnout, I signed up for an 8-week course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
I’d meditated here and there over the years, but never been consistent with my practice. As I’d hoped, really devoting time and energy to mindfulness dramatically reduced my stress. Mentally, I felt better than I had in years. But not only that, MBSR transformed how I relate to, and treat, my body.
My eureka moment 💡
The change was slow at first, gently paying attention to bodily sensations, truly noticing how I felt physically and listening to (and accepting) what my body needed.
Then one day, in the middle of my Mindful Movement practice, I had what I can only describe as a magical experience.
Suddenly everything in my misaligned body “unlocked”. It was like a chain reaction reverberating up from my hip to my neck as everything loosened and I felt my body return into alignment.
Somehow, strengthening my mind-body connection and moving with awareness freed up all the tension I’d been holding in my body for decades.
I couldn’t get over how amazing I felt now (loose and free) and realised how much discomfort I’d been ignoring.
I literally spent days in a state of wonder, thinking “Wow, is this what walking is like for other people? Is this what working out feels like for other people?”
I feel truly blessed to have made this discovery, no matter how late in my life.
Luckily, months later, I’m still in alignment and I can spot when I’m starting to hold tension in my body again and take action.
As I wrote in my first Substack post, this unexpected eureka moment impacted me so deeply that I was inspired to train as a mindfulness teacher. So, I’m lucky that I’m learning more day by day about the wonders of mindfulness and how our brains and the rest of our body work together.
If you’ve never tried mindful movement, I’d encourage you to give it a go!
Mindful movement isn’t like regular exercise. The goal isn’t striving for greater fitness. The key is bringing your full attention to the moment, focusing on your breath and body awareness – how your body feels when you move it, noticing the physical sensations.
Questions for self-reflection or journalling ✍️
Do you really listen to your body? How often?
Focusing your attention on your body in this moment, what do you feel?
How could you be kinder to your body? More accepting?
What’s stopping you from taking five minutes out of your day for some mindful movement?
Give mindful movement a go 🧘♀️
There are various different practices you could try, such as stretching, tai chi, restorative yoga or mindful walking. Simple movements, that allow you to focus attention on your body are best. There are plenty of mindful movement options even if you have limited mobility.
Here are a few audio tracks and videos to get you started.
Breathworks founder Vidyamala Burch (audio track)
Insight timer audio tracks
8 minute mindful movement by Lillian Kemanis
10 minute mindful movement by Dzung Vo
13 minute mindful movement by Bangor University
23 minute mindful movement by Kate Ryder
31 minute mindful movement by Anshin Devin Ashwood
Mindful movement videos
I’d love to hear your thoughts about mindful movement. Have you ever tried it? What practices appeal the most? Let’s have a conversation in the comments, or feel free to drop me a DM.
Have a sublime Saturday, friends! 🌞
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Holly, your post has come as an answer to a question I asked of Life, this week. Thank you
Thank you for sharing this. I am laid up with Piriformis Syndrome which means I can't walk and am in agony, also on a lot of heavy duty pain relief too. I know I wasn't in tune with my body which led to this. There is a lot of self judgement of my body, and what it is or is not capable of. Being quiet with the self allows you to hear it's message. Sadly, many people today are very detached from their bodies. Good luck with your ongoing training.