What is Mindful Movement

Mindful Movement is a session where meditation is combined with music and free movement. It is accesible for everybody and a very effective formula to relax and recover. The positive effects on the body and the mind of meditation in  motion are immediately perceptible. The effects are exuberantly substantiated by scientific research in both the fields of psychology and neuroscience. You can be rest assured that this is the most natural and obvious way for humans to feel better.

 

Natural Movement 

The moment a baby begins to walk, it starts to dance as well. Naturally we physically respond to music. Without effort. Movement is not something you need to learn, you only have to allow it to happen. In a Mindful Movement session movement is a goal in itself. There is no assignment or request to make something beautiful or to follow the moves of the teacher. Therefore nothing can go wrong. We give movement back to the body entirely. Everybody seeks his or her own possibilities and limitations. We make sure the body gets a nice moment of play and release to compensate for the monotonous daily moves. Your body produces endorphines and serotonin when you dance. Without much effort you will feel relaxed and happy. No matter what day you had.  For human beings it is thé natural way to relax and to stay healthy physically, mentally and spiritually.

Direction of attention

During a Mindful Movement session you are invited to focus your attention inwards. There are no steps or postures that you need to follow so you don’t have to pay attention outside yourself. For a large part you can even keep your eyes closed. The guidance and the music are inviting and never compelling. Because there is no chance to impress or achieve anything, the need of involvement of your mind is minimized. This makes Mindful Movement a unique opportunity to BE in movement and music, without any other purpose than that. It is an absolute break from achieving anything and focusing your attention outwards.

Body awareness

During the session we direct our attention on physical sensations. For the mind this at first always seems like a boring exercise. The mind wants to go fast. Our body is our concrete anchor in the here and now. It can never be anywhere else. Our mind rather travels to the past and the future, preferably in abstractions. By focusing our attention on physical sensations we slow down and arrive in the moment. It is our body that helps us to practice Mindfulness. Being present in the body means no longer being in the mind.

The importance of body awareness is endorsed by contemporary neuroscience. Simply noticing what you feel, fosters emotional regulation. Befriending your body and all its sensations can lead to profound changes in both mind and brain. Increased body awareness, can lead to a more honest relationship with yourself. Besides, only when you are aware of your body, you can take care of it well. To feel, with a friendly curiosity, how it is inside you, can change your life.

Autonomy

Mindful Movement facilitates a safe space where you can take a break. You are guided inside, to the intimate space of your inner world. You can feel there how it is, allow what is, and follow what wants to happen. As fast or as slow as it wills, you can make your own movement or stand still. Rarely are you invited to coincide completely with your body and follow the direction it gives. Taking your space this way, without limitations or judgements has a deep effect on the psyche. The experience of free movement stimulates the feeling of free living.  You can reach a certain clarity or get an insight during a Mindful Movement session. That is the reward of turning the attention inwards, the break from achieving anything, the movement, the slowing down. Mindful Movement supports transformation processes of any kind and can liberate your inner authentic autonomous self.

 

Structure of a session

Depending on the size of the group, the location and the time, Mindful Movement can be done in 10 minutes or a day.

During the usual session of about 2 hourse, this is generally what happens:

+ We calmly arrive with a walking meditation, simple chi gong movements or another exercise with quiet music.

+ The music builds up slowly and from the previous we naturally move to slow free movement.

+ The tempo buildt up further, in between songs I sometimes ask to shake your body loose or to stand still to feel how it is.

+ The music reaches a climax, this is the moment where you can let your body play and release, we are warm, we surprise ourselves and look for the boundaries of our moves.

+ With a fast heartbeat and warm body we shake for a while with percussion.

+ We slow down and stretch our body where we feel it is needed. Everybody can follow his/her own body.

+ We switch to a seated meditation in silence with meditation seats, blankets and pillows.

+ The closing can be done lying down or seated, in full surrender we drift away on dreamy pianomusic.