HOW TO DO MINDFUL MOVEMENT MEDITATION[MENTAL HEALTH] ARTICLE 1.2,3,4

Article 1

It can be beneficial to do exercise in bare feet or socks so that you have more contact with the ground . First, stand with your feet hip-width apart , your knees slightly bent. The four stages of this practice can be done in the following order:

1- Raising both arms . On the i–breath , slowly raise your arms out to the sides , parallel with the floor. After breathing out , raise your arms as you breath in , slowly and mindfully , until your hands are raised above your head. As your arms move and then you hold the position, try as best as you can to be aware of the workings and stretching of not only your arm muscles, but also the muscles and joints of different parts of your body, with care and patience .

Continue breathing , allowing the breath to flow in and out , as you continue to stretch upwards . Remain open to any changes in your breathing and to the sensations and feelings within your body as you maintain this stretch for as long or as short as you wish.

Article 2

2 Picking fruit: Open your eyes if they were closed. Gently raise one arm, stretching upwards with your hand as though you were picking fruit from a tree that is just out of reach. Turn your face upwards and allow your eyes to look past the tips of your fingers.

Be aware of the sensations within your body and your breathing, as you extend the upwards stretch of your body from your feet to the tips of your fingers. Allow your heels to lift off the floor. Breathe, holding the stretch in reverse: lower your heel, relax your body and lower your fingers, hand and arm back down to your side.

With your face now centre, close your eyes as you pay deliberate attention to the sensations flowing through your body and to your breathing. When you are ready, release the stretch, come back to standing and then go through the same movements to ‘pick fruit’ with your other hand.

Do this sequence once or twice, or as many times as feels helpful.

Article 3

Sideways bending: With your hands on your hips, slowly and mindfully bend at the waist towards the left so that your body arcs in a gentle curve that flows from your feet to your hips and torso.

Return to a central , upright poistion on the in-breath. Then, on the next out -breath , bend to the right, repeating the process . Don’t worry about how far you can bend.Some people may only be able to bend a slight amount, if at all. The main thing is the quality of the attention you give to the bodily sensations you feel as you do this practice and to any thoughts that may arise.

Do this sequence once or twice,or as many times as feels helpful.

Article 4

Shoulder rolls: Bring your mindful attention to your shoulders by exploring how it feels to roll them . There are many ways to roll your shoulders and you can do them here in any order, as many times, as you wish, either both shoulders together or rolling first one shoulder then the other. Dangle your arms loosely by your sides. Then, when you are ready begin. Allow your breath to set the speed of the rotation. You may, for example , choose to start by raising your shoulders towards the ears , then slowly lowering them , before beginning again.

Or, you could raise your shoulders as before but then choose to roll them backwards, bringing your shoulder blades together before dropping your shoulders completely . Bring awareness and curiosity to these various positions as you explore the sensations they provoke . Listen to any signal from your neck or shoulders around these rolls , doing what feels right to your body .

When you reach the end of the four stages of the Movement Meditation, pause. Allow yourself the space to savour fully whatever bodily sensations , thought and feelings you may be experiencing .