[Wildspeak] Movement Meditations.

[moonvoice]

Will be going up on the website soon, but thought I'd test it out here first.


Movement Meditations

Not everyone is suited to all meditation techniques. Some people do really well lying down or sitting still, and other people are suited to meditation that occurs during repetitive movement. Some people use both, depending on the circumstances and what they prefer.

So here is a bit of information about moving meditations; which are the kind that I prefer to do. Having a panic disorder forced me to look outside of what was the norm (at the time that I was researching meditation) for other ways to still my mind, and I found that for me, walking, repetitive art strokes, and even rocking were more conducive to me reaching a calmer, focused place; than simply forcing my body to be still.

I decided to learn how to work with my body, instead of against it, which is what it felt like when I made myself be still for too long. They’re also fantastic for people who keep falling asleep during stillness meditations. I’ve also met a few people now who have problems like RSL (Restless Leg Syndrome), who simply can’t trust their body to relax or sink into stillness. It can be very frustrating, especially as cultivating a sense of mental calmness and focus is a core building block for many forms of pagan or animistic spirituality.

Movement meditations can be very helpful. They involve repetitive movement in order to keep the body occupied so that at any time – if you feel you that you are panicking or stressing about not getting the meditation right – you can focus not only on your breathing, but also on your body movements the move and flex of your muscles.

An additional benefit of movement meditation for beginners that are having no success with techniques that require physical stillness; is that it can teach you what sort of mindframe you are aiming for so that, when you do attempt to master physical stillness techniques, you know in advance what to expect.

Some people walk at a mostly empty park or oval in a wide circle. If you do this enough, your body will start to learn the dimensions of the circle, and will be able to keep walking on this path even as your mind starts to find places of stillness and calm. The benefit of walking meditations is that you also get some gentle exercise, which enervates the body and mind, and helps to shape wellbeing.

You can also get a container of grain or birdseed. Put your hand in the grain, scoop some up, and then let the grain fall through your fingers. Repeat. As you do this, listen to the sound the grain makes, feel the texture on your fingers, the temperature of the grain, and the move and flex of your wrist muscles. You can even visualise your stresses falling back into the container as the grain falls through your fingers. The same can be done with sand or small pebbles.

You can also be imaginative. Some people do movement meditations while washing the dishes, or even rhythmically scrubbing the floor or stains out of clothing. Circular movements while polishing a car, or gently stirring a soup can also be other repetitive motions that you can attempt to bring a meditative or focused, calming mental state to. For creative people, simple dance steps, artwork that requires cross-hatching (and repetition in general), or even kneading clay can be ways to incorporate movement meditations into your daily life.

Most people do find states of stillness while doing these sorts of repetitive tasks; they just rarely take notice consciously, and so can lose on some of the benefits. For those who do not trust walking in a public place, or anything else mentioned here, you can simply try gently rocking back and forth in a safe place. Rocking is a self-soothing activity that often starts to soothe the mind anyway. Taking it one step further than that and consciously applying an intent to meditate can turn this into a spiritually productive activity.

Think laterally, I am sure that there are repetitive, and even boring movements that you make in your life which you could add some conscious intent to, and develop your meditation skills at the same time.

Comments

[bewylderbeast.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. Sometimes I'm lucky and can just meditate in the "good old-fashioned" way. But at times, I'm just too jumpy and restless to achieve that state of calm. I like the idea of walking, I think that sort of mediation would be a great way to connect with the energies of my butterfly site.

[storm-seeker.livejournal.com]

Circle walking, from the Pa Kua/Ba Gua system of martial arts, was something I was taught a few years ago and it definitely helps me settle my mind.

Same for tai chi, and just walking in general, or some other mundane activity like you described. Most of the time I think better when I'm walking. ^_^

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

I often meditate while knitting, especially if I'm doing something that doesn't require chart work, since walking meditations are generally out for me.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Knitting sounds like a really great one, I imagine cross-stitch would work but maybe not as well? :)

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

I've only ever successfully been able to cross stitch one napkin, so cross stitch attempts generally lead to frustration rather than meditation for me. However, when I get to the long parts of knitting that require a great number of similar stitches, the meditative aspects can be wonderful.

[cazzyline.livejournal.com]

It depends on the chart - I had a tiger in 20 shades of grey, with lots of straight lines in the backgrounds, and would zone out. My current one, with a carousel in a billion quarter-stitches makes me want to break things.

Friendship bracelets, with repetitive knotting is -fantastic-.

[rainsingingwolf.livejournal.com]

When I bead, I am often in a meditation. Stringing beads one at a time, or curling the wire around the beads.

I've sometimes taken movements I learned back when I was taking Tae Kwon Do and made my own katas/forms for meditations.

[thunderbiscuit.livejournal.com]

I really like the suggestion with seeds or other granular things for meditation. There's nothing I love more than the feeling of sand and grains running through my hands.

I've also caught myself completely zoning out when mixing polymer clay to get a grey tone. It was *really* calming to play around with natural clay. It's cool to the touch, and ever so soft (white clay especially).

Now I'm interesting in applying that to actually meditating. Especially when this next semester of school rolls around. I always get stressed beyond reason, and now that I can apply the creation with meditation, I'm actually pretty excited.

[earthguardian.livejournal.com]

yeah, walking/moving meditation is probably ten times better since I used to pace a lot as a child when I was thinking or daydreaming. even at school, I prefer to just let my mind wander while walking around on campus versus sitting in my room.

this is awesome.
i like this.

:D

[paleo.livejournal.com]

I meditate while showering. I'm standing up and my hands are moving so my brain *thinks* my body is being busy and shuts up. There are relaxing aromas and the rhythm of beating water which helps too.

[poetrywolf.livejournal.com]

I definitely will have to try some of these. I think the only form of meditation I've ever done with movement was in the shower, but the circular walking in particular sounds like a fascinating prospect.

Do Not Meditate While the Stove Is On

[perzephone.livejournal.com]

I just have one suggestion - if you find it easy to meditate while stirring soup, try just putting water in a bowl or pot. Either that, or turn the stove off. Better your soup get cold while you're seeking enlightenment than potentially risk setting something (like your blissed-out self) on fire.

Re: Do Not Meditate While the Stove Is On

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

If it's on a low enough heat, you can potentially end up stirring soup for several hours without it burning. *smiles* But that is a good suggestion.

[zenosaur.livejournal.com]

In Kung-Fu class I often find myself entering meditative states when we do repetitive kicking, punching, and other more complicated techniques.

[die-uberfrau.livejournal.com]

This is the best post ever, especially as one of my HFA traits is flapping and rocking and yes, it does make me calmer.

Incidentally this comes at a time when I have been researching dervishes, not because I want to be Sufi, but there seems to be something about movement meditation, whether spinning or rocking, that soothes me.

THANK YOU. <3

[cloversix.livejournal.com]

This is awesome. I was going to suggest you put this on the Totemism community but I guess it really doesn't have enough to do with it. :B Still, it's EXCELLENT advice.

*big snuggles*

[lupabitch.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think it could be relevant, maybe with an intro that explains that if you need to contact a totem and are crap-ass at sitting and being quiet, that this could be a good alternative.

[lupabitch.livejournal.com]

I love meditation while walking, and also while working on artwork. It's actually just about impossible for me not to drift off while walking more than a few paces.

[lightgoddess-69.livejournal.com]

Brilliant little entry there!! I've never realized this, but I have always rocked as I meditated in ritual. I've never really known why, but I've always just gone with it because I could feel it building energy as my mind drifted away. =) Absolutely brilliant!!