Mindful Movements are a series of ten physical exercises introduced into the
practice by Thây several years ago. They are often conducted by the
community as a group but can be practiced on one’s own. Typically, the
mindful movements will take place outside in a circle after a walking
meditation or sometimes indoors during a dharma talk in order to stretch the
body. Each movement should be carried out three times before proceeding to the next. Body movements
should be flowing and graceful and not too rapid. Each movement is coordinated to be in harmony
with our breathing. The mindful movements give us a chance to exercise. They allow us to practice
sensitivity and awareness to our body, our breathing, and the interconnectedness between our body,
our breathing and our mind. The diagrams and text below give a brief description of each movement: Mindful Movement 1  Stand upright with feet slightly apart facing forward. On the in-breath
raise both arms so that they are horizontal, hands loose and
palms facing downward. On the out-breath lower both arms to your
side. Mindful Movement 2  Start as in Movement 1 with palms facing inwards.
On the in-breath raise hands above the head keeping the arms straight to make a semicircle
in front of the body. Stretch the body without the feet leaving the ground. On the
out-breath reverse the movement, lowering the arms and returning the hands to rest on
each side. Mindful Movement 3  Start with feet slightly apart and arms bent at
the elbow and fingertips touching the top of
each shoulder. The arms are in the same plane as the body.
On the in-breath stretch both arms so that the arms are fully
out-stretched, palms upward. On the out-breath return the
arms again to the start position. Mindful Movement 4  Start with arms and eyes facing forward. Palms should be together at
waist level in front of the body. On the first in-breath lift the arms
(keeping them straight). The hands stay together at eye level. Keeping
the movement continuous, take the arms up and out over the shoulders
(hands are now separated) and on the first out-breath bring them down
behind the body (thus making a big circle with each hand). With the
second in-breath reverse the movement bringing the hands above the
head and then on the second out-breath bring hands down to the start
position. Mindful Movement 5  Stand with feet slightly apart and hands resting on the hips.
Start by leaning forward with head at waist level, legs
straight. With the first in-breath rotate the body clockwise pivoting around the waist. The head should describe a wide circle and after the in-breath the body is
leaning backwards and upright. On the out-breath reverse the movement taking the head back to its
starting position in front of the body. After repeating this cycle three times repeat the movement but
rotating the body anti-clockwise. Mindful Movement 6  Start by leaning forward allowing the arms to hang
downwards. With the first in-breath lift up the body from
the waist, taking the hands in a wide semi-circle so that the
arms stretch upwards. Stretch the whole body. On the outbreath
reverse the movement returning the body to its
starting position, leaning forward arms loosely downwards. Mindful Movement
7  Stand with hands resting on hips and feet together at the ankles,
slightly apart at the toes. On the in-breath stand on tiptoe and
then, with back kept straight and hands on hips, bend at the
knees taking the torso down towards the ground. Ankles should
stay together. With the out-breath straighten the legs and return
to the original position. Mindful Movement 8  Stand upright with hands on hips, feet together on
the ground. With the first in-breath raise the right leg
so the knee is just below the level of your waist, the
lower leg hanging downwards. With the first outbreath
extend the lower half of the leg so the leg is
almost straight. With the second in-breath describe a
semi-circle with the right foot pivoting around the
ankle and bring the lower leg down to its position after the first in-breath. With the second out-breath
return the leg to its start position beside the body. After completing this cycle three times with the
right leg, repeat three times with the left leg. Mindful Movement 9  Stand upright with hands on hips, feet together on
the ground. With the first in-breath bend the right
leg and then with the out-breath straighten and
extend the leg out in front of the body with the
foot just above the ground. With the second inbreath
swing the foot around the body to the side,
keeping the leg straight and describing as wide a
circle as possible so that the foot ends up behind
the body with the toe touching the ground. With the second out-breath reverse this movement so the
foot returns to its position extended in front of the body. With the third in-breath bend the leg so the
foot is below the knee and with the third out-breath return the foot to its start position. After repeating
this cycle three times repeat the movement with the left leg. Mindful Movement 10  Stand upright with your feet a good step away from each
other. The left foot should point forward and the right foot
point at right angles to this, pointing outwards to the side.
The left hand should be on the left hip and right arm should
be pointed down the right leg with fingers extended. Your
face should be looking sideways in the same direction as
the right foot. With the in-breath bend the right leg and
raise the right arm, stretching and extending it to just above shoulder level. This should produce a
stretch along the left side of the body. With the out-breath reverse the movement returning to the start
position. After repeating this cycle three times repeat the movement on the other side of the body (ie
bending the left leg).
After completing the Mindful Movements, we stand with palms together in the shape of a lotus, and
bow to the rest of the community. |
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