Written by:

Updated on:

July 10, 2015

Mindfulness is for everyone. Listen to this audio meditation and join along with Tara Brach. Mindful Movement - Guided Exercises.

[ai_playlist id=”196300″]

Mindful Movement Guided Meditation, by Tara Brach:

Two weeks of movements will do. I guess, as anything else, to practice our mindfulness, we start simply sitting, ___ upright posture. Allows you settle in the sitting posture. Allow yourself to relax through the body and yet feel the sense of uprightness, of alertness. Bringing attention to the breath as we still often do, and experiencing the breath simply as sensations. Whether it is the breath or movement, or emotions, whatever we pay attention to. Bringing a sense of care and respect and interest to just what’s there. So as we begin to move, you can have that same sense of care ___ experience of movement. We’ll begin cross-legged, circling around. The movement is inhale forward and around, exhale back and around, drawing wide circles with the navel. Stretching as fully as possible in each directions so it’s inhale forward and around, exhale back and around with the eyes closed. And just bring your full attention to the sensations of moving in this way.

And then reverse the direction, ___ inhaling forward and around, exhaling back and around.

With the deep inhale, now stretch the ___. Now hold your breath. As you hold your breath, allow the shoulders to relax back and down. The chest is out. Chin down a bit. Continue the hold of the breath. And then slowly and gently exhale. Good. Inhale deeply. And exhale. Relaxing the breath, take hold of the ankles now. We’ll begin, let’s call the spinal flex as you inhale, arch forward to the chest as out, the shoulder’s back. Now, as you exhale at the spine, collapse down. Good. Inhale rock forward, chest out, shoulders back. Exhale, collapse, expand. Now begin to move in a rhythmic way. That’s it. Inhaling, arching forward, exhale, collapsing back. The head stays relatively even, just working the spine in and out of its way.

That’s right. Continue with this movement.

Feel free to breathe in a strong way. Just through the nose. It’s called ___ and that breathe is conscious and intentional in a certain way. It can be quite invigorating and energizing.

Inhale deeply, stretch the spine, tall. Inhale a little more. Now hold the breath again, relaxing the shoulders back and down, touching the skin lightly. Be mindful of the sensations of holding. And then gently exhale, inhale deeply again. Hold for a moment. And then slowly let the breath out. Relax the breath. Just sitting still for a few moments between movements.

The stillness is just as important as the movement as the ___. Really feel the life of this moment. And then letting go, then softening, and then opening the senses. We’ve been moving to the spinal twist, which is a lateral movement of the spine. Interlacing the fingers in front of the chest about six inches in front of the chest. The arms are relaxed, not tense, then a movement as a swinging. First, inhaling to the left, swinging and stretching all the way to the left, twisting, exhale, twisting to the right. So, now swinging back and forth. Inhale left, exhale right. Try to relax the upper torso, and just let it be a fluid back, forward movement.

(long pause)

___ inhale deeply ___. Holding your breath. And exhaling, relaxing the breath, relaxing your eyes down. Rising the hands on the legs, right above the knees. Now, press the right shoulder up as high as you can when your right ear down to touch the shoulder. And then draw the chin up, so the face is to the ceiling. Let the jaw be ___. Let the breath lift them up. To feel the stretch on the left side. Just relax the left shoulder as you do this.

Gently come out of the position, put at the other side up. Left shoulder goes up, left ear down to meet the shoulder. Drawing the chin up to face the ceiling. Let the jaw be ___, breath through the mouth.

Then gently come out of the position, dropping the chin to the chest now. Whirling the head in full circle, allowing the head to drop, gently and carefully in each direction. Just let gravity do the work with the mindfulness to the sensations that arise as you knew it.

Then you can reverse the direction, pulling the other ___.

Your inhale ___ head up, center. And exhale. Relaxing the breath and then stretch the legs by stretching them wide either side. Then begin by stretching our ___ right leg. Change your lower ___ to torso a bit, and then stretching to bring the chest over the thigh, the forehead towards the leg. Long deep breath as you ease, forwarding down over the leg.

Bringing down, taking a deep breath, now exhale completely, move to the ___ holding a little more. Holding your breath out. Inhale. And as you exhale, come gently up. Good. Relaxing the breath now, let’s stretch over the left leg. Again, rotating the torso a bit. Stretching forwarding down over the leg. Long deep breath. As you breath, let yourself relax a bit down further, then bringing presence, mindfulness just as to up experience with those sensations of clean, no pressure, that are particularly notable, just recognize it without judging. ___ bring care and interest to just what’s true right now.

___ down and inhaling deeply. Now exhale completely until it lasts. Stretch a little more. ___ inhale, and as you exhale, come up slowly. Good. Relaxing the breath, placing the palm ___ front of you. ___ movement the stretching. Inhaling up, exhale, forwarding down as far as you can. Inhaling up, exhale, forwarding down…

As far as the edge of the ___, we’re using the breath to have stretch.

Good. Inhale, up. Exhale. Relax the breath and ___ bringing the heat together the knees or out, holding on to the feet, ___ as far as they can go to the body. Now begin to just bouncing the knees up and down, stretching the spine as tall as you do it. Let the breath be natural.

While you’re inhaling deeply, pressing this down as far as you can.

If you liked this recording and would like to make a direct financial contribution to this teacher, please contact them here: http://www.tarabrach.com/donate.html

Material on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License

Become a Certified Mindfulness Teacher

About the author 

Sean Fargo is the Founder of Mindfulness Exercises, a former Buddhist monk of 2 years, a trainer for the mindfulness program born at Google, an Integral Coach from New Ventures West, and an international mindfulness teacher trainer. He can be reached at [email protected]

>