Something I mention a lot when I’m coaching a private or group training session is to be “mindful of your movements” or “move with intention” or “make this session your meditation”. What I mean by this is to really be in the present moment while you’re moving; move more slowly, be aware of your breathing pattern, feel where and how weight is distributed on your feet and or hands when you’re still vs when you’re moving, do you feel tightness or pain anywhere? And make adjustments as needed based on the feedback of your introspection. Likewise, when you’re doing strength training, intentionally think about the activation of the muscles you’re using in both the concentric and eccentric part of the exercise.
The reason I put such an emphasis on mindfulness while moving and exercising, is because being mindful of your movement improves the mind body connection. Which brings a depth and quality to your training session that just won’t happen if you’re too busy thinking about how tired you are, or what rep you’re on, or that you just can’t wait for the workout to be over. That mindfulness while moving or exercising can also help you get into a ‘flow’ state which is defined by Wikipedia as: “…the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity” also known as being “in the zone”. You get your best work done with faster progress while working in a flow state. You can train yourself to enter flow states by getting good at being mindful of what you’re doing, as well as using breathing exercise which becomes easier with practice. For most people getting into a flow state happens easiest when doing something theylove and genuinely want to get better at.
Mindful movement doesn’t only have to take place when you’re training though. You can ultimately turn any activity into a meditation by being aware of what you’re doing in the present moment. When I walk to the park I’ll sometimes turn the walk into a meditation by simply bringing mindfulness to the experience. I think about how the ground feels under my feet, what part of my foot touches the ground first with each step, how my weight is shifted with each step, how my posture is and if can I can make it better, what my breathing pattern is like and if I can make it deeper and more rhythmic. What the air feels like inside my nostrils with each breath, what smells are in the air. How the wind feels on my skin, what I see on my walk.
I spend as long as I want on any aspect of the walk, seeing if I can find new details in what I’m experiencing. Or trying to keep my focus laser sharp on details that are not new, because it’s when an experience becomes familiar and we’re able to do it on autopilot that our minds lose focus and start to wander. And when your mind does start to wander, gently (without judgement) pull your focus back to something related to your walk (or whatever the activity your doing is). And voila you have a movement meditation.
Mindful movement literally changes your brain by decreasing the grey matter in your amygdala; a region of your brain that plays a role in stress, and increasing the grey matter in the prefrontal cortex; a region of the brain responsible for problem solving, creativity and memory. So no need to sit down for an hour a day to get the benefits of meditation because now any activity you do can become your meditation.
