Movement as Meditation

Using your Exercise Program to Find Inner Quiet

 

By Justin Casteel

 

               Movement can be as good for us psychologically and emotionally as it is for us physically.  Movement can, if practiced the right way, can be an exercise in mindfulness.  Have you heard about mindfulness?  No?  Well let’s look at it together, to see what it is and why it can be so good.

               So have you ever had those nights where you can’t sleep because your mind keeps running over and over problems, to-do lists, worries?  Well, a mindfulness practitioner would tell you that it’s because your mind is trapped in the future or the past, and not right here and now.  Think about it- having those sort of distractions is either fretting about something that happened, yesterday or 10 years ago, or worrying about what will happen tomorrow or sometime in the future.  It’s good to plan ahead, and it’s good to learn your lessons from mistakes, but I think you might agree that it’s not good to be trapped by them, or to let those thoughts run rampant and interrupt something as important as sleep.

               Now, I am not a therapist but I do believe in the power of mindfulness, of being able to recognize the results of that sort of stress and to have a toolkit to help mitigate its ill effects.  There is a direct physiological reaction to emotional states, and vice versa.  We feel and store stress physically as tension, stuck breathing, or clenched teeth.  If you clench your teeth, hold your breath and hold your fists tightly, chances are you won’t feel very good.  If, on the other hand, you pause and close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and consciously relax the muscles of your face, you will probably feel better almost immediately.  This is where movement and mindfulness meet.

               Mindfulness in this context means paying attention, without judgement, to what you are feeling.  Focus on the movements that you are doing and ask yourself: “does this feel right? What is my breath doing?  What movement am I going to do next?”  Even these simple questions, simply paying attention and observing what you feel and how it feels really brings you in to the present moment.  Movement has become meditation.  You are focused on here and now, not on what will happen tomorrow, not on what happened yesterday.  And that can feel pretty good.  Try it some time!  It’s very simple, but profound in its simplicity.

Meditations on Movement

Looking at Moving with New Eyes

 

By Justin Casteel

 

According to Dictionary.com, meditation is defined as “continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation”.  So, let us have a meditation now, an extended thought, a careful contemplation, on movement.  First of all, I’d like to ask: do you take movement for granted?  Movement is a miracle!  The process of life, from gestation to birth, is a process of growth.  In the embryo, cells are added, tissues divide, specialize, fold in on themselves, and re-arrange.  But there is movement there.  Testing its environment, the baby moves its arms and legs.  After birth, the process of exploration continues- eyes moving, discovering hands and feet, testing the senses and the powers of perception.  A lot of the learning in this early stage is through the kinesthetic sense- through movement!

Why do we stop appreciating the miracle of motion?  We all know we need exercise, sure, but doesn’t it feel good just to move around?  To go on a walk, long or short, not for “exercise” per say, but just to enjoy the outside and get fresh air.  Movement feels good.  Movement is the process of exploration, the process of change, the process of growth.  I believe the saying “If you rest, you rust.”  Change is the order of the world- the change of seasons, the changing of the tides, and the change within us.  The body naturally has a process whereby it wants to stay the same, homeostasis, so in order to change it needs to be challenged.

Sometimes what happens is we stop testing our boundaries or we forget that there are boundaries that we impose on our movements.  If, for instance, it becomes hard to lift an object overhead, we get a stool so we don’t have to stretch the arms so far.  The boundary becomes smaller.  The box we impose on ourselves gets smaller.  Testing our boundaries is good for us, though!  It’s really what exercise is, in a sense.  Cardio pushes us against the boundaries of our endurance, stretching pushes the boundaries of where we are inflexible, and resistance training pushes us against the boundaries of our strength.  But I feel this can be emotional, psychological, as well as physical!  Movement can bring confidence, resolve, determination, and poise.  If you’re not confident if your balance, say, it can lead to depression because you feel like you’re stuck at home.  But if, through movement you improve your balance, a sense of confidence and self-assurance is restored.

So get out there and enjoy movements!  Apart from technical descriptions or analysis, just breathe deep, move freely, and start to explore again.  Your body is a laboratory- it can teach you, and that itself is a miracle.  Don’t take it for granted.  Find the joy of movement again every day.

Breathing for Maximum Health

The Exercises

By Justin Casteel, ACTION-CPT, RYT-200

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Or the 3-D Breath

               Diaphragmatic breathing is the foundation of all breathing exercises.  This three-dimensional approach to breathing will help expand lung capacity, increase oxygen sensitivity, and help bring greater range of motion to the diaphragm (the main muscle that drives the breath).  Learning to use the belly, the ribs, and even the lower back to breathe can also help reduce the compensation of using the neck to breathe, helping to relieve stiff necks and backs.

HOW TO:  

·         The first stage is to learn to use the belly to breathe.  Sit with your back against a chair and feet flat on the floor.  Feel as if you’re using the feet to push your lower back into the chair.  Place one hand on your belly and the other on the sternum (center of your chest). 

·        Inhale so that the lower belly moves outward (without strain).  The upper hand should not move. 

·        As you exhale, the lower belly moves in towards the spine (pulls in slightly).

·        See if you can feel the rib cage participating in the breath against the back of the chair. 

Bruce Frantzis, Tai Chi Master and author, has 6 steps for this and calls it “Longevity Breathing.^tm” These 6 steps take a while to fully integrate, but they really illustrate the 3-Dimensional quality of breathing.  We are trying to bring movement to all parts of the trunk, equally and fully.⁴

1)      Move the belly forward (as above)

2)      Bring movement to all parts of your belly

a.      After you can move the belly forward, as above, see if you can expand laterally, too.

3)      Move the sides of the belly

a.      Let the rib cage expand as well as the belly.  Check for lateral expansion of the ribs as you inhale. (hands on the sides)

4)      Breathe into the lower back

a.      The lower ribs move, too!  Let’s see if we can get the lower back to participate.

5)      Move your belly and lower back simultaneously in all directions

a.      Combining steps 2, 3, and 4.

6)      Bring the breath into the upper back also

a.      Movement should continue up into the area of the shoulder blades.  Let’s see if we can get the shoulder blades to expand as we inhale.

Play with the breath and enjoy the journey!  Remember: this should be easy.  No strain, no force.

 

The Elastic Breath

Using the Whole Core

             

¹

               This is a fun exercise!  It might be a little challenging at first, but with a little practice, it is very easy and feels really good!  This exercise is designed to really engage all of the muscles that support and stabilize the spine, including the diaphragm, the muscles of the rib cage (intercostal muscles), and the pelvic floor.  So this exercise can promote stability, core strength, and the health of your pelvic floor, which can have positive effects from improved urinary tract health to improved digestion.

·        Breathe through the nose, inhale and feel the expansion of the torso.  Follow it to a comfortable stretch.

·        Let the exhale go (like a sigh) and rest at the end of the exhale.

·        Then explore the “extra exhale”, squeezing the whole torso

·        Let go of the squeeze and feel the rush of breath back into the lungs

·        Continue to explore the “extra inhale” to a point of comfortable fullness

·        Repeat several times, exploring the elastic breath.  Note the “stretch” and the “squeeze”¹

You might not notice it at first, but the “squeeze” at the end of the exhale causes the pelvic floor to contract.  This will help strengthen (or increase tone) in those muscles.  If you think about the trunk like a house, you want all four walls strong, a strong roof (diaphragm), but you also need a solid foundation!  Your foundation is your pelvic floor, and keeping it strong will make a difference as you go through life.

 

4-7-8 Breath
Nervous System Tranquilizer

               “This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass.”² ~Dr. Andrew Weil

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

·        Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

·        Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

·        Hold your breath for a count of seven.

·        Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

·        This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

The precise count is not as important as the ratio.  Just keep it up, and see if you can feel the results yourself!  Before you practice, notice how you feel.  When you are done, take a few moments to see if you notice any difference.  Breathing exercises take time, but when properly utilized, the results can be impressive!

 

Watching the Breath

Silent, Alert Observation

 

               According to Jonn Leiff, M.D., curator of the website “Searching for the Mind”, Mindfulness Meditation was shown to increase the ability to multitask, improve focus for longer periods of time, increase concentration, decrease stress, increase memory faculties, and improve productivity.³  Essentially, mental clarity and focus with greater levels of energy!  Mindfulness meditation is a deceptively simple technique, relying on observation rather than participation.  This breathing exercise is in “watching” or “feeling” the breath rather than controlling or modifying the breath.  Set a timer for 5 minutes and give this technique a try.

·        Sit in a comfortable, upright position with the feet flat on the floor and hands, palm up, resting on the thighs for support.  Totally relaxed, but not slumped, is helpful.

·        Take a few deep breaths to fully experience the feel of the breath and how the body moves and settles as you breathe. Allow yourself to let go as you exhale.

·        Stop controlling the breath and begin to just watch the movement of air in and out of the body.  See if you can watch carefully and find the point where the inhale “turns around” and becomes the exhale.  Notice, too, for the place where the exhale comes to a brief pause and flows back into the inhale.

·        At the halfway point during an inhale, mentally say to yourself “one”

·        At the halfway point of your exhale, mentally say to yourself “two”

·        Continue until you reach “ten”

·        Start over again at “one”

This technique seems very simple, but it requires you to be very honest about a few things.  Make sure you do not start breathing to the rhythm of your counting!  This is about focusing on the breath as completely as possible.  You will know your attention has wandered if you find yourself at “twelve” or if you can’t make it to “ten” without getting distracted.  At first this might be frustrating, but just start over at “one” and begin again.  The point is to cultivate the mindfulness, or awareness, of when you get distracted.  Over time you will develop the ability to concentrate and relax at will.  It seems very simple, but stick with it and you will notice results!  According to the article by Dr. Leiff, Navy SEALs showed better muscular and neurological reactions to stress after 10 days, and after 8 weeks, the results were improved.³

References:

APA formatting

1)         Aivson, J.S. (2015). Yoga: Fascia Anatomy and Movement. Edinburgh: Handspring Publishing

2)       http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00521/three-breathing-exercises.html (2015). Retrieved 2015.

3)       Http://jonlieffmd.com/blog/meditation-and-the-brain-2013. (2013). Retrieved 2015.

4)       Frantzis. B. (2006) Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books

 COPYRIGHT NOTE:  I do not own any of these images.  Credit to the Elastic Breath Cycle belongs to The Art of Contemporary Yoga and is reproduced without permission.