What is Mindful Movement?
Mindful movement encompasses a range of activities, including yoga, Qigong, slow movement training, etc. I see it as any movement activity where you slow down and focus, with awareness on your body, mind and breath.
Why is Mindful Movement an Everyday Skill?
We’re probably all too aware how our sedentary lifestyles harm our bodies and cause us aches, pain and stiffen us up over time. I bet we’ve all vowed too, to “do more exercise” and “move my body more”. I’m starting with the assumption that you’ve got good aspirations, so what I want to look at is what gets in our way, and how we can move our bodies in a way that benefits us the most.
We can “do more exercise” but have you ever done that and caused yourself an injury? I think the key skill we need to bring to our movement is awareness. That’s why I’ve called this section mindful movement. It’s moving in a way that honours where our body is at on this day, and to listen carefully and respond appropriately.
We’re all unique and it’s up to us to figure out how to bring more movement to our days. Whether it’s through a regular committed practice, or just bringing mindfulness to our current movements, like making dinner, or putting out the bins.
How does it contribute to Self-Connection?
By having a time to practice mindful movement, it allows us to shine the spotlight of our awareness on our unconscious mind-body patterns. As Adriene from Yoga with Adriene always says, what you do on the mat is probably what you do off the mat. By carving out time for your own regular mindful movement practice, you start to become literate in your own body - what it's quirks are, what subtle signal it gives you when it's time to ease off, etc.
I personally do yoga, and through that practice I have learnt to focus on the sensation and not what it looks like. By being present to how you are today and responding to that, I find there's a much greater acceptance and enjoyment of the practice than when I have expectations of what I "should" be able to do. Even if I did something yesterday, or I can do it on my right side; this day, or this side might be different. In developing this open-minded curiosity, I have found the practice much more enjoyable and enriching, which is what has allowed me to make it a regular part of my life.
I also know from my herbal studies that despite movement being really good for you, you need to align it with your current health and energy levels. In some stages of life or health, high intensity (or even moderate intensity) may be too much for you and make it worse. This isn’t to say that just because you don’t “feel” like it, or it’s a bit uncomfortable that you shouldn’t do it. But it’s an encouragement to make listening to your body while you move, as important as the movement itself.
How does it help with Health Sovereignty?
Health Sovereignty is taking a proactive, empowered approach to your health. By giving you the tools to be present with your body, a mindful movement practice enables you to become more body literate. When you can understand and make time regularly to tune in to your body, you have a much greater chance of catching its subtle whispers and warnings about unhealthy behaviours and habits. Hopefully this will enable you to course correct before things get to a crisis point.
Events
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Books
Mindful movement encompasses a range of activities, including yoga, Qigong, slow movement training, etc. I see it as any movement activity where you slow down and focus, with awareness on your body, mind and breath.
Why is Mindful Movement an Everyday Skill?
We’re probably all too aware how our sedentary lifestyles harm our bodies and cause us aches, pain and stiffen us up over time. I bet we’ve all vowed too, to “do more exercise” and “move my body more”. I’m starting with the assumption that you’ve got good aspirations, so what I want to look at is what gets in our way, and how we can move our bodies in a way that benefits us the most.
We can “do more exercise” but have you ever done that and caused yourself an injury? I think the key skill we need to bring to our movement is awareness. That’s why I’ve called this section mindful movement. It’s moving in a way that honours where our body is at on this day, and to listen carefully and respond appropriately.
We’re all unique and it’s up to us to figure out how to bring more movement to our days. Whether it’s through a regular committed practice, or just bringing mindfulness to our current movements, like making dinner, or putting out the bins.
How does it contribute to Self-Connection?
By having a time to practice mindful movement, it allows us to shine the spotlight of our awareness on our unconscious mind-body patterns. As Adriene from Yoga with Adriene always says, what you do on the mat is probably what you do off the mat. By carving out time for your own regular mindful movement practice, you start to become literate in your own body - what it's quirks are, what subtle signal it gives you when it's time to ease off, etc.
I personally do yoga, and through that practice I have learnt to focus on the sensation and not what it looks like. By being present to how you are today and responding to that, I find there's a much greater acceptance and enjoyment of the practice than when I have expectations of what I "should" be able to do. Even if I did something yesterday, or I can do it on my right side; this day, or this side might be different. In developing this open-minded curiosity, I have found the practice much more enjoyable and enriching, which is what has allowed me to make it a regular part of my life.
I also know from my herbal studies that despite movement being really good for you, you need to align it with your current health and energy levels. In some stages of life or health, high intensity (or even moderate intensity) may be too much for you and make it worse. This isn’t to say that just because you don’t “feel” like it, or it’s a bit uncomfortable that you shouldn’t do it. But it’s an encouragement to make listening to your body while you move, as important as the movement itself.
How does it help with Health Sovereignty?
Health Sovereignty is taking a proactive, empowered approach to your health. By giving you the tools to be present with your body, a mindful movement practice enables you to become more body literate. When you can understand and make time regularly to tune in to your body, you have a much greater chance of catching its subtle whispers and warnings about unhealthy behaviours and habits. Hopefully this will enable you to course correct before things get to a crisis point.
Events
Join our newsletter (sign up below) to find out about upcoming events related to Mindful Movement.
Books
Yoga for Everyone
A$39.99
You can do yoga—no matter who you are.
For years, yoga books have asked readers to bend over backward (literally!) to conform to their physical demands. It’s time for the opposite—for readers to demand that yoga conforms to their individual needs. It’s time for a yoga book to reflect the broader population who would benefit from a yoga practice geared toward them.
This book offers yoga for everyone: big, small, elderly, pregnant, disabled—everyone. It’s why that word is in the title. No matter who you are, you can do all 50 poses in this book. And then you can perform all 16 sequences, which combine different poses into one singular experience that focus on specific physical and mental issues. No matter who you are or what you look or feel like, yes, you can keep doing yoga—and Yoga for Everyone will show you how!
Yoga for Better Sleep
A$32.99
Learn simple yoga techniques--poses, meditations, and breathwork--to sleep better and longer, from master yoga teacher trainer and author, Mark Stephens.
As modern science unravels some of the mysteries of our sleeping, dreaming, and waking states, age-old yoga practices are helping us to enjoy better sleep, clearer minds, and healthier bodies. Over 65 percent of U.S. adults are sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation causes and worsens many ailments, including stress, heart conditions, high blood pressure, obesity, and depression. This book provides easy-to-do and effective yoga activities--including postural sequences, breathing exercises, and meditation tools--for better quality and quantity sleep across the life cycle from childhood to older age. Long-time yoga instructor, teacher trainer, and best-selling author Mark Stephens integrates the ancient wisdom of yoga with the practical insights, age- and condition-specific sequences, and discussions of neuroscience and psychology to offer practical tools for improving sleep--naturally and drug-free.
Light on Yoga
A$27.99
B.K.S. Iyengar has devoted his life to the practice and study of yoga. It was B.K.S. Iyengar’s unique teaching style, bringing precision and clarity to the practice, as well as a mindset of ‘yoga for all’, which has made it into the worldwide phenomenon it is today.
‘Light on Yoga’ is widely called ‘the bible of yoga’ and has served as the source book for generations of yoga students around the world. It is the classic text for all serious students of yoga.
- B.K.S. Iyengar’s own photo-illustrated, step-by-step guides to every yoga routine.
- Week-by-week development plan – with a total of 300 weeks to allow gradual progression from novice to advanced technique.
- B.K.S. Iyengar’s unique and inspired guide to Pranayama – yoga breathing techniques.
- B.K.S. Iyengar’s yoga philosophy for life and an introduction to the spiritual aspects of yoga.
- Yoga sequences and asanas to help heal a range of specific illnesses and conditions.
The Tree of Yoga
A$19.99
The definitive guide to yoga in everyday life from B.K.S. Iyengar, the world’s most respected yoga teacher. B.K.S. Iyengar has devoted his life to the practice and study of yoga. It was B.K.S. Iyengar’s unique teaching style, bringing precision and clarity to the practice, as well as a mindset of ‘yoga for all’, which has made it into a worldwide phenomenon.
His seminal book, ‘Light on Yoga’, is widely called ‘the bible of yoga’ and has served as the source book for generations of yoga students around they world. In ‘Tree of Yoga’, the collected wisdom of his many years of practical practice and its application in real life are brought into a single-volume work.
A collected philosophy for life researched through decades of practice by B.K.S. Iyengar, the world’s most respected yoga teacher. These are his core teachings and advice for living a long, healthy, happy life.
Using the tree as a structural metaphor for both life and yoga practice, the essays cover many aspects of life and practice which are vital to health and happiness and in need of care. This includes:
• Yoga and health
• Yoga as part of daily life
• Childhood and parenthood
• Love
• Death
• Faith – hope and spirituality
• Teachers and teaching
Yoga Where You Are
A$40.00
Find freedom in your yoga practice with this empowering guide from beloved yoga teacher and social justice activist Dianne Bondy and Yoga International editor-in-chief Kat Heagberg.
Yoga Where You Are welcomes readers of all backgrounds, body sizes, and abilities into the practice of yoga. Dianne Bondy and Kat Heagberg offer everything you need to know to build a custom yoga practice that supports you exactly where you are--now and at every stage of your life's journey.
Yoga Where You Are discusses how yoga intersects with body image, introduces essential information on elements like breathwork and meditation, and celebrates yoga's diverse roots through an introductory chapter on its origins and history. Whether you're a beginner, a seasoned practitioner, or a yoga teacher, the step-by-step instructions for hundreds of customizable pose variations provide an essential resource you can turn to as your practice evolves. Bondy and Heagberg also present tips to find inspiration and creativity on the mat.
With truly inclusive language, alignment options for real bodies, and photos of a range of practitioners, the book provides you with everything you need to customize and deepen your practice with clarity and confidence.