What is Mindful Movement?

You move your body in various ways thousands of times a day. But how often do you move mindfully? What is mindful movement? You may practice mindful movement without even realizing it if you perform martial arts, dance, or yoga. When you perform these exercises you may be fully aware of the way your body moves while you are training, but what if you were to apply that awareness to every day motions? The idea of bringing awareness to the way you move is mindful movement.

Mindful movement is simply the act of moving your body in a mindful way. When you move mindfully you notice how your body responds to each shifting position. You concentrate on your body's motion which helps you stay focused and in the present moment. You can bring mindfulness to any activity that you do, from washing the dishes, to brushing your teeth, to typing on the computer. The idea is to simply notice your body's movement and be aware of how you are moving.

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you're there? If you start practicing mindful movement this forgetfulness may lessen. Are you slouching at the computer? Did you stretch your leg too much? Are you fidgeting? You don't necessarily need to correct your movements… you just need to be aware of them. Moving mindfully helps you become more present and puts you in a mindful frame of mind. Research has shown that mindful movement can help increase focus, improve sleep quality, and it even helps improve coordination. Maybe by practicing mindful movement you won't stub your toe or bump into things so often! The more mindfulness you bring to your movements, the more awareness you can bring into your entire life.

- Michele Mundy

5 Summer Mindfulness Activities for Your Kids

We all know practicing mindfulness is good for us and our kids. Studies have shown that mindfulness can help children with concentration, stress reduction, and improved sleeping habits. Often the rush of summer activities make it hard to take time to slow down. Here are some quick, fun, and easy to implement activities that you can do with your kids to keep everyone in the family thinking mindfully!

1. Have a Breathing Buddy 

Give your child a stuffed animal or other small object. Have your child lay on the floor with a pillow under their head and place their stuffed animal on their belly. Have them breathe for one minute, noticing their breathing buddy as it moves up and down with their breath.

2. Scented Surprise 

Have your child sit down with their eyes closed and tell them to pay attention to what they smell. Pass a fragrant object, such as a sprig of rosemary, orange peel, or jasmine under your child's nose and instruct them to focus their complete attention on the scent. After focusing for thirty seconds or so, ask them if they can identify the object.

3. Spiderman Sense

Superheroes are huge in our house, so this activity is a big hit. Spiderman has heightened senses that help him focus on the world around him. Have your child pretend he is Spiderman and use his special spidey senses to really concentrate on the moment. What can he see, hear, touch, taste, and smell? Have him use all his energy focusing on his senses.

4. A Jar of Mindfulness 

This is a fantastic activity for spirited children whose emotions often overwhelm them. Grab a clear jar and fill it most of the way with water. Add a large spoonful of glitter glue or regular glue and glitter. Screw on the top of the jar and shake to swirl the glitter around the jar. Explain to your child this lesson about emotions: The glitter is like your feelings when you get upset. See how the glitter twirls around and makes it hard to see through the jar? When you set the jar down and keep it still, the glitter settles the water becomes clear. This is just like your feelings when you get angry or upset. Sometimes we need to calm down and sit still for a minute to see things clearly and make good choices.

5. Blowing Bubbles 

Everyone loves bubbles! Blowing bubbles is a fantastic way to get children to focus on their breath. Have your child inhale a big, deep breath. When they slowly exhale into the bubble wand, have them watch how the bubble grows. If they exhale too quickly the bubble will pop. See how big they can grow their bubbles. Watch the bubble as it floats away, where does it go, does it pop on the ground, whose bubble goes the farthest?

Even if you're not using Inner Explorer over the summer, there are plenty of ways to implement mindfulness at home. These activities can be a fun way to help you maintain a regular mindfulness practice in your home and make your kids look forward to enjoying a healthy, mindful lifestyle.

- Michele Mundy