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Meditation and Mindfulness: Movement and Stillness
Being in the Body
Breath by Breath
Emotional positive: kindness.
Introduction
“The Tao that can be talked about is not the real Tao.”
Lao Tse (opening sentence of the Tao Te Ching)
Definition
Being in the present moment
Show video: Mindfulness of body and breath
Mindfulness is something that can (and should) be practiced throughout the day, not only, for example in ‘formal’ practice, e.g. sitting meditation. Mindfulness can be practiced in walking, working, talking, driving, washing, cooking, listening — and so on.
Show video: Mindfulness with arm sliding and arm circle
I always think this is best exemplified in the beauty of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, or the total concentration of drawing the bow in Japanese Archery. The unity of meditation (i.e. mindfulness) and action. The inner and outer space. The outer, the result (e.g. hitting the ‘outer’ target in archery) is less significant than the perfection of the from and calm total silent concentration upon the action. How different from our performance driven, demanding and stressful Western culture!
Show video: Mindfulness and single knee hug and leg raise
For those living in Christchurch and interested in ‘Mindfuless for Health’, I run a 4 week course which aims to give practice for body awareness and the capacity to come home to our present experience more fully, and be more mindful of each present moment. This has tremendous benefit for reducing stress and developing positive emotion. Mindfulness can be used for pain-management, and also stress reduction. More information can be found at: www.risingholme.org.nz/courses/
You may also wish to read our page on Pain Management Courses
“It is not the Mountain we conquer – but ourselves.”
Sir Edmund Hillary
Meditation - ‘It’s not what you think’
For more on this, you might want to look at this video:
Show video: What Meditation Isn’t
“Be awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, lest coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping.”
Gospel of Mark - XIII, 35
Suggested reading:
- Living Well with Pain and Illness — Vidyamala Burch, ISBN: 1591797470
- Life with full attention — Maitreyabandhu, ISBN: 1899579982
Suggested resources:
- On-line mindfulness course (Breathworks)
- CALM (Computer Assisted Learning for the Mind), University of Auckland
christchurch osteopathy acupuncture
massage
mike inman osteopathy
karen sarabia massage
