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While stumbling around on Reddit recently, I landed on a post titled, “I still don't enjoy the present after a year of meditating daily,” posted by Burrman_Mol420. It was a reach-out to the meditation community from someone struggling with the process. The line that caught my attention in the post was,
“After a year I still find it hard to not wander in thoughts while meditating….”
This comment reminded me of some students I worked with a while back. They were teens who were under intense pressure to excel academically and socially. I was supposed to teach them wellness strategies because their anxiety levels were starting to worry the adults in the building. I designed a survey course that included a variety of meditation techniques, wellness tips, and mind-body work.
Weirdly, the meditation sessions seemed to stress these students out. They would get fidgety. Many of them never really settled into the process comfortably. While they seemed a bit calmer after the session, I knew they didn’t enjoy the experience as I had hoped they would. I was concerned. I hoped that each of them would find at least one method to rely on when they felt the pressures of life bearing down on them.
Without question, the most successful segment of the course was a mind-body method called Awareness Through Movement®. This gentle process uses guided movement and observation of how movement resonates throughout the body. It is a deeply relaxing process and brings about greater ease in body and mind.
During one of our class check-ins, I asked the students why they found meditation difficult but Awareness Through Movement enjoyable. One girl said:
When we meditate, I can feel all these thoughts racing around in my mind, like they are on a track, and they keep going by over and over, reminding me of all the things I am supposed to get done. It totally stresses me out. But when we do Awareness Through Movement, and I’m just thinking about what I’m sensing in my body, all those thoughts just stop.
She got me thinking about the differences between Awareness Through Movement and Meditation because they are different processes. I wondered if there might be a way to use aspects of Awareness Through Movement to help those who struggle with meditation. I did some research and eventually came up with a process of using short movement sequences as a moving mantra. I recorded some of these lessons, which I call Awake Naps, and created an ebook to use as a guide.
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How It Works
The idea is to begin your meditation practice with a short 3 to 5-minute movement mantra. Then you come to stillness. You remain sitting quietly until you notice your thoughts intruding, and then you repeat the movement. And the cycle continues.
One of the things I learned in my research on meditation practice is how important it is to find a method you are comfortable with. I’m happy to report, that since I designed these lessons, I have seen students of all ages, from middle school to senior citizens, use and enjoy them.
Conclusion
Awake Naps lessons are not meant to replace more traditional forms of meditation. But for those who struggle, they may offer a way in. By taking just a few moments at the beginning of your daily meditation session to shift your thoughts away from what’s going on in your head to what’s going on in your body, you may find that the stream of thoughts in your mind has shifted from roaring rapids to a bubbling brook.
How about you?
If you made it this far, something must be resonating with you. Is there anything you'd like me to ponder and write about in a future post, related to how Awareness Through Movement can improve your life? Subscribers, reply to this email to let me know.
Best,
Andrea
