Movement—focus your body for grounding and flow

Introduced

• Breath meditation • Earthstar meditation • Heartfelt meditation • Mindful meditation • Bodyscan meditation • Elements meditation • Unity meditation • Child’s meditation • Soulstar meditation • Compass meditation

In meditation I found I could step back from my confusion and pay attention to the present moment. Even as I was sad about the past and anxious about the future, I discovered that the more I could focus on the present, the more that expanded as a calm space, opening time up for me one moment at a time.

Movement—focus your body for grounding and flow Our bodies are amazing! They come in all shapes and sizes and allow us to move, experience, sense, reach, and be intimate with one another. In the past, much of the Western approach to the body has been to separate it from the rest of our being—our minds, our emotions, our

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Introduced

spirits. In trying to understand the body, scientists have segmented their thinking into little parts and indeed if you look at how the medical world organizes itself there are doctors and nurses, wards, and even hospitals for hearts, eyes, brains, bones, etc. This contrasts with other approaches which are interested in how life is experienced and expressed in the whole being.

As we experience our embodied lives, we may be tempted to see each part of us in isolation, perhaps even ignoring some aspects like the emotional or spiritual self. There are other moments in our lives when marginalizing parts of ourselves no longer works. Many of us experience a major health event, a crisis at work, or a relationship breakdown that forces us to look at our whole lives. We make changes to support our recovery, developing greater self-awareness and more balanced lives.

Grief does not live in one part of us; it affects every aspect of our existence. So too, healing from grief also involves every aspect of our being and our lives.

Movement is a fundamental way to integrate all parts of ourselves. When we walk or swim or dance or stretch, we know it’s not just a physical experience because it affects our mood, our energy, and our thoughts. Further to that, when we move with intention it can have a profound effect on our well-being and recovery.

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