Mindful Movement as Cross-Training for Your Awareness

In this episode of the podcast, we’re exploring the idea of Mindful Movement as a form of “cross-training” for your awareness. It’s a fun metaphor for how Mindful Movement and meditation can fit together and enhance each other, and it might just inspire you to try something new!

In fitness, cross-training is the idea that it's healthy to round out your routine with different forms of exercise like cardio, strength, endurance, mobility and flexibility so you get maximum physical benefits.

So, what if we apply this idea to Mindfulness? Just like there are different aspects of physical fitness, there also are (many) different aspects of Mindfulness. For starters, the full spectrum of Mindfulness practices would include: connection to the body, balancing our emotions, steadying our focus, observing our thought patterns, and cultivating positive qualities like compassion and equanimity.

Traditional meditation certainly develops all of those Mindfulness muscles, but we can also "exercise" them through Mindful Movement! And I would suggest that cross training with both movement and stillness practices gives us a wider palette to explore all of the ways we can be present with our moment-to-moment experience.

I’ll speak specifically about Yin Yoga, Somatics, and Qigong, sharing what each of these movement styles has brought to my own deepening and expanding of awareness over time.

I’ve often talked about Mindful Movement as a great alternative practice for those who struggle with the stillness and silence of meditation. But in this episode, I’m also highlighting how Mindful Movement can really benefit people who DO enjoy traditional sitting meditation.

Movement practices can challenge you to apply your meditative skills in action and to be aware amidst more stimulation and complexity. Think of it as a way of cross-training your mindfulness skills in preparation for the distractions and complications of daily life!

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

And, to try “cross-training” your awareness with some Mindful Movement practices, check out the Moved To Meditate Class Library! There are full memberships, and there is a FREE tier where you can sample a new selection of classes each month. Details at movedtomeditate.yoga/classlibrary

This year’s Mindful Movement Teacher Training is starting in October! Learn more and apply now at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).