A 12 Minute Meditation to Make Movement Mindful with Cara Bradley

Our bodies come in all varieties, and we all have different interests, skill, and abilities. But as today’s teacher Cara Bradley observes, movement of any kind—from the slightest glance to the most intense exercise—can be mindful.

This simple meditation helps you celebrate your physicality with practices to connect with your breath and your body, expand your awareness, and appreciate the gift of being alive.

A Meditation to Make Movement Mindful

Read and practice the guided meditation script below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to the audio practice.

1. The intention behind this practice today is to stabilize our bodies and minds, to synchronize our breath and movement, and to energize all over physical, emotional, and mental well-being. What’s important to remember from this all is that when our bodies are calm, our minds get calm. And when our bodies feel stable and steady, our minds feel stable and steady. What’s happening physically also reflects mentally. In fact, in many ways, our nervous system is a reflection of what’s happened in our mind. So if you’re feeling really crazy-busy, I’m going to encourage you to look at your nervous system first with some of the tools that I’m going to teach you here in this meditation. 
2. We are going to be moving and breathing in rhythm. This helps us to facilitate what’s called coherence. Coherence is a way of harmonizing our nervous system, our heart rate, our brain waves. Research shows that when we’re in coherence or in a coherent state, we feel better. We feel calmer, more clear. We feel more energized. And our minds are more quiet. The best way to find coherence is by finding your breath and breathing in rhythm. 
3. Don’t worry about perfect, it doesn’t exist. Don’t worry about big or small or advanced or beginner, it’s not about that at all. This is a mindful movement practice, so this is your practice to cultivate awareness of both mind and body. We’ll be moving for maybe six to seven minutes, real simple movements that everybody can do, and then we’ll be taking rest. Now I encourage you to give yourself the time to take a minute or two rest. It’s when we start to integrate. It’s where we integrate and really allow ourselves the opportunity to experience ourselves in that coherence. In a more settled and stable state of being. You’re worth it and your life is worth it. 
4. Place your feet hip-width distance, get a comfortable stance, and here we go. Let’s just find that rhythm. Inhale, reach your arms forward and up. Spin your palms open, exhale arms out and down. Inhale, reach forward and up. Spin palms open, exhale out and down. One more time. Inhale, reach forward and up. Spin palms, exhale out and down. 
5. Next is what I call Sinking Body and Mind. Exhale, reach over to your left. Inhale, rise back up to center. Exhale, sway to your right. Inhale, reach up. So we’re moving slowly on purpose, everyone. Exhale, reach left. Inhale, reach up. Exhale, reach to the right. One more time, inhale up. Exhale, laugh. Inhale up. Exhale right. Inhale, reach back up. Exhale to your left, we’re going to hold, bring your hand to your hip. Breathe in, reach, exhale. So just following breath, inhale nice and deep. Reach, exhale, press your hips to the right, breathe in. Breathe out. Just one more, inhale. 
6. If you can, reach a little further. Inhale, reach both arms up. Exhale, sway to your right. Inhale. Exhale, reach. Just stay on breath. Inhale. Exhale, reach. Great side stretch here, inhale. Exhale, last one, inhale, exhale, reach, hold, inhale, reach both arms up. 
7. Now, place your hands on your knees like you’re a baseball player. With straight arms, pull your bum back, now reach your arms back. On your inhale, reach arms forward, up, look up, exhale arms back and down, inhale reach up, give them a swing, exhale back. Inhale, reach up, exhale back. One more time. Inhale, reached up. Exhale back. Reach your arms all the way up, this time interlock your fingers behind your head. Send your hips forward and just lay your head back for a moment here. 
8. Now, root through your feet and send your hips forward. Can you really let your head go on your hands? What does that feel like? Open your elbows up just a little wider, one more breath, inhale, big stretch your lungs. Exhale, reach both arms up overhead. One more time, hands to your knees like a baseball player. This time drop your elbows to your knees if you can. If you have some low back stuff, stay right here. Otherwise you can drop elbows right here and look down, nice forward flexion. 
9. Let’s take three breaths here. Inhale, pull your hips back, exhale. Again, finding breath. Inhale, hips back. Exhale. One more time, breathe in, sink your hips a little lower. Little dynamic movement, inhale, straighten legs. Exhale, bend your knees. So they don’t have to straighten completely. Inhale, straighten, matching movement and breath. Exhale, bent. Three more, inhale. Go find that breath, that’s the coherent breath. Exhale, nice and deep and rhythmic. Inhale. Exhale. This is it. Last one. Inhale. Exhale, bend deep and hold. 
10. While we’re here, let’s take it to the floor. Come all the way down onto your belly. Dynamic backbend, so reach your arms out to the side legs together. On your inhale, lift up. Exhale, lower halfway. Inhale, lift, up. Exhale, low. So this is so healthy for our spines, everyone. Inhale, and lift up, Exhale, lower. Last one. Inhale, lift up, hold. Hold, reach. Reach through your fingers. Lift your chest, lift your legs, and release down. 
11. We’ll take it onto our backs to finish up. So roll onto your back, straighten both legs out, and again, working dynamically. Pull your right knee in, give yourself a good hug here, good squeeze. Really helpful for your hips. Now breathe in, breathe out, switch your legs, left knee in, inhale. Exhale, switch your legs, inhale. Exhale. One more time, switch, inhale, squeeze, exhale. Bring both knees in, just give yourself a squeeze, and I’ll bring your knees to 90 degrees. Take your arms out to the side. 
12. Take our final spinal twist here, our final movement. On your inhale, lower knees to your right. Look to your left. Exhale, lift to center. So they don’t need to touch. Inhale to your lift, good twist for your spine. Exhale, center. Following breath and movement, inhale, right. Exhale, center, inhale, left. Exhale, center. One more time. Inhale, right. Exhale center, inhale left. Exhale center. Now place your feet to the floor, straighten your legs, separate your feet everybody, spin your palms up so you’re like a snow angel, big and wide, and just close your eyes here and allow yourself these next few minutes to really connect into your body. 
13. As you lay here in stillness, notice any sensations, any sense of coolness or heat. Maybe something’s tingling. Our body speaks to us through the language of sensation. And by connecting body and mind through breath and movement, our awareness is heightened. 
14. We start to become more fluent in that language of sensations. So what are you feeling in your body? And finally, notice your breath. Just notice how your body is breathing, what it feels like to be inhaling, what changes in your ribs, around your back, and what happens when you exhale. Just noting, using your body, your breath, your pulsing, your sensations as anchors for your awareness in this mindfulness practice. 
15. Now just open your eyes and notice what it feels like to be you right now in this moment. Do you feel more clear and calm? Or stable, or at ease. Maybe you feel more energized and ready for your day. Pull your knees to your chest and just roll over to one side. And roll on up, have a seat for one more moment. With your chin up and your gaze up. Thank yourself for making it through this practice. Thank yourself for giving yourself this gift of movement, of deep, coherent breathing, and of some stillness and silence.