Mindful Movements – Mindful Living

Who would have guessed that my latest great book would have been a gift from my 93 year-old father. I begin every morning by warming up my body to the Stretching DVD by Bob Anderson. It is a great way for a sensitive and intense person to prepare her body for the day ahead. I have been quite interested in the power of breathing for maintaining a healthy body and had listened to tapes by Andrew Weil and Deepak Chopra, but I had never found a routine that became a part of my daily practice….that is until this week.

My father brought me a very sweet little book called Mindful Movements: Ten Exercises for Well-Being written by Thich Nhat Hanh and illustrated by Wietske Vriezen. The ten exercises aimed at connecting movement to breathing are clearly described and creatively illustrated. Included with this 59 page book is a DVD that leads you through each movement (all this for only $14.95). The beauty of these movements is that you become quite mindful of breathing in and out as you make each movement. In just three days, I realize that I am becoming more aware of my breathing throughout the day.

Have you ever heard someone suggest that you “just take a breath” in order to calm yourself down. Wouldn’t it be great if a regular part of our education would be to teach us to harness our breath as a way to maximize our potential? There are many sites on the internet speaking to the use of breathing to prevent and/or abort panic attacks. Teaching sensitive and intense children that breathing, rather than holding their breath, is a technique that is always available to them to help them calm down their nervous systems.

I am often asked about children who suck their thumbs, need their special blankets, or exhibit some other self-soothing behaviors. I was one of those kids who was still sucking her thumb at the age of ten, so I know the feeling of being a sensitive kid who tried to find a safe way to release my own internal tension. While I was embarrassed by the behavior and the resulting bump on my thumb, it was a sure-fire way to calm my nervous system. It is only recently that I have realized the power of mindful breathing and the ability to bring calm to my life. The beauty of mindful breathing is that it can be used when you are in line at the grocery store or when you are at a stoplight or a traffic jam. You can reframe these previously thought of inconveniences as an opportunity to practice mindful breathing.

My husband and I started this morning with the Mindful Movements DVD, and then we took our car for an oil change. We walked along the ponds being reclaimed as a natural habitat for wildlife, and were rewarded with being able to watch two beautiful grey heron in one of the ponds. There we were with another opportunity to experience mindful living. The author of Mindful Movements tells us of the seven miracles of mindfulness, and the first one “is to be present and able to touch deeply the miracles of life, like the blue sky, a flower, the smile of a child.” I will continue to nourish my sensitive and intense way of being by practicing mindful breathing and mindful living as my daily journey rather than as a mere detour.

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