The Meditation of Movement

by Kristen Lavigne

My morning started out like any other ordinary morning.  My kids had their breakfast, and I was on my yoga mat doing my morning practice.  Gentle music played in the background, the kids were happy and quiet, and one would think I would be in a state of utter bliss.

One look at my face and you would know that it was the complete opposite.  My face was tense as I struggled in Trikonasana (also known as Triangle posture).  I looked up at my hand, grimacing as I tried to hold the posture.  My breath was forced, but I was determined to hold this posture in its full expression.  As I struggled, it dawned on me: why am I doing yoga?  Struggling in a posture is not terribly meditative.  So I stood up, aligned myself properly to go into the posture, and stretched my arms out only as far as they would comfortably go while feeling the stretch of the posture.  I smiled slightly and held the posture.  I felt my body release the tension it was holding onto and in that moment I realized that for me, this was the full expression of this posture.  I felt the strength of my body in the posture with gratitude as I became the posture instead of forcing the posture.  In that moment my practice became my meditation.

This experience made me think about movement.  Why do we move?  How does movement become our meditation?  Osho stated that Meditation is the absence of effort.  In Meditation we let go of our thoughts and we just allow the experience.  That seems so contradictory to movement, which is all about the effort: putting forth something for a result – at least, this is what I have always believed.  Making my movement my meditation made me rethink my old thoughts on movement.   I realized that the whole point of movement should not be about the end result.  Movement should just be about movement, plain and simple.  We should move to experience our physical bodies.  To experience all that they are capable of doing.  We should be rejoicing in the ability to be able to move.  Isn’t that the reason we are here on this planet anyway? To have an experience?

I started to incorporate this thought process in my everyday movements – on my walks outside, in my yoga practice, and in my everyday household chores.  When I walked I walked.  It was not about the end destination, it was about the journey I was taking in every step.  I observed my body and my surroundings, and I breathed in the fresh Mountain air filling my lungs until they were content.  When I did yoga I flowed with my body.  I had no plan on what postures I would be doing.  Instead I just listened to my body and followed suit.  My body told me where it needed to be opened and what needed to be released.  When I did my household chores I did not think about the amount of work I needed to get done.  I just did my chore, staying present in the moment and enjoying my work.  When I was tired I rested.  I allowed my body the time it needed to restore itself, and what I finished in the day was perfect for that day.

In doing this practice I began to notice some things.  I moved so much more during the day.  By not forcing and just enjoying my everyday movements I flowed through my day with perfect ease.  At night I felt the reward of rest.  I went to bed with no regrets about what I did not accomplish because when you surrender to the flow of the Universe you accomplish just what you are suppose to.   With every gesture and every step I am present in that movement.  I let go of the effort of the movement and made movement my meditation.