A Moving Meditation To Get Unstuck

We’ve all been there: stuck at the computer, staring at a screen, focused on getting the job done. Then comes the time when your thoughts feel muddied and cloudy and you feel stuck, maybe even drained! What do you do in that moment? Do you look up, sigh, then put your head right back down and get back to it? If that sounds like you, ask yourself this: what if you were to take a movement break?  

There are moments in my day when I suddenly notice that I am really stuck. Some days it shows up in my neck first, sometimes in my hips and sometimes just fogginess of my mind. Just in case I’m not alone and you have also observed this stuck moment, here are some things you can try:  

• Be present to what you feel and where the feeling is located. Our bodies tell us what is going on physically and energetically. It’s a great feedback system!

• Give yourself permission to step away and take a break. This can be the hardest part!  Simply deciding to walk away from the screen can be a scary thought some days. Know that when you change your focus to something completely different, reset and calm your nervous system, you can find more ease when you return to the task at hand.

Okay, so you’ve stepped away from the screen. Now what?

If you’re short on time, take a quick movement break. At first the thoughts of the day may still be top of mind. That’s okay. Acknowledge these thoughts and tell them, “I’ll be right back! Just give me a second.” Then change up your scenery if you can, maybe from your home office area to the kitchen, your backyard or maybe just stand up and close your eyes. Take three cleansing breaths. Inhales through your nose and exhales out of your mouth. Continue to connect with your breath as you layer on some movement.  

Try moving through this flow three times:

• Inhale, Mountain Pose: lift your arms up, hands to the ceiling, palms face one another

• Exhale, Hot Half Moon Pose: bring your palms together overhead in a steeple grip (just your pointer fingers point up), lean your torso over to the right side for a side body stretch

• Inhale, return to center

• Exhale, Hot Half Moon Pose to the left

• Inhale, Mountain pose 

• Exhale, Baby Backbend: bend your elbows toward your ribcage, gently tilt your chest, chin, forehead and gaze up to the sky)

• Inhale, Mountain Pose

• Exhale, Forward Fold: hinge from your hips and bend down towards the ground, fingertips to your mat, release your neck and head 

• Inhale, Halfway Lift: bring your palms to your thighs, lengthen your shoulders away from your hips, gaze down

• Exhale, Crouch and Curl: press your fingertips down to the floor, bend your knees, lift your heels toward your glutes. Crouch into a tight ball with your forehead towards your knees

By the third time, you may notice that you’re completely in the zone of breath to movement (or vinyasa in Sanskrit). Observe what being present in the here and now that feels like. Ask yourself: What space have you created in your body and mind? Where is this space, what does it feel like? Take a moment to enjoy what you observed (including the release of any tight spots in your body or mind).  

This short movement break can reset and refuel you for the rest of your day. Maybe you have time for one flow, or maybe you take a few more breaks to keep it going and create more space in your body and mind!  

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