my first foray with mindful movement was at swim practice when I was five years old

I was a tiny five-year-old, with shiny, bright blond hair bleached by the sun. I had just started with a competitive swim team because my older brothers were really fast swimmers on our rec team.

I was not fast.

I was always the smallest, the slowest, and preferred reading books to playing soccer, football, or tag.

None of that mattered at swim practice. I loved the feeling of being in the pool, once I got past the initial shock of being enveloped in the freezing cold water.

In the pool, I felt alive, awake, strong, and connected to my body.

This summer, I’m reminded of these experiences as I’ve started swimming again (since gyms have been closed and I’m not cleared to run yet).

Even after a minute in the pool, I feel calmer.

We don’t always have time for an hour of yoga, 30 minutes of meditation, or to go on vacation to “get away.”

Today’s mindful minute is to explore how movement can affect wellbeing, help to feel more grounded/connected, and provide the mental space needed to get away.

Try it, right now. Whatever you’re doing, take one minute to do this exercise.

Remember that you can always download the slide and save it to your phone (when we’re stressed, we will not naturally remember to be mindful!).

Now that you have practiced the tool . . .

What do you notice?

Try to answer without judgement. Whatever you notice is simply what you noticed; it’s not right, wrong, or indifferent.

Can you make a reminder to yourself to do this once a day this week??

more on mindful movement

You can read previous blog posts on mindful movement HERE and HERE.