Supporting ThoughtFull Movement through Gentle and Joyful Exposures:
What is gentle movement?
Hey friend! Welcome, I am glad you are here. Todays, topic: ThoughtFull Movement – a type of movement that is lower strain on your body and does not necessarily increase your heart rate like a HIIT (high intensity interval training) would do.
To be gentle is to harness and accept the way you experience your body moving through the space around you.
Gentle movement is a guide to being able to feel yourself in the space you have given yourself to practice.
You are worthy of feeling confident in movement, and lucky for you there are quite a few resources for gentle movement for all body types on youtube, and even all the other social medias.
What can I use for guidance?
Options for gentle movement might be:
- Start with these ThoughtFull yoga and meditation videos
- A light stroll around your neighborhood or a park
- General stretching
- A yin or restorative yoga class (holding postures like in yin may bring up emotions you weren’t expecting because of the “fold and hold”/”compress and hold” nature of the practice)
- Thai Chi
- Qi Gong
- A breath flow practice
How do I know if what I am doing is enough?
Check in with your feelings and ask yourself:
How do I feel after I move my body?
Sometimes it takes a few tries to really get to know how a particular movement feels in your body, so don’t discredit anything the first time.
You are allowed to focus on one type and/or move through multiple types.
What does movement do for me?
Does it bring you calm feelings, or maybe more energized? Do you sleep better at night because you let energy flow through your body?
Do I dread doing the movement?
If not, great keep on going. If so, then maybe try a different form of movement. *see the list above for ideas*
Remember, to be gentle is to harness and accept the way you experience your body moving through the space around you.
You are allowed to take up space and enjoy how you move your body.
Until next time…
