How Mindful Movement Improves Performance
Posted on November 09, 2022 by Erin Clyne, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.
Discover how to benefit your mental health through just 7 minutes a day of mindful movement.
One of my favorite things to do in the morning is to make my matcha latte and go for a neighborhood walk where I end up at the park and just tune into my body. Sometimes I simply enjoy the sunshine and breeze, other times I stretch or do yoga, or even do some acrobatics.
I usually attribute the lovely feeling of satisfaction that I get to being out in nature and grounding myself. That’s likely adding to the experience, yet I do find that movement is the key to lifting my spirits. Without movement I tend to feel heavy and unfulfilled. As a massage therapist, I always say that movement is the key to health…and this extends beyond physical health.
Mindful Movement.
We’re not exploring games or quick-fix pills, simply mindful movement.
Gadre and Devi (2020) performed a research study with instructions to complete 15-20 minutes of daily meditative movement. No previous physical education was necessary in order to understand and complete the exercises, yet there was an "extremely significant” decrease in depression levels at the end of the three-month study.
Not only can mindful movement aid in depression management, it may also aid in learning as demonstrated in Sharififar et al. (2017). Seven minutes of daily stretching led to a significant improvement in the areas of attitude, information processing, time management, and the use of study aids. So, not only can mindful movement be linked to intellectual performance, but also the ability to organize and utilize resources beyond the self.
All of these Mental Health benefits with as little as 7 Minutes/Day of mindful movement. Crazy, right?
Now, you may be saying that stretching isn’t necessarily mindful movement…and that can definitely be the case. So, why not add in the mindfulness component to get the added benefits? Sure, we can all just move in and out of instructed poses and that’s not mindful.
How to make your stretching mindful…
• Take time to breathe and notice how the stretch changes on your inhale/exhale.
• How does moving within the stretch feel in comparison to holding the stretch?
• Does it feel tighter closer to a particular joint? Or is it more in the belly of the muscle?
• Does stretching for you feel better before or after a warm-up?
• How is the condition of one muscle potentially affecting the range of motion in another part of your body?
• Does the muscle feel like it needs more or less activity to improve the condition?
Use your curiosity of your own body and desire to move with greater ease to fuel this time with yourself.
Our bodies are capable of amazing things. Mindful movement is not about moving from point A to point B, it’s about discovery, curiosity, and connection. PLUS the added bonus of improving Intellectual, Emotional, and Organizational performance.
References
Gadre, M.S., & Devi, P.T. (2020). Effect of meditative movement exercises with breath control on depression in nulliparous women. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 14(2), 33-36.
Sharififar, F., Sharififar, F., & Khademi, M. (2017). The effect of stretching exercises education on mental health and learning strategies. Report of Health Care, 3(4), 25-30.
