Moved To Meditate Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Everyday Mindfulness: Small Moments That Add Up Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

This week on the podcast, I'd like to talk about "everyday mindfulness," the practice of taking small moments to pause and be aware throughout your day. We'll explore practical ways you can create a supportive mindfulness practice for all the moving parts of your real, beautiful, and (sometimes) messy life.

The advantage of everyday mindfulness is that we can incorporate it into what we're already doing, so it doesn't require any extra time. Practicing this way can be quite organic when we simply remember to be mindful while doing ordinary tasks.

Many people find that being more aware during daily activities also has a way of making those moments more meaningful, and it creates little pockets of stress relief that can make a significant difference.

Everyday Mindfulness Points You'll Hear About:

Why mini-mindfulness practices are a great starting point for beginners interested in meditation
How everyday mindfulness is an important part of maturing your practice further down the road
Some background for everyday mindfulness practices in the Buddhist teachings, and how mindfulness includes all of our senses
How mindful movement particularly strengthens the connection between meditation and everyday life.

At the end of the episode, I'll offer a menu of everyday mindfulness practices you can play with this week, including the 54321 practice (with the 5 senses), "waiting meditation," using a mindfulness bell, and more.

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

And, you can sign up for your "Library Card" to access this month's FREE practices in the Moved To Meditate Class Library!

Information on the upcoming Mindful Movement Teacher Training can be found at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt.

Feel free to reach out through my website with your thoughts on this episode. You can also connect with me on Instagram (or Threads!) at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, and pictures of Pacific Northwest nature and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

Unmasking the Inner Critic with Andrew Lang Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, I'm talking about unmasking the inner critic with my guest Andrew Lang. Andrew is a lifelong educator and a gentle, light-hearted facilitator of meaningful inner work. So, you'll hear about how to recognize your limiting narratives and transform them – in a kind, embodied, and even playful way.

Andrew Lang is the author of a book called Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted Life. He offers an expansive definition of the inner critic, and how it includes everything from negative self-talk to emotional and physical constrictions that ultimately limit us and make us feel less whole.

Elements of Unmasking the Inner Critic That We'll Cover:

How your negative mental voice relates to internal "protector parts" that want to keep you safe
Where these unhelpful narratives and emotional patterns come from
Inviting your inner critic into a "listening room," rather than taking an aggressive approach (like "destroying the negative voice," or "battling your demons")
Common illusions associated with the inner critic, like "I am not good enough," "I am not important," "I am not lovable," "I am alone," or "I am my trauma"
How dis-illusionment can be a beautiful process, despite the challenges we face when letting go of familiar beliefs.

Andrew also positions this deep internal work within the context of our lives in society, and we talk about how unwinding our individual confusion can contribute to changing harmful constructs like racism, meritocracy, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. You'll hear about a few key moments that brought Andrew to this work, and how it's unfolded through different phases of his life.

This is a really rich episode, and despite the seriousness of the topic, we had a lot of fun recording it! I hope you'll enjoy listening to this conversation and come away with some ideas you can put into practice.

(And bonus: you'll get some solid Pacific Northwest coffee recommendations at the end…) -- Guest Bio:

Andrew Lang is an educator in the Pacific Northwest, an alumnus of Richard Rohr's Living School for Action and Contemplation, and author of Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted Life. Along with writing regularly, he facilitates workshops helping people to navigate their inner lives and explore their sense of identity and spirituality.

You can learn more about Andrew Lang and his book at https://www.andrewglang.com/

You can also follow him on Instagram (and Threads!) @andrewglang

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Lastly, you can follow the podcast (and Addie, the host) on Instagram at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, yin yoga, and pictures of PNW nature and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Sound (with Bells) Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode of the podcast is a guided meditation on Mindfulness of Sound! In this practice, we will use the sense of hearing to connect to the present moment.

During the recording, you will hear a few different meditation bells and singing bowls. This is not really a "sound bath" - rather, it's an experience of how you can use sounds in a Mindfulness Meditation practice, allowing hearing to become a meditative anchor.

Practicing Mindfulness of Sound Teaches Us:

Nothing is really a distraction in Mindfulness Meditation, because we can pay attention to all facets of our experience.
Sounds are happening in the present moment (unlike most of our thoughts). So, we can use hearing to come back to the here and now.
Sounds are impermanent - they have a beginning, middle, and end, and they are constantly changing. What else in our experience is like that?
Mindfulness Meditation is not just the ability to focus on one thing. It also includes a more open, receptive style of awareness.

You'll be guided to listen for the sharp beginning of the sound as the bell is struck, followed by the resonance as the bell rings, and then the fading away of sounds. We can direct our attention to specific sounds, and we can rest back into a more open awareness of the whole soundscape, and the silences between the sounds.

You can do this meditation seated on the ground, or in a chair, or lying down. Any position that's kind and friendly to your body is good!

P.S. For more of a sound healing approach, check out Episode 67, which is an interview with holistic vocal therapist, Heather Gross. The show notes and resources for that episode include a recorded sound bath.

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

And, you can sign up for your "Library Card" to access this month's FREE practices in the Moved To Meditate Class Library!

Feel free to reach out through my website with your thoughts on this episode. You can also connect with me on Instagram at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, yoga, and pictures of Pacific Northwest nature and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

Sound Healing and Gender-Affirming Voice Therapy with Heather Gross Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

In today's podcast interview with Heather Gross, we learn about sound healing and gender-affirming voice therapy. This is a fun and empowering conversation that will inspire you to pay more attention to your own vocal self-expression!

As Heather states, "you can't separate the mind from the body, and you can't separate the voice from the self." This episode explores the power and potential held in the voice, and how deeply the voice connects to one's identity.

You'll hear about Heather's personal journey into sound healing, her recovery through chronic illness, and how it all started with an experience where she wasn't able to voice a loud and firm "no." This sound healing work is a practice of self-discovery that includes addressing limiting beliefs, releasing blocked emotions stored in the body, and tuning in to what authentic vocalization feels like for you.

Sound Healing and Holistic Voice Therapy Tools:

We talk about a variety of tools and modalities used in this holistic approach to vocal therapy.

sound bath with instruments like crystal singing bowls
vocal toning and chanting
breathwork
yoga postures
mindful awareness
somatic trauma-healing techniques

Because her holistic vocal therapy approach greatly emphasizes the nervous system, the physiological benefits can include stimulating the Vagus Nerve, regulating heart rate and blood pressure, influencing gut-motor function, and supporting the immune system.

Gender-Affirming Voice Therapy and Sound Healing for All:

Heather particularly specializes in sound healing and vocal therapy for gender diverse and LGBTQIA+ singers and speakers, helping her clients use their voices in ways that feel true and empowering for them. The goal is never to imitate someone else, or adopt a vocal mask for others' benefit, but to discover your own unique voice.

Anyone can benefit from checking in with their voice, whether you're a singer or not, and whatever your gender identity! This "vibrational medicine" can lead to increased happiness, confidence, and alignment, feeling empowered, freeing the singing/speaking voice, improving breath control, and soothing stress patterns that affect your throat and voice.

Enjoy this episode, and let us know what you learn about your vocal expression!

Guest Bio:

Heather Gross, MS CCC-SLP, RYT, INHC (she/her/hers) is a mind body integrative voice therapist and holistic health coach, specializing in gender affirming and trauma informed voice. Heather aims to provide a deeper experience of an embodied life and authentic self expression to become fully integrated with your voice, heart, and soul. She specializes in working with gender diverse and LGBTQIA+ singers and speakers, singing through chronic pain, and exploration of the voice and sounds as healing modalities. In addition to her background in voice therapy and vocology, Heather has sought out additional certifications and training in breathwork, yoga, mindfulness meditation, integrative nutrition health coaching, transformational coaching, and mental health informed care. As a vocalist, trauma survivor, and chronic pain warrior, she has become a lifelong learner of the mind, body, and voice connection. Through her own vocal journey, recovery, and healing, Heather has created a unique and holistic approach to help her clients uncover their most authentic voice and true selves. Heather is the owner of Live Vocally, a virtual voice practice and vocal studio, providing affirming and accessible holistic voice care and coaching.

You can learn more about Heather Gross and her business Live Vocally through her website livevocally.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @live_vocally.

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode - including a FREE recorded soundbath with Heather! - find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Lastly, you can follow the podcast (and Addie, the host) on Instagram at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, yin yoga, and pictures of PNW nature and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

Guided Meditation: Practicing Patience Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

The podcast is back this week with another guided meditation! Today, we'll explore the theme of practicing patience.

I start with a brief intro about patience, sharing why this wise aspiration is on my mind this week. The meditation follows, starting at about the 6:00 mark. (You can skip ahead if you've heard the intro before, or you just want to go directly to the practice).

Most of us will probably admit that we could use more patience in our lives. Patience is similar to equanimity (steadiness), but it tends to be more related to time. To be patient means we struggle less with how things are, or how/when they are happening. When we're feeling patient, we find we can work with things exactly as they're showing up.

Last week, I had plenty of opportunities to develop my patience skills, when things didn't go as expected. I was on a meditation retreat at a lovely location - something I had been looking forward to for months - and then I got hit by a stomach bug!

I had to practice patience with the situation, with my body, my energy levels, and with the time it took to start feeling better. Being that I was on retreat, I was really able to mindfully observe the cycles of struggling and letting go with the circumstances of the moment. It might not have been the practice I signed up for, but it was still good practice!

In the meditation, we'll tune in to this skillful quality of patience. Through simple, intentional breath awareness, we can learn what patience feels like in the body and build our familiarity and capacity for this wisdom energy.

As we practice, we can begin to let go of the attachment to timelines and the desire to be in control...breath by breath.

No special equipment is needed for the meditation! Feel free to sit in a chair, on a cushion, or practice lying down.

P.S. If you want to explore this theme further, check out Episode 17 of the podcast which was called "Deeper Dive: Patience and Persistence."

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

And, you can sign up for your "Library Card" to access this month's FREE practices in the Moved To Meditate Class Library!

Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Breathing, 4 Ways Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode of the podcast is a little different - rather than a talk or an interview, I'm offering a short practice! Find a quiet spot, pop in your headphones, and try this Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Breathing, 4 Ways.

(If you want to skip my brief intro and go right to the meditation, you can fast forward to 1:55.)

This guided meditation offers a beginner-friendly introduction to Mindfulness of Breathing, or a nice refresher for those who are already familiar with breath meditation.

The breath is a very common "anchor," or focal point in Mindfulness Meditation. And yet, it can be a challenge to connect with the breath - sometimes it feels too subtle, or sometimes it's intertwined with stress and anxiety.

This is why it's important to explore a few different ways of sensing the breath. We can be present with the breath as it moves in different locations in the body, or by listening to the sound of the breath.*

Once you've chosen your preferred way to pay attention to the breath, we'll stick with it for a while and practice coming back to that anchor when the mind (inevitably!) wanders.

You can do this meditation seated on the ground, or in a chair, or lying down. Any position that's kind and friendly to your body is good!

* And, if none of these mindful breathing strategies work well for you, that's ok! You might just want to explore other anchors and techniques, like Mindfulness of Sounds, the Body Scan, or Walking Meditation.

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

And, you can sign up for your "Library Card" to access this month's FREE practices in the Moved To Meditate Class Library!

What Is Mindful Movement? Basic Definitions and Beyond May 18, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the podcast, we step back and consider: what is mindful movement?

Both the words "mindfulness" and "movement" are used in a wide variety of ways, so it's not always obvious what is meant by either, or in the combination that is "mindful movement." I will talk about the most common or general way of defining mindful movement, and I'll also share some thoughts on how to take that further – allowing movement to become a richer, embodied expression of mindfulness.

A simple definition of mindful movement could be "movement done with awareness." This could be any kind of movement - of course including things like Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong, but also walking, hiking, running, Pilates, weight lifting, or swimming. In whatever ways you want to move your body, you could do those activities with full presence.

Moving with awareness is likely to enhance the safety of your movements, and also bolster the mental health benefits of whatever movement activity you're doing. And, there's some evidence that mindfulness could also enhance the physical health benefits of movement.

I also bring in the term "movement-based mindfulness" to point to the possibility of leaning even more into the meditative training potentials that exist within movement. This approach might be useful for those seeking an alternate route for exploring contemplative experiences (where you don't always have to be still), or for meditators interested in translating their mindfulness practice from stillness into action.

What is mindful movement? It includes:

more emphasis on what is happening with your awareness as you move, and noticing what you're paying attention to
embodying key attitudes of mindfulness, like present-moment focus, non-judgment, and curiosity
developing a fine-tuned awareness of body sensations, but also observing states of heart and mind
noticing what brings up reactivity in your movement practice (liking, disliking, and ambivalence)
recognizing thought patterns that arise, like planning, comparing, and wanting
choosing simpler movements so that there is space to notice more than just positional changes and safety-oriented adjustments.

When we practice "mindful movement," it can be a form of body-based mindfulness practice, touching into the full spectrum of mindfulness teachings. Join me to explore de-compartmentalizing meditation and movement, so that these practices can enrich each other and be accessible for more people!

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Don't forget to check out the NEW Moved To Meditate course, starting on May 30th!

Ease In To Meditation: A Movement-Based Mindfulness Course is an 8-week program that covers many of the same principles you would learn in any introductory mindfulness meditation program, but with a key difference in method...

You'll be learning the mindfulness skills FIRST through movement, getting familiar with what mindfulness feels like, calming your nervous system, and gaining confidence that you can apply those techniques in sitting meditation.

More Info here: https://movedtomeditate.yoga/movement-based-mindfulness-course-ease-in-to-meditation/

Mindful Resilience: Lessons from a Tai Chi Balance Training May 04, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode of the podcast is about mindful resilience, inspired by a Tai Chi balance training that I took last week.

The TaiJi Quan Moving for Better Balance training is a program developed by Dr. Fuzhong Li, a scientist at the Oregon Research Institute. It is based on traditional Tai Chi, but with some significant adaptations that tailor this program to balance training and fall prevention.

What really struck me about this program was how it emphasizes capacity-building, neuroplasticity, and physical resilience. To improve balance, this training gently (but consistently) challenges your edges of stability. You practice leaning, stepping, wobbling, and simulating some instability so that you can learn to catch yourself before falling. (This program has been heavily researched on fall-risk populations, and the results are impressive.)

Resilience means that we can handle challenges and bounce back to a healthy baseline state - whether we're talking about emotional resilience, nervous system resilience, or physical resilience.

Mindful Resilience Topics You'll Hear About:

key mindfulness teachings about relating to challenges
turning towards our experiences with kindness and awareness, rather than avoidance or trying to control our circumstances
how this balance training echoed those lessons, by preparing for stumbles and in-the-moment balance recovery
the Window of Tolerance model, which explains how we can work with the nervous system to better manage our response to stressors

So, today's episode is all about connecting the dots on the theme of resilience! There are many ways this principle shows up in mindful movement practice, where we have the opportunity to develop resilience on each of these different levels. Over time, this translates into trusting yourself more and more, and knowing that "you've got this"...whatever "this" is.

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Don't forget to check out the NEW Moved To Meditate course, starting on May 30th!

More Info here: https://movedtomeditate.yoga/movement-based-mindfulness-course-ease-in-to-meditation/

Benefits of Mindful Movement You Probably Haven't Heard About Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the podcast, I'm going to talk about four of the most interesting benefits of mindful movement...that you probably haven't heard about.

Do you find it motivating to know how your practice is benefiting you? Or are you (perhaps) the kind of person that won't decide to do a new activity unless you really understand why it's worth your time and effort?

I can absolutely relate to that, so that's why this episode is going to be dedicated to talking about some of the many benefits of mindful movement practice. I'll be highlighting four interesting possibilities that you probably haven't heard about, so we're going beyond the standard list of positive outcomes (like stress relief, improved focus, and physical relaxation).

You'll hear about:

feel-good chemicals (called myokines) that your muscles release, even with gentle movement
how working with pace and slowing down your movements (motor inhibtion) can translate to better physical balance AND emotional balance
how moving in synchrony with others promotes empathy and openness
and how mindful movement can be a form of embodied learning.

As you'll hear, some of the mindful movement benefits I mention are examples of how these practices can support us psychologically and even socially, if we're paying attention on those different levels. And, a few of these benefits relate to the combination of movement and mindfulness, so there's a kind of multiplier effect.

This episode draws from several different books and research articles, so be sure to check the episode page on my website to find all the links and resources.

I hope you'll find some of these mindful movement benefits intriguing, thought-provoking, and perhaps motivating!

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

And, you can sign up for your "Library Card" to access this month's FREE practices in the Moved To Meditate Class Library!

Chronic Pain and Yoga, the Yin Way with Mandy Ryle Apr 06, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, I'm talking about chronic pain and yoga with my guest Mandy Ryle. Mandy is an evidence-based Yin Yoga teacher, and this is an information-packed conversation about how Yin Yoga fits into the pain care equation for her students.

We talk about what is (and is not) part of a pain care-informed approach to Yin Yoga, and how it is much more than finding the "3 magic poses" for whatever part of the of the body is in pain.

Mandy also talks about her experiences with hypermobility and Yin Yoga, and we have a great discussion about how Yin Yoga actually affects our muscle and connective tissues, according to the research on static stretching (it may not be what you're expecting).

What you'll hear about chronic pain and yoga:

defining chronic pain and what makes it so complex
how Yin Yoga practice can help you unwire habits and beliefs that perpetuate pain
using Somatic exercises and Yin poses to build back confidence in movement, and decrease fear
how Yin Yoga contributes to restoring your body image if it has been distorted by prolonged pain experiences.

Listen for an eye-opening and hopeful conversation on chronic pain and yoga, from a Yin perspective!

or hear more from Mandy on The Yin Yoga Podcast

or visit her website for more information.

For even more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast

Feel free to reach out through my website with your thoughts on this episode! You can also connect with me on Instagram at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, yoga, and pictures of PNW nature and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

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