Movement Meditation To Clear Stress and Anxiety

This week's podcast episode is a gentle movement meditation to help channel and clear the agitated energies of stress or anxiety. (The meditation itself starts around the 4:44 mark, after a brief introduction.) This practice is intended to help you "complete the stress cycle" by engaging your body's natural fight/flight impulses through a few simple Qigong movements, with an emphasis on mindfulness. It's kind of like a movement practice that has the feel of a guided meditation. You may have noticed that when you're caught up in anxiety and worry, it can be really hard to sit still and meditate. This is where mindful movement can be incredibly beneficial, as it gives us an active way to work with challenging states. As you put your restless energy (and stress hormones) to use through intentional mindful movements, you are signaling your nervous system that you are in control and that you're ok in this present moment. With practice, you can use these movement meditation tools to decrease the unpleasant physical sensations of anxiety, and to help calm overthinking and worry (which is often fed by agitation in the body). This meditation can be done either standing or seated in a chair. You can use this practice as an anxiety prevention tool, or as a form of nervous system maintenance whenever you feel agitating sensations, emotions, or thoughts building up. This can also be a great practice to do before bed, to clear your energy and promote peaceful sleep. I hope you find this movement meditation useful, and that it brings some ease into your day! ---------- (Do keep in mind that this practice can be an excellent complement to professional mental health support, but no meditation is a replacement for medical or mental health treatment when professional help is needed. If you are experiencing overwhelming anxiety or distress, please seek additional support.)  ---------- For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast. The Mindful Movement Teacher Training is returning this Fall, and applications will be accepted starting July 15th! Learn more about this program and make sure you're on the update list at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt. Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).