Movement Meditation: Using the Breath and Hands to Deepen Stillness

In this meditation, we explore how gentle movement can become part of our contemplative practice.While meditation is often associated with complete stillness, the Christian monastic tradition has long incorporated simple physical movements—such as bowing, kneeling and prostration—to help cultivate deeper awareness. In this practice, we combine the rhythm of the breath with the gentle opening and closing of the hands.Beginning with grounding and awareness of the breath, we settle into the still point between each inhale and exhale before allowing our hands to move in harmony with our breathing. As we breathe in, the hands gently close; as we breathe out, they softly open again.This simple practice offers another anchor for attention, making it especially helpful during times of distraction, stress or anxiety. By uniting breath, body and awareness, we discover another pathway into the stillness that lies at the heart of meditation.This meditation supports mindfulness, contemplative prayer, stress relief, emotional regulation and developing deeper concentration through embodied awareness.It can be used as part of a daily meditation practice or whenever you find it difficult to settle into stillness through the breath alone.Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Movement within meditation01:08 – Opening bell01:20 – Entering the here and now02:03 – Centring on the breath02:36 – The still point between breaths03:19 – Bringing awareness to the hands03:42 – Breathing with opening and closing hands04:50 – Noticing breath, movement and stillness06:40 – Pausing to notice sensations in the hands08:05 – Movement as an anchor for anxiety or distraction09:41 – Returning the hands to stillness10:19 – Resolution for the day10:32 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.