Moving Meditation for Busy Minds

When I first began practising yoga (more than 20 years ago!), every class I attended started the same way. We would journey to the mat and lie still in Savasana.

Maybe I was tired and happy to lie down, but my mind was far from still. I’d be running through my to-do list, wondering whether I “had time” for this part of the class. Stillness was presented as the beginning of practice…the place where yoga starts…yet switching off straight away didn’t come easily.

Over time, this has made me reflect on how I want my students to feel from the very start of class.

As my own yoga practice and lived experience have grown, my understanding has widened. I’ve learned that yoga can begin sitting, lying on the front or the back, standing… and sometimes, moving. There are many journeys with the same outcome. Last week, in our mind’s eye, we journeyed up a mountain…I’m sure every path taken looked completely different.

And I’ve become increasingly aware that for many people, being asked to “sit comfortably in stillness” isn’t always comfortable at all.

• There may be knee pain.

• Hip discomfort.

• A restless or busy mind.

• Or simply a posture that doesn’t feel supportive.

This is one of the reasons I have recently been starting our practice with gentle movement…what I often describe as a “moving meditation”.

A gentle way in

Since returning to classes in the New Year, I’ve been intentionally beginning our practice with movement.

Not strong movement.

Not stretching for the sake of stretching.

But gentle, breath-led movement.

This choice comes from a growing awareness. Through my work as a yoga therapist, and through parenting a neurodivergent child, I’m becoming more attuned to how movement helps regulate the nervous system, for both children and adults alike. And how, sometimes, starting with stillness is the most challenging thing of all.

When stillness feels hard

In a busy world, we’re often told the answer is to do less.

Slow down. Sit still. Be quiet.

But for many people, especially those with busy minds, sensitive nervous systems, or lives that demand constant attention, dropping straight into stillness can feel uncomfortable, even unsettling.

Let’s face it: with endless choices on Netflix, phones offering reel after reel, and the constant 24/7 bombardment of the news, there isn’t much space left for doing nothing. Truly being still can feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

My own intention this month is to carve out time every Thursday to do exactly that; leaning into the season with rest, reading, and reflection.

Often, when we arrive on the mat, the body hasn’t landed yet.

Beginning with movement creates a bridge. A way of arriving gently, without force, into the practice.

Kaya Kriya: A moving meditation

Kaya means body.

Kriya means action.

Kaya Kriya is a subtle practice where simple movements are coordinated with the breath. The breath leads, the body follows, and the mind is given something soft and rhythmic to rest on.

Traditionally used as a therapeutic practice, particularly for tension held in the neck and shoulders, its deeper effect is regulation and integration. It’s sometimes described as a body meditation.

The body settles first.

The mind follows later.

When the mind has no room to spiral

The effects of Om go beyond the spiritual—they ripple into the physical and emotional body too:

• Calms the nervous system

• Eases anxiety and tension

• Helps regulate sleep and energy cycles

• Lowers blood pressure and supports the heart

• Strengthens the voice and opens the sinuses

• Releases blocked energy and supports chakra balance

• Clears mental fog and enhances intuition

• Creates a sense of unity and connection

Om creates a field of positive energy around us, helping to cleanse negativity from both our inner space and the outer environment. Just like a tuning fork brings an instrument into harmony, chanting Om brings us into harmony with life.

Beyond positive thinking

We’re often encouraged to counter negative self-talk with positive self-talk; - affirmations, reframes, mantras. These can be helpful stepping stones.

But yoga ultimately leads us somewhere quieter.

Beyond:

“I’m not enough.”

“I am enough.”

Into neutrality.

Neither positive nor negative.

Neither up nor down.

I sometimes think of this as a Goldilocks place; not too much, not too little, but just right.

This isn’t disengagement. It’s steadiness. A mind no longer pulled around by every thought.

Yoga isn't about doing less

In a culture that constantly asks us to do more, this might sound surprising. But yoga isn’t about doing less… it’s about noticing more.

Moving with the breath.

Feeling what’s happening as it’s happening.

Allowing awareness into ordinary moments.

Doing the dishes… and knowing you’re doing the dishes.

Walking… and feeling your feet meet the ground.

This is yoga.

Moving gently into stillness

For some, stillness comes easily.

For others, it’s something we grow into, patiently and with care.

A moving meditation offers a doorway. One that respects the intelligence of the body and the rhythm of the breath.

This is why we begin our practice this way.

This is why it matters.

And this, at its heart, is yoga.

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