What Is A Mindful Body?

You will note in each one of the Lessons and Meditations the instructor asks the participants to “please be still and quiet in your mindful body.”  A mindfulness practice  can be done in one of four postures:  sitting, standing, lying down and walking.  

During the Mindful Parents & Kids Belly Buddy Bedtime Program, participants are instructed to lie on their backs on a bed in a quiet and still mindful body.  In the Classroom Program, students can either lie down on their backs on the floor (if the classroom environment permits) or they can sit on a chair, preferably with all students facing in the direction of the teacher.  

If sitting on a chair, the ultimate goal is that students are sitting in a comfortable, alert position - an upright position of focus and relaxation, never stiff or tense.  Letting students know that quietly shifting the body in order to maintain one’s comfort is absolutely recommended.

Students often wonder what they should do with their hands during meditation.  Students can be instructed to experiment with different hand positions to determine their preference.  A few options are:

• Simply resting their hands in their lap.  

• Placing one or both hands on the belly to help anchor attention on the sensation of breath in the belly.  

• Placing one or both hands on the chest to determine if this position offers an advantage over the belly as a breathing anchor.  

• Experimenting with one hand positioned in front of the nose, as a helpful strategy to keep the attention on the sensation of the breath in and out of the body.  

• Students can alternate between hand positions from one meditation to the next to determine a favourite.