Meditation, Mindfulness, Embodiment.. and our new class, The Ritual.
We are excited to announce our new class, The Ritual. This class utilizes cathartic, somatic movement that blends motion with sensory awareness and mindfulness to strengthen the mind-body connection with the goal of enabling you to lead a more embodied life. That may sound like an earful and even abstract, but the Ritual finds its roots in concepts that we are familiar with, such as Meditation and Mindfulness, and others that may be more foreign, like Embodiment. Let’s break this down by diving into each of these three concepts:
Meditation
Meditation has become a hot topic in our society- one that is referenced very often. But despite its popularity, there remains a lot of confusion around exactly what makes meditation…well, meditation. We’re just told we should do it.
If we go to the dictionary, according to Merriam-Webster, the verb meditate means:
1: to engage in contemplation or reflection
2: to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or
repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of
spiritual awareness
Clearly there is much room for interpretation for how to meditate. After all, how should we be “contemplating”? Or what makes up a “mental exercise”? For this reason, meditation is practiced in many different ways throughout the world. In fact here is a small sample of the just the most common interpretations on meditation:
Types of Meditation:
Guided
Unguided
Calming (Samatha)
Insight (Vipassana)
Focused Attention or Present Moment
Body Scan
Noting
Visualization
Loving Kindness
Skillful Compassion
Reflection
Mantra
Sound Bath
Chakra
Transcendental
Qigong
So which one is the “right” way to meditate? Ultimately, that’s up to what method most effectively helps you “reach a heightened level of spiritual awareness.” There is no one “best” meditation practice, and it is definitely not one size fits all. But really the most important thing to start meditating is to pick a practice that works best for you. The Ritual will utilize a blend of Guided, Body Scan, Focused Attention, and Reflection. But more on that later.
Finally, the underlying reasons to reach this “heightened level of spiritual awareness” vary as well. It can be practiced religiously, such as with Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism, or it can be practiced secularly for the purpose of realizing benefits as wide ranging as:
decreased cortisol levels (better ability to manage stress)
decreased anxiety
decreased depression
decreased aggression
decreased pain
increased attention span
improved sleep quality
Here is more information on exploring the different types of meditation.
Mindfulness
Another buzz word that is often paired with meditation is mindfulness. But what is mindfulness and how does it relate to meditation? Mindfulness is the ability to be present & engaged in the current moment, without distraction, judgment or reactivity. In a way, mindfulness is a type of meditation, but you do not need to meditate to be mindful. Mindfulness can be woven into any activity or experience- we can be mindful at any point in our day by using our attention to focus on & observe our thoughts, feelings and sensations in an objective way. A key part of mindfulness is not labeling any experience as “good” or “bad” but simply approaching it with unbiased curiosity. This also includes accepting these observations, instead of avoiding or ignoring them.
According to research, benefits of mindfulness include “various positive psychological effects, such as increased subjective well-being, reduced psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and improved behavioral regulation”.
Embodiment
Finally, Embodiment is a mindfulness technique that uses perception, action and emotion to connect the body & mind. Psychologist Dr. Arielle Schwartz explains “Embodiment is the practice of attending to your sensations. Awareness of your body serves as a guiding compass to help you feel more in charge of the course of your life. Somatic awareness provides a foundation for empathy, helps you make healthy decisions, and gives important feedback about your relationships with others. Embodiment in somatic psychology applies mindfulness and movement practices to awaken body awareness as a tool for healing.”
Nurturing this connection is like coming home to yourself after the body & mind have been fragmented from one another. The Ritual is meant to gather those fragments and make them whole. We were all born with this knowledge of embodiment but often through life experiences (e.g. generational trauma, limiting beliefs, and religious/philosophical/cultural influences) we forget how to connect within ourselves. The body becomes an object rather than a subject. The body becomes it, rather than I. Listening to your body is important because it is a form of self-regulation. If you ignore bodily sensations, you are denying your needs. Over time, this surpassing of needs can lead to feeling unbalanced, anxious, or ungrounded- not to mention pain, injury and illness.
The ritual is intended to help you listen to what your body is telling you, instead of pushing through or past it. It isn’t “mind over matter”- its “mind with matter.”
The Ritual
Notice I have not described The Ritual as an exercise class. This wording was intentional, because too often we associate exercise with burning calories or our external image. The goal of this class is not to make you lose weight, it is not for you to “tone up”, it is not event meant for muscle strengthening. The goal of the ritual is to connect body, mind, and spirit. Along with meditation sessions, we engage in physical activity that feels free, expansive & unrestricted while using mindfulness to cultivate an awareness of your body, and what it has to tell you. It is not about technical, specific movements but about your connection to each movement, and your ability to move through each with all of your senses.
Come join us to start your Ritual.
By Dr. Sarah Casali, PT of The Pilates Rx.