When I tap into my higher self, or my spirit guides, or my intuition, I usually get really amazing information. It’s interesting that we always have the answers if we look in the right places. Not that long ago I was feeling a little unsettled, and I asked, “what do I need right now?” and the answer was clear as day: movement and meditation are your medicine. Not a special diet, not water, not coffee, not matcha tea or buying something or baking something; movement and meditation. Plain and simple.
This didn’t really come as a surprise for me, because I’ve always felt better when I was working out, or playing sports, or doing something active on a regular basis, and usually movement becomes my meditation. It’s the one place I can really just be, find flow, and trust in the process. It’s the one thing I can rely on to lift my spirits and improve my energy levels, every time. But I never looked at movement in general as my medicine, only my intense, heart-pumping activity felt medicinal. Since my concussion, I started to recognize that any activity is good activity for me: walking the dog, doing a few minutes of yoga at night, getting in a lunchtime stroll, doing a lower-intensity workout, taking a hip-hop dance class or going to a zumba class, in addition to playing sports, doing hot yoga or getting in a higher-intensity workout (even though the last three are not things I’ve yet done post-concussion). It’s all good stuff. And the nice thing with these options is that any of them can be called upon depending on my mood, my energy levels and levels of pain, and still give me great results - every time.
It wasn’t that long ago when I would discredit walking, a simple yoga sequence, or even a moderate-intensity workout because it wasn’t intense enough; even though I did it, I treated it as if it didn’t count. But the reality is, any movement is good movement as long as it’s safe. Physical activity allows the brain to settle away from the stresses of everyday. It also creates the opportunity for the joints to move, get lubricated and subsequently loosen the surrounding tendons and muscles. Physical activity releases endorphins in the brain, causing a natural boost in mood, reduction in pain and a general positive feeling. Longer-term physical activity also has the ability to improve cognitive abilities, and reduce the effects of cognitive decline.
I used to approach fitness in a very black-or-white mindset: if I couldn’t do an entire, intense workout, I wouldn’t work out at all; if I couldn’t do a heart-pumping HIIT session post-injury, I might as well not work out until I could actually do that and make it worthwhile. But with some effort and support from my multidisciplinary team, I realized it’s quality over quantity. Right now I need to listen to what my body needs, not push, and ease myself into activity. And that comes in the form of doing different forms of physical activity for the sake of just enjoying them and not pushing for any specific outcome. I know that my mental health is so much more balanced if I’m physically active, so I had to start embracing grey-thinking rather than black-or-white to help keep that on track.
Meditation, on the other hand, is a little different. I do not get the immediate feelings of satisfaction post-meditation session as I do post-workout. Heck, sometimes it’s so peaceful and quiet in this brain of mine, and other times it’s all over the place and I can hardly notice the space between the thoughts, emotions or sensations. This is something that takes serious dedication, practice and, at minimum, weeks to months of time to notice any difference. That’s why meditation is considered a practice after all. Although I do feel mindful during a workout, it’s not exactly the same thing as sitting down to do nothing but meditate. Even mindful activity is not quite the same, although still beneficial. There are also many benefits of any form of mindfulness or meditation technique: mindfulness allows the brain to calm, muscles to relax, pain symptoms to reduce; it can promote sleep, focus, concentration and more stable moods, in addition to an increased awareness of thoughts, emotions and behaviours, and a more conscious approach to life. In my day job as an occupational therapist, mindfulness is my number one recommendation for individuals who experience chronic pain, difficulties regulating emotions, mood disorders or difficulty sleeping. It’s like a medical prescription without the medicine. So it should be a natural extension that I would also use this as medicine for myself.
Movement and meditation are the two medicines we all have available to us in limitless supply. They cost nothing. They can be done anywhere. There are no right or wrong ways to engage in them, there are no uniforms that need to be worn, there are literally no barriers. The only thing that is stopping us from making progress and improving our lives is, well, us. Just think about the positive effects I’ve listed above, and all it takes is 20 minutes a day of activity and 20 minutes a day of mindfulness. A little bit of effort for a lot of rewards. Sounds good to me. Sounds kind of like soul medicine.
And so it is.
-If you need help staying on track with your own movement/meditation regime, please contact me to see how I can help you find your soul medicine! Please check out my September Special to save $$$ and kick-start your progress. Only a few spots are remaining!