Hey friends, Jeff here.
Sometimes I feel too jumpy to sit and meditate. My ADHD’s like: not right now, pal. You need to move.
Yes, seated meditation is a profound way to practice being bigger than our discomforts. But it’s not the only way to do this, and it may not be the most appropriate way at any one time. We all have specific nervous systems in specific bodies with specific quirks and needs. Taking care of ourselves also means taking the time to get to know those quirks and needs, and then working with them, not against them.
Movement can be a way to do both. How do we make our movement a meditation?
A story: I love the ancient Chinese practice of Qi Gong. You’ve seen these practitioners in the park – bodies grounded, arms and legs moving liquid-smooth and graceful.
When I first learned Qi Gong, my teacher and friend Therese Jornlin would roll her eyes, because I’d plough through the sequences super fast. I was all go-go-go, trying to get ... well, I didn’t know where I thought I would get to. The next thing? Really I was trying to race my way straight out of my own painful existence.
Therese gave me a pointer I’ve never forgotten: “Qi Gong moves at the speed of awareness.”
For her, the art of the practice is staying aware of the subtle sensations in the body, the flow of energy, the way all of it interconnects to the world around her.
To do that, we need to go slow.
When I practice movement in this way, I may still meet the same restlessness and discomforts I’m trying to avoid by not sitting. But now I can move with them. I can express them. I can turn the whole sacred practice into a jerky electrocuted chicken frolic, thus liberating myself from the need to appear dignified and causing my teacher great embarrassment.
So let’s do a movement meditation! Today’s practice – on video no less – will begin with some shaky shaky, then go into tracking sensation and energy in the body, and finish with a psychedelic squid dance that can be performed in the privacy of your own home, supermarket, or sanatorium.
Love, Jeff
A few quick notes—
The next Do Nothing Project happens tonight – Sunday, July 27, 2025 – at 8pm EDT, on Youtube. Link here. Soon it will move to Substack Live, so be ready for that!
New to Home Base? We have over 50 guided meditations in our library. Check out the most popular ones here.
Have a meditation request? Great – please fill out this form. Although I can’t respond to all requests, the act of simply stating a situation – and naming what’s already been supportive – can be helpful. Every few weeks/months, I write a meditation response.
Being Human Takes Practice – New York
August 15-17, 2025
Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY
Coming up in a couple weeks … This retreat explores what meditation teaches us about being human. It teaches us about resistance and fixation. It teaches us about healing stuck emotions and expanding stuck views. It teaches us mercy and forgiveness, majesty and humility. It teaches us how to fall asleep on the cushion - and wake up refreshed!
Share this post