Meditation Techniques for Beginners with Movement

Adapting meditation techniques and practices something that I personally struggled with because I always thought the idea was to not move and to not think about anything. Which is almost like telling your body not to breathe while you’re at it. 

It is natural to have thoughts come into and go out of your mind when meditating. I learned that it is acknowledging the thought and letting go of the thought that is really how meditation can help with anxiety, relaxation, and peace of mind. 

Here, I’ll be sharing 10 beginner meditation practices that don’t require sitting still and incorporate some movement. Plus a BONUS Meditation Activity that helped me experience true meditation for the first time. *Spoiler it is nature based and perfect for those of us who need to keep our hands busy to relax. 

Here are 6 Beginner Friendly Meditation Techniques! 

Body Scan Meditation

A lot of these techniques will focus on certain parts of the body or breath. So for starters we will discuss the Body Scan Meditation. Finding a comfortable position, you can even lay on your back for this practice, begin with focusing on and comfortably slowing your breath. When we talk about recognizing the sensations of the body recognize all the details of your breath. Is it cool or warm? Does your chest or your stomach rise? Breathe in through your nose and out your mouth. 

Moving forward, you can start at the crown of your head or the tips of your toes, follow these steps as you complete your Body Scan Meditation. 

1. Spend 30-60 seconds focusing on each body part
2. Imagine tension or pressure decreasing with each breath
3. Thank each body part for helping you throughout the day
4. Let thoughts come into your mind and kindly redirect your thoughts to your meditation
5. After you have made it through a cycle, start over and compare how each group is feeling on each recurring cycle
6. Has your tension in each area continued to lessen with each breath?
7. Return your focus to your breath and to your surroundings

Stitch Meditation

A great way to keep your hands busy! The term Stitch Meditation was created in 2014 by Liz Kettle, who (like many of us) had a busy and stressful day to day but struggled with traditional “sit-still” meditation practices. Her solution (and a fantastic one in my opinion) was to begin stitching!

Keep in mind, you do NOT have to be an artist or an embroidery enthusiast, or even have experience with a needle and thread. Stitch meditation is all about movement and repetition. As your hands push and pull the thread in and out of the scrap pieces of fabric it is a great time to let your mind relax. Keep in mind there is nothing that needs to be done, you are not creating a masterpiece, and there is nowhere that you need to be at this moment. Now is a good time to focus on your calmed breath and imagine letting go of any tension.

I found this practice while in quarantine, as embroidery was the first hobby I took on during Covid, and it really was a fantastic way to keep my hands busy and my nerves down. Here is a good beginner kit if you’re interested in getting started, but again, it is a good kit for materials (thread and such) and you do not have to follow the suggested patterns.

Mindful Breathing

This will be the closest to sitting still so here, focus on the push and pull of your breath. Take a sticky note and draw a box. (After this exercise, put this sticky note up as a daily reminder to take this moment to yourself when you’re feeling pressure.) Follow the breathing diagram here; 

Step 1 – Start by slowly exhaling all of your air. 

Step 2 – Trace your finger along the top of the box and gently inhale through your nose to a slow count of 4.

Step 3 – While you trace your finger down the right side of the box, hold this full breath for a count of 4.  

Step 4 – Gently exhale through your mouth for a count of 4, while tracing the bottom line of the box. 

Step 5 – Rest for a count of 4 as your finger traces the last side of the box and you return to the top of the box.

Repeat these steps to slow your breathing and focus on the feelings and sensations of each breath.

Mantra Meditation

Repeat a calming word or phrase silently or aloud, allowing it to anchor your mind. This can be a Daily Mantra or Affirmation and can also be an excellent way to calm yourself during a resting meditation. However, I find that using a mantra during a mundane routine like making your morning coffee or brushing your teeth is the perfect time of day to use an affirmation form of meditation. As you focus your intentions on your mantra, picture how it is going to change your day, believe it to have already made these improvements, and will it to be true. You’ve got this!

If you’re having a hard time thinking of some affirmations check out these manifestation cards for some fun ideas!

Walking Meditation

This is the perfect companion to my meditation activity below. Talking yourself on a meditation walk is setting intention for a calm mindset. Focus on each step, feeling the sensations of walking and staying present in the moment. Recognize how the weather feels on your skin and how your body uses its muscles to carry you through this world. This is an excellent practice to strengthen your awareness in your surroundings.7

Loving-Kindness Meditation

Send wishes of love, compassion, and kindness to yourself and others. As you start your meditation journey, keep in mind that this is self-care. Taking time to practice self-care is not selfish. I strongly believe that journaling and acknowledging your thoughts, feelings, and reflections is one of the best self-care and personal growth practices one can embark on. If you’re on a journey of self-care and mental health practices, here’s another article with some easy to do routines & rituals to improve the mundane.

I stand by two journal practices in particular that I have tried and benefitted from. The first, a Gratitude Journal. Completing a gratitude journal entry before bed and listing everything I was grateful for that day – even saying I’m grateful this thing didn’t happen – completely changed how I woke up and addressed the next day. The second, was recommended to me during an english class my freshman year of college. “Burn After Writing Journal,” truly truly cathartic and with the mindset that your words will be burned and unable to be read by others *chef’s kiss gives you the total freedom to be brutally honest with yourself. I found my largest step of growth and overcoming a personal challenge while using this journal. 

If you’re still not sure where to start, here is a set of 100 Daily Meditation Cards to help you get started!

BONUS Meditation Activity

Nature Gathering & Crafting

The first time I successfully meditated I mean really cleared away my anxiety, recognized thoughts and let them go, and sat quietly to myself for an hour and a half without realizing what I was doing – I had immersed myself in nature.

With a basket and garden shears in hand, I went around my yard and collected different leaves, flowers, rocks and sticks. This ended up being an indoor activity since as soon as I sat down in the grass it began to rain – but the rain made for a lovely ambience as I sat myself down in front of a sliding door and listened to the rain drip outside. I chose one tile piece in our living room and decided I would create a design and sit here until the entire square was full. 

Here are the things I noticed while I was working this which was different from other meditation routines I had tried before. 

Movement

If I were born a couple generations later, I would have definitely been a fidget spinner kid. One of the issues I’ve had with visualization or silent sitting meditation is the matter of wanting to move my hands, fingers, and toes. Having a task for my hands with no expectations really helped calm this habit of mine. 

Sensory & Textiles

Very similar to stitch meditation, each of the different nature supplies had different taction in my hands. Whether it be the dried flower petals, palm tree seeds, or the fresh scent of the citrus tree leaves – focusing on how the items felt in my hands or how my other senses interacted with the plant material. 

Letting Myself Think

Like I said earlier, many of us misinterpret meditation to not thinking. In actuality, I was able to relax myself in this setting, my hands were busy, and I had nothing but time to think if I wanted to. Since I created this peaceful exercise (for lack of a better term) my brain let thoughts come in but did not need to fixate on or let the thoughts distract me from my movements.

I hope readers, that you’ll find here an idea or two for starting your own meditation journeys. If you’re still not sure where to start, here is a set of 100 Daily Meditation Cards to help you get started.  Please share if you try any of these techniques & tag @homespun_unrefined on IG if you post any Nature Crafting! I’d love to see your creations!  ❤🔮

This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Please keep in mind, I am knowledgeable of which plants in my yard are safe to handle and not safe to bring into my home. Do your research and do not use plants that you cannot safely identify or that can be harmful to yourself or other household members.