I’m a big fan of somatic meditation – which is really just a fancy word for noticing what you don’t want to feel in your body and then bringing you awareness into that space and opening and relaxing into the discomfort you find there. Sometimes that is all that’s needed. I’m amazed that feeling states that once upon would have spiraled can soften and dissolve in minutes. But there are also times when movement works better than meditation.

Meditation Is Not Magic

Meditation is not magic. It’s not a silver bullet. Sometimes no matter how much “allowing” and “befriending” I’m doing, I feel stuck in a mood state that is, shall we say, less than ideal (think heavy lethargic energy or irritated annoyance).

Sometimes Movement Works Better Than Meditation

Over years I’ve noticed that in that stuckness sometimes the only thing that helps is motion. Movement. The energy needs a little help to be ushered along if it’s not moving on its own. For me that movement has always been running. Now, I don’t mean serious running. No strava app. No watches tracking stats or speed. I just put on running shoes and do a slow jog. So slow, in fact, that my husband calls it “assisted drifting”. I find that funny. It’s true. What’s also true is that it works. It’s like a moving meditation. A slight sweat. My mind floats off for 30 minutes, no demands. Thoughts come and go.

What To Do When You Really Don’t Feel Like Moving

Of course there are days when perhaps I could benefit from movement, but I actually don’t feel like moving at all. Often that means I don’t move. I’ve found forcing the body doesn’t work – sure it might seem to work that afternoon or that week, but sooner rather than later forcing backfires into rebellion and non-compliance.

Coaxing in those moments works better. I reassure myself I can just walk if I don’t feel like jogging. In those moments putting on my running shoes and tying my laces is a little leap of faith. A moment of surrender to a deeper knowing that movement is needed – a knowing that stems from years of having been here before. Perhaps it’s my version of going to church. It’s got little to do with fitness and everything to do with accessing ease.