5 Ways Mindful Movement Can Enhance Your Health

Written By Kylie Walsh

By Hyon Joo Hong, Non-Physician Osteopathic Manual Therapist

“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.” – Carol Welch

Exercise is great for keeping fit, but sometimes we need more than just a workout to transform our health and wellness. By connecting mindfully to our bodies on a regular basis, there are profound benefits that can touch every aspect of our lives. You move, you feel, you sense, and you connect, and each time you do this, you are able to communicate more deeply with your body.

Why is this necessary? Isn’t exercise enough? You might ask. 

When we simply follow exercise instructions rather than embodying them or we follow external cues but ignore our bodies’ internal cues, we may put unnecessary pressure on ourselves and our bodies. This can potentially lead to injuries and pain. Learning different ways to “listen” to our bodies is just as important as it is to develop muscles and increase bone density. 

I’d like to share how mindful movement practices can support and enhance your healing journey by increasing bodily awareness through the process of embodiment and understanding the nuances of movements.

1. Tune Into Your Body’s Wisdom

Mindful movement practices help you tune into your body with deeper awareness. This heightened body awareness means you’re more in tune with how you move, where you hold pain and tension, and how to release it. This approach helps you recognize when something is off in your body and take proactive steps to correct it. Ignoring or misinterpreting the body’s signals may leave you unable to recognize potential pain, while understanding and embodying them help you recognize what feels safe and nourishing for you. “The core of our self-awareness rests on the physical sensations that convey the inner states of the body” (Bessel van der Kolk from “The body keeps the score”).

2. Mindful Movement Builds Resilience & Flexibility

Moshe Feldenkrais once said, “What I’m after isn’t flexible bodies, but flexible brains." Flexibility isn’t just about how far you can stretch; it’s about creating a resilient body that can adapt to the stresses of daily life. By moving with intention and awareness, you develop flexibility that supports your body’s natural alignment and adaptability. This resilience, both of your body and mind, helps you navigate daily stresses more effectively, reducing the risk of injury and enhancing your zest of life. Ultimately, you gain control over your body, emotions, and sense of self by building a connection and trust with your inner resilience and flexibility.

3. Strengthen your body from the inside out

Core strength is the foundation for a healthy body. While people often think of the core as the abdominal muscles, there is much more nuance to the topic of “core strength”. People who’ve experienced acute back pain are often surprised to realize that lifting a small cup of water requires tremendous core work. Developing true core strength involves engaging your whole body in a coordinated way, which not only improves posture and balance but also enhances your ability to move with ease and prevent injury in everyday activities. By supporting your spine and improving your overall stability, you will be less prone to injury or chronic pain. 

4. Create More Energy Flow with Mindful Movement

Good circulation is key to healing. Mindful movement practices are all about getting your energy (qi) flowing by balancing and harmonizing your body’s systems. By moving in ways that enhance your blood flow, you’re helping your body deliver the nutrients it needs to heal. When your energy flows freely, it allows your body to clear blockages. By focusing on slow, deliberate movements and synchronized breathing, you not only enhance circulation but also balance your body’s internal energy. You might even find yourself tuning into energies that extend beyond your physical body, deepening your sense of connection with yourself and the world around you.

5. Connect Mind & Body

Understanding the link between your mind and body (and beyond!) is crucial for achieving health. This mind-body connection means you’re more in tune with what’s going on inside, making it easier to understand and respond to the signals your body is giving you. For example, if I’m feeling a bit fatigued before my menstruation, tuning into how my body moves and feels can help me make adjustments to my activity level, as well as to my sleep and diet. This deeper awareness can reveal connections you might not have noticed before, allowing you to address the root cause more effectively. 

Where Osteopathy Meets Mindful Movement Practices for Health

Osteopathy treats the whole person - mind, body, spirit.

Osteopaths use their hands to feel the body’s intricate and complicated systems and work gently with the body to improve range of motion, tissue tension, alignment, blood flow, and nerve supply to overused and injured areas, resulting in a decrease in pain and an increase in function.

Our work aims to bring you in closer relationship to your body, its movements  and sensations. This helps you communicate and understand what your body needs and when. Mindful movement practice is a great way to rehabilitate your body or prepare it when moving on to more intense workouts or high-impact activities. This collaborative approach helps maintain the benefits of osteopathic treatment and prevent injury by ensuring your body is resilient. The founder of Osteopathy, A.T. Still, believed that the body's ‘pharmacy’ lies within. Movement, when combined with osteopathy, or vice versa, supports this internal pharmacy, helping your body heal itself more efficiently.

At Nourish Osteo & Wellness, we collaborate with local and highly skilled movement practitioners across the Bay Area. Whether it’s Pilates, Yoga, or another practice that resonates with you, you will be supported by movement teachers who understand the nuances of your body’s needs. As Bonnie Gintis, D.O., once said, “The territory of embodied exploration is endless”. If you are looking to start your journey, explore these local movement studios to find a practice that complements your osteopathic treatments and supports your personal journey of body inquiry.

Pilates (where mindful movement meets body awareness for lasting strength and balance)

Rehab-based Pilates: 

General Pilates: 

Yoga (where breath and movement meet to restore inner calm and harmony)

Alexander technique (where refined awareness and intentional movement lead to effortless ease and living)

Martial Arts (where disciplined practice and focus enhance agility and resilience) 

Dance 

Personal Trainer

If you are a movement studio that would like to learn more about osteopathy and collaborate, please get in touch at hello@nourishosteo.com. 

Kylie Walsh
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