MINDFULNESS-BASED COMPASSIONATE LIVING

2015 Erik van den Brink and Frits Koster

MOVEMENT EXERCISES TO OPEN THE HEART

Besides the movement exercises you already learned in the mindfulness training, you can use
the following yoga stretches during the sessions and/or in the additional silent session. They
are aimed at activating and opening the heart and at cultivating feelings of love, joy and
harmony. Just as in the movement exercises in MBSR/MBCT, you dont need to strive for
certain experiences. Whatever you feel is okay, just note the experience as it is, whether the
feeling tone or the accompanying judgments and reactions are pleasant or unpleasant.

BREATHING OF THE HEART

Stand with your legs a bit more than hip width apart, and keep the knees and ankles soft. Your
lower abdominal muscles are slightly active. Stretch out your arm in front of you at shoulder
level, as if you embracing an enormous tree. Your shoulders are relaxed and the palms of
your hands are turned inward.

1. On an in breath bring your palms towards your chest just in front of your heart. Feel the
opening in your chest and fill yourself with a kind wish or wholesome energy.
2. On an out breath move your palms away from you. You can softly let go with this gesture.
Slightly bend the knees as you move. Turn your palms inwards again, and you will
automatically return to the starting position.

Repeat the exercise at least five times, keeping the concentration on the qualities of love, joy
or gratitude; or on one of the Four Friends for Life from session 6 (loving-kindness,
compassion, sympathetic joy or equanimity), for example, I receive love on an inhalation, I
give love on an exhalation.

Starting position 1. 2.
BREATHING FOR A BIGGER HEART

Stand with your legs a bit more than hip width apart, and keep the knees and ankles soft. The
muscles in your lower abdomen are slightly active. Your arms are crossed in front of your
lower abdomen, right in front of left.

1. On an in breath lift your elbows as if you are taking off a pullover. The right arm is in
front of the left arm.
2. Lift your arms all the way up over your head.
3. On an out breath let your arms come down sideways and cross them again in front of the
lower belly, this time left in front of right.
Repeat the exercise at least five times, alternating the way the arms are crossed. Keep
focusing your attention on your heart. Notice what you feel when the arms go up and come
down again.

Starting position 1. 2. 3.

WATERMILL

Stand with your feet hip width apart, and keep the knees and ankles soft. Your lower
abdominal muscles are slightly active. On an in breath move your arms sideways and
upwards whilst still being able to see them from the corners of your eyes. The palms are open
and face upwards. Your shoulders are relaxed.

1. On an out breath turn your torso to the right and move your right arm backwards and
downwards. Follow with your face. It is if you are scooping up water.
2. On an in breath you bring the same arm forwards and upwards again in a flowing
movement, making a circle with your arm, as it were.

Now change arms and make sure that you have made at least five circles with each arm. Keep
all joints soft and feel the flow of energy from your heart connecting with your hands.
 Starting position 1. 2.

MIRRORING

Stand with your feet hip width apart. Let your arms go upwards and forwards as far as
shoulder height. The palms are facing away from you. Turn the palm of the right hand
towards you, so that you can look at it.

1. Breathe in. On the next out breath you move the opened hand backwards and sideways in
a half circle. Follow with your eyes as the opened palm moves backwards. Both elbows
and wrists stay at shoulder height.
2. Stay like this for a while and continue to breathe calmly. Focus your attention on the
slight stretching of the breastbone. Then breathe in again and move the back arm
sideways to the front, so that it is close to the other arm again.

Now change hands and turn the palm of the left hand to face you. Move the left arm
backwards in a half circle on an out breath. Your eyes follow the palm of your hand again.
Continue to breathe and on an in breath bring the arm back to the front. Repeat this five times
with both hands.

Side view Front view 1. 2.

SEAT OF THE HEART

Be careful when doing this exercise if you have trouble with your ankles, knees or hips, and
dont keep your arms over your head for too long if you have high blood pressure, shoulder
or neck complaints, or a heart condition.

1. Stand with your feet hip width apart. The muscles in your lower abdomen are slightly
active, and the pelvis is in a neutral position. On an in breath lift your arms sideways until
they are above your head, and place the palms against each other.
2. Breathe out, bend the elbows and put the palms together just above your forehead.
3. Breathe in, stretch the arms above your head again, keep the palms together and bend the
knees, as if you are going to sit down on a chair. Feel the opening in the chest area.
Breathe out, bend the elbows downwards once more and straighten the knees.

Repeat point 2 and 3 five times and eventually coming back to the starting position.

1. 2. 3.

VISUALISATION SHARING

Breathe in, lift your arms sideways and upwards over your head.

1. Visualise a shower of light in the palms of your hands.

2. and 3. Breathe out and take the light down with your hands through your crown, face,
neck, chest and belly. Take your time with this.
3. Do so until you have come to a standing posture with your arms hanging loosely by
your side.

Offer a peaceful wish to yourself or someone else you know and who could do with some
support at the moment. Remain in the standing meditation posture for a while.

Repeat the exercise once or twice, and if you like you may also choose another person
to direct the wish to.
 1. 2. 3. 4.

SOURCES

We are grateful to yoga teacher and visual writer Kim Ravers (www.customheartwork.nl), who has developed
and illustrated these yoga exercises. They are derived from Dru Yoga, also known as the yoga of the heart
(Barrington et al., 2005). There is a British study of the efficacy of this form of yoga in the measure of well-
being and resilience to work stress amongst university employees (Hartfiel et al., 2011). Compared to the control
group on the waiting list, participants who attended a yoga session at least once a week for six weeks (they also
received a 35-minutes CD to practise with at home as they saw fit) showed considerable improvement in mental
well-being, contentment and self-confidence in stressful situations.