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The practice of mindfulness is introduced as a mental exercise, with careful attention drawn to inner experience. However, there is also a component of mindfulness that includes the physical dimension of experience as well. In all of the spiritual disciplines that involve some aspects of mindful awareness, the monks who practice it are also committed to a discipline of physical labor as part of the practice. This is actually supported by the neurological organization of our brains. There is a major circuit of the brain (neurons that work together) that ties the emotional centers, the thought centers, and physical work, especially work involving our hands, together. Thoughts, emotions, and physical movement mutually influence each other. It is artificial to think of them as separate. So practice mindfulness when you are engaging in physical movement too. You might notice that mindful movement helps to bring the emotions and thoughts into better balance. John Weaver, Psy.D.