What Is Mindful Movement and How Can It Help with hEDS and HSD?

Estimated reading time: 9 minutesMindful movement is the practice of bringing focused, non-judgmental attention to the body as it moves, paying gentle attention to sensation, breath, and alignment.

For people living with hEDS, HSD, or hypermobility, it offers a gentle approach to movement that can reduce chronic pain, regulate the nervous system, ease fear of movement, and rebuild a compassionate relationship with your body.

It is not about pushing harder or moving more, but moving with intention. Going low and going slow, and learning to listen to what your body is telling you.

Most of us have probably heard of mindfulness if we live with chronic pain. It is often suggested that the practice of mindfulness can be helpful in pain management.

I think it is really important to clarify that suggesting this does not mean that people think the pain is in our heads and we can ‘think’ our way out of pain.

There is a great deal of research into mindfulness practices, largely in relation to chronic pain, but not in relation to symptomatic hypermobility. A recent systematic review found that mindfulness interventions were beneficial in reducing pain intensity (1).

I think if something potentially works for chronic pain management, it can help with hypermobility management. The main reason people come to see me or join The Zebra Club is that they have ongoing pain that is difficult to manage.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing full, non-judgmental attention to the present moment, noticing thoughts, sensations, and feelings as they are without trying to change or resist them.

We ideally want to foster an attitude of openness and curiosity in a non-judgmental way. It can be hard to be non-judgmental here – we can be hard on ourselves and can lack self-compassion.

This is not about forcing your thoughts to stop or making yourself relax, but noticing what is there with gentleness.

We can practice mindfulness through breath awareness, meditation, or simply being present in the moment while doing our everyday activities.

When we add movement to the practice of mindfulness, it is powerful. It can also make mindfulness more attainable.

What is Mindful Movement?

Mindful movement is the practice of bringing focused, intentional awareness to the body as it moves, paying gentle attention to sensation, breath, alignment, and pace.

Mindful movement is also known as somatic movement, movement meditation, or moving meditation — different names for the same principle of bringing conscious awareness to how the body moves through space.

I have found this invaluable to my own personal practice as I rehabbed myself from the chronic pain of my hypermobility.

I was in a body that had caused me pain and injury, and this was something I only noticed properly when it started to complain and hurt.

Mindful movement allowed me to take a radically new approach to my movement practice.

It is the practice of bringing our focused awareness to the body as it moves, paying attention gently to sensations, breath, alignment, and intention.

We are fully present when moving – whether we are doing a movement class on my YouTube channel, attending an in-person class, going for a walk, or simply participating in daily activities and chores.

We try to avoid being on autopilot because it is in paying attention that we can start to make changes.

I am a huge fan of the quality of movement over quantity. I would rather my clients did two or three reps well with awareness, integrated breath, and control, as opposed to three sets of ten done in a rush without proper attention to form and bodily signals.

Mindful movement may be one way for people who struggle with practicing mindfulness to access mindfulness training (2). I have found it to be particularly helpful for neurodivergent patients who may find meditating or breathwork alone challenging. Adding movement can be a welcome addition.

Many people in the hEDS and HSD community are also neurodivergent; whether that means living with ADHD, autism, sensory processing differences, or other conditions that affect how the nervous system processes stillness and internal focus.

For some, being asked to sit quietly and observe the breath can feel overstimulating, frustrating, or simply out of reach – another thing to feel like you’re failing at. Mindful movement offers a different entry point: something concrete to pay attention to.

What Are the Benefits of Mindful Movement for hEDS and HSD?

Here are some of the benefits of mindful movement:

Improved body awareness and proprioception

One of the most significant benefits of mindful movement for people with hEDS and HSD is improved body awareness and proprioception, your body’s ability to sense where it is in space.

Understanding how our bodies feel and move can aid in better alignment and injury prevention. We become aware of habits or movement patterns that may be contributing to our pain.

In hypermobility conditions, proprioception is often impaired, which can lead to feelings of clumsiness or disconnection from the physical self, not knowing where your body ends, or moving without realising you’ve gone too far.

Mindful movement directly addresses this by asking us to slow down and pay attention. When we move deliberately, noticing the weight of a limb or the sensation of a joint in motion, we are actively retraining that sense of body position, which over time builds greater control and coordination and improved posture.

Nervous system regulation and pain

Mindful movement also supports nervous system regulation, which is especially important in hEDS/HSD.

Many people in this community describe living in a state of constant dysregulation, a nervous system that feels stuck in overdrive, always braced, always on alert. This is particularly relevant where dysautonomia is part of the picture.

Slow, intentional movement helps settle the system, supporting a calmer, more balanced autonomic nervous system rather than pushing it further into stress. This matters for pain, too.

Research supports the use of mindfulness-based approaches for reducing pain intensity in chronic pain conditions (4), and one pilot study specifically in people with hEDS found that an online mindfulness program significantly reduced pain intensity and improved quality of life outcomes in participants (3). Moving mindfully gives the nervous system something steady and safe to attend to, which over time can help shift the body out of that heightened state.

Fear of movement, pacing, and safety

Many people with hEDS/HSD may have become fearful of movement and exercise. This is completely understandable. If exercise has repeatedly led to pain, injury, or flares, the nervous system learns to treat movement as a threat.

This can develop into kinesiophobia, a debilitating fear of movement rooted in feeling vulnerable to reinjury, and it is far more common in this community than is often acknowledged.

Mindful movement offers a gentle way back. Because it asks us to go low and go slow, to pause, to listen, and never to push through, it gives the nervous system time to learn that movement can be safe.

It helps us tune into our bodies more, our energy levels, and signals that we need to stop and rest. This is crucial for those managing fatigue conditions or post-exertional malaise (PEM).

For many people, this is what finally breaks the boom-and-bust cycle: not pushing harder on good days, but moving consistently and within limits on all days

Stress, mood, and self-compassion

Physical movement with a mindful focus can also help reduce anxiety and stress, and research supports this. A meta-analysis found that mindfulness interventions had a meaningful impact on reducing anxiety and depression (4).

Living with hEDS/HSD can feel isolating. We may try a movement, go too far without meaning to, and hurt ourselves. We can be incredibly hard on ourselves in those moments.

Mindful movement encourages a different approach, one that is curious rather than critical, patient rather than punishing, and that gently builds self-compassion over time.

Why Is Mindful Movement a Different Approach to Exercise with EDS?

Mindful movement is different from conventional exercise for hEDS and HSD because it prioritises joint control, proprioceptive retraining, and nervous system safety over intensity, repetition, or range of motion.

With hypermobility and EDS, we know that patients lack proprioceptive awareness. This lack of awareness can lead to uncontrolled movements that potentially lead to sprains and injuries.

With a slower, mindful approach to movement as developed in my Integral Movement Method, we can build control, confidence, and gentle self-compassion.

All too often, we can feel that we are not listened to and sometimes experience increased pain or injury due to exercise or physical therapy (5,6). This understandably can increase fear of movement.

Mindful movement practices give us the space to go low, go slow. To pause, to assess, and work at our own pace.

By paying attention to alignment and sensation, we are less likely to overextend, lock joints, or continue habitual movement patterns that may not be beneficial.

It also helps retrain the brain to sense joint position and body position, improving coordination, balance, and control.

In the qualitative study of my online modified Pilates program based on the IMM, participants noted that the slower pace helped them avoid injury, with one commenting that it “helped me not injure myself” (7).

Another participant shared something that stays with me:

“The course had a psychological impact as well. I was able to feel safe and seen on a level I have never experienced before when starting a new exercise program” (7).”

Can Mindful Movement Be a Form of Meditation?

Dynamic meditation, sometimes called movement meditation or moving meditation, is the practice of using the body’s movement as the focus of meditative attention — replacing stillness with intentional motion.

For people who find traditional seated or lying meditation difficult due to pain, restlessness, or neurodivergence, dynamic meditation offers the same regulatory and nervous system benefits through movement instead of stillness.

Traditional meditation practices usually involve sitting or lying still and focusing the mind on the breath, an object, or a word or mantra.

It can help reduce stress and build mental stillness and clarity. This is a great practice that does not involve physical movement.

If stillness is challenging, mindful movement meditations can be a great addition. We move with softness, fully present in our breath and aware of our body moving in space.

In particular, I like to tune into sensation when moving. The feel of the weight of the body, the pull of gravity, the sensation of the bones moving slowly in space.

Many of the classes I have created for The Zebra Club in the Mindful & Stress and Sleep & Fatigue sections of the platform integrate this practice of dynamic or moving meditation.

How Do You Get Started with Mindful Movement?

My IMM is an integrated approach. The five overarching steps guide you into mindful movement, starting with Unwinding. Woven through each of these steps are six core principles: Breath, Relaxation, Proprioception, Stability, Balance, and Posture.

Here is how to begin:

• Go low and Go Slow:Try starting with short, gentle movement sessions or snacks. Deliberate, slow movements give you time to notice how your body is feeling, and help your nervous system learn that movement is safe.
• Breath: Breath is the first of the six principles of the IMM, and it is where every practice begins. Use it as your thermometer. It will tell you how you are feeling, anxious, relaxed, or calm, and notice where it goes, how it feels, and how it moves around the body.
• Quality over quantity: It is not about high intensity or high reps. Two or three movements done with full awareness and control will always serve you better than ten done on autopilot.
• Curiosity: Can we be curious, not critical? Approach each move with curiosity – how does this feel, do I enjoy it?  Back off if something feels unsafe, or increases pain or instability. Try to explore with kindness; there is no perfect way to move. Just what feels right for you.
• Use supports: If you need extra supports like pillows, blankets, seated in a chair, or on the bed, that is perfectly ok. Use what you need to feel safe. Feeling safe in our bodies is essential for nervous system regulation.
• Little and often: It is better to do a couple of reps regularly than a long session occasionally. Consistency is key in brain retraining, and small amounts of movement practised frequently build lasting change.
• Create a calm place to practice if possible: Initially, a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted can be helpful. Soothing music, scents, soft blankets, whatever supports your practice and signals to your nervous system that it is time to slow down.
• Enjoyment: I would like everyone to enjoy movement. We often see exercise as a chore, something we have to do, but mindful movement can foster pleasure in moving and being present.

If you are ready to try mindful movement for hypermobility, this 20-minute gentle flow is a good place to start. No equipment is needed, and it is suitable for all levels and abilities.

FAQ

What is Mindful Movement?

Mindful movement is the practice of bringing focused, non-judgmental awareness to the body as it moves, paying attention to sensation, breath, and alignment. It is sometimes called somatic movement or moving meditation and prioritises quality of movement over quantity or speed.

How does mindfulness help with EDS?

Mindfulness can help calm an overactive nervous system, reduce chronic pain intensity, ease anxiety around movement, and improve body awareness — all particularly relevant in hEDS and HSD. Research supports mindfulness-based approaches for pain and quality of life in EDS.

What are the simple mindful movements?

Simple starting points include slow pelvic rolls, shoulder circles, and gentle ankle circles done with breath awareness. The goal is not complexity but presence: paying attention to how each movement feels rather than how many repetitions you complete.

Can mindful movement help if I am scared to exercise because of EDS?

Yes. Mindful movement is specifically designed for people who have developed fear or apprehension around movement after injury or pain. Its slow, intentional pace gives your nervous system time to feel safe, which is the starting point for rebuilding movement confidence.

Is mindful movement the same as somatic movement?

The terms overlap significantly. Both describe bringing conscious awareness to how the body moves and feels. Mindful movement, somatic movement, and moving meditation are different names for a similar principle: the quality of attention you bring to movement matters as much as the movement itself.

I can’t meditate sitting still because of pain. Can mindful movement help?

Yes. Mindful movement is a form of moving or dynamic meditation that does not require stillness. It can offer the same nervous system and pain benefits as seated meditation, making it particularly suited to people with hEDS, HSD, or chronic pain conditions.

What is the Integral Movement Method (IMM)?

The Integral Movement Method is Jeannie Di Bon’s structured approach to mindful movement for people with hEDS, HSD, and hypermobility. It follows five stages: Unwind, Explore, Assess, Refine, and Reflect, underpinned by six core principles including Breath, Proprioception, and Stability, building movement confidence gradually through body awareness and breath.

Does mindful movement help with nervous system regulation in EDS?

Yes. Mindful movement supports the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs rest and recovery. This is particularly relevant in hEDS and HSD, where chronic pain and dysautonomia can keep the nervous system in a state of heightened alert. Slow, attentive movement helps shift this balance.

Jeannie Di Bon

Jeannie Di Bon is a movement therapist, educator and author specializing in hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and chronic pain. She is the founder of The Zebra Club app and the creator of the Integral Movement Method.