Bodily Melodic Patterns

Abstract

This study adopts a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experience of moving meditation—particularly Tàijí and Qìgōng—in relation to illness. Focused on the concepts of animation, that include, among others, the phenomena of movement and emotions, and body schema, as a pre-reflective awareness, the research investigates how self-movement and affectivity constitute modes of being-in-the-world. The study was conducted using semi-structured micro-phenomenological and focusing interviews with practitioners, with and without medical conditions, to identify generic structures of the experience. Six generic basic units were identified: disposition, nature of movement, natural breathing, pre-reflective bodily awareness, grounding, and emotional flow. These units may form a non-linear diachronic structure that reveals the rhythmic and intentional harmony between movement and emotions. In the experience of illness, the animated organism’s harmony is disrupted, expressed as affective-kinesthetic patterns unique to each existential situation. The findings suggest that through continuous practice, moving meditation promotes the regulation of these patterns and may restore the person’s connection with the world. The study introduces the notion of bodily melodic patterns to describe this integrative process, that highlights the dynamic unity of movement, emotion, and awareness. Emphasizing the first-person perspective, the study offers a framework to explore the lived experience of patients in medical practice, reaffirming the embodied and affective dimensions of human life.