Moving Meditation: How I Stacked Rocks, Threw Punches, and Fought My Way Out of Depression

By Shaun “Beastman” Anderson

There was a time in my life when just making it through the day felt like a battle. Depression doesn’t always look like sadness—it can look like silence, distraction, anger, or even achievement. But deep down, I was hurting. And it wasn’t until I committed to my healing that I started discovering tools to help me stay grounded, grow, and come alive again.

One of the biggest shifts came when I learned how to express myself.

That might sound simple. But expression is more than just talking—it’s about connecting with what you actually feel, and allowing it to move through you.

In therapy, I participated in a type of role-play or psychodrama where we acted out the issues we were wrestling with. People stood in as physical representations of my feelings—shame, fear, anger, guilt. And for the first time, I could actually talk to those emotions.

I saw them outside myself.

I gave them names.

I faced them.

And that changed me.

Another shift came from writing.

Every morning, I’d set a timer for seven minutes and just write. I didn’t plan. I didn’t edit. I just let the thoughts fall onto the page as they came.

It blew my mind how much clarity I found. No filters. No expectations. Just raw honesty. I started seeing the patterns in my thinking. I started finding meaning in the mess.

But one of the most powerful tools I discovered… was stacking rocks.

Yeah. Literally stacking rocks.

I would go out into nature—broken, tired, angry—and I’d just start stacking rocks. No music. No phone. Just me, my breath, and gravity.

At first, it was just a distraction. But then it became something more.

Every stone became a prayer.

Every balance point, a moment of presence.

Eventually, I realized I wasn’t just stacking rocks. I was building a tiny cathedral. An altar. A place to say thank you—or help me—without needing words.

That’s the power of moving meditation.

Martial arts is my lifelong practice. But I now understand it through a deeper lens: every form, every kata, every punch thrown in rhythm and flow—it’s all a form of moving meditation.

You don’t need to sit perfectly still to heal.

You don’t need to chant a mantra or go off-grid.

Sometimes, healing looks like:

• shadowboxing your demons,

• bowing before a mat to honor your journey,

• or taking a deep breath as you line up one more stone.

When I’m practicing my martial art—whether it’s a form I’ve done a thousand times or a technique I’m teaching a child for the first time—I’m not worrying about yesterday. I’m not stressing about tomorrow.

I’m right here.

Present.

Grounded.

Alive.

For anyone navigating darkness—this is your invitation.

Stack rocks.

Write.

Move your body.

Breathe.

And talk to the feelings you’ve been afraid to face.

Healing isn’t always pretty.

But it’s always worth it.

And you don’t have to do it alone.

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Tags:

#MensMentalHealth #MovingMeditation #MindfulnessInMotion #HeroverseHealing #MartialArtsForRecovery #LotusEnterprise #MentalHealthAwareness #LiveYourBeastLife

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