Mahasati movement meditation (Luangpor Teean)

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · Luangpor Teean Jittasubho · 1957 · Loei Province, Thailand

What it is

Mahasati ("great mindfulness") meditation is a Thai Theravada contemplative practice, often called "dynamic" or "movement" meditation. Luangpor Teean (lay name Pann Intapew; 1911–1988, from Loei Province, north-east Thailand) was a layman and village head who, by the lineage's account, set out in…

Format

• Format and dose. The tradition asks for continuity across the whole day in all four postures (sitting, standing, walking, lying), "lightly and gently", eyes open; postures are alternated to relieve pain or fatigue, while the manual warns that stopping practice when tired breaks the "chain of…
• The therapist's framework alongside (synthesis). (1) Assess and agree: spiritual history, the client's goals for practice and for therapy, consent to discuss practice in sessions. (2) Integrate, client-led: use the client's language (sati, roop-nahm, "seeing thought") where they wish. (3) Monitor:…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• agitation, insomnia or racing thoughts after intensifying practice.
• striding fast and absorbed in thought; using walking to avoid rest when exhausted.
• practice time growing, distress when interrupted, reassurance-seeking about practice.
• the client's fear of disloyalty; the therapist's own bias for or against religious authority.
• reluctance to disclose to the centre; expectations that a retreat will "fix" a clinical problem.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.