Creating the perfect environment and space to ensure you have a mindful yoga practice is almost impossible. . . at least, from the outside. I often refer to a journal article I read about a yoga instructor who looked for the perfect space to hold her yoga retreat. Once she found it, she couldn’t wait to welcome her students and begin this mindful experience in this space that seemed so perfect. It was in a tropical setting with the natural breeze flowing through the space and the sound of nature all around. The temperatures were perfect at this beautiful get away destination. Everything seemed set! Then, she began her first session, only to realize construction was happening nearby and the sound of a jackhammer was overpowering all the sounds of nature she had so purposefully sought after. What a disappointment.
But no, she made it a learning experience instead. There is no such thing as a perfect space whether it’s for practice, meditation, or quietness. There will more than likely always be something from the outside that wants to distract us from having a mindful practice. But isn’t this life? Does any day go by that you can say was the perfect day without distraction or disturbing thoughts? Since we want to create a yoga practice that helps us in our day to day life, why wouldn’t we embrace this situation and learn from it. Grow from it.
“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” – Hermann Hesse
Instead of being disappointed that something didn’t quite pan out like you wanted, try and use it as an opportunity to grow your practice of staying present and being mindful. Here are four strategies that will create a more mindful yoga practice:
1)Bring your attention inward.
This seems so simple, yet can yield a very different result when you mindfully adhere to it. If you are feeling very scattered and unfocused, start in child’s pose. It’s what I refer to as a closed yoga pose which will naturally start to bring your energy inward. If your eyes are closed and your forehead is on the mat, your visual senses won’t be distracted, allowing you to draw even further inward. If you are feeling lethargic or closed already, you may need to try reaching, twisting, and stretching to create energy for your practice.
Once you’ve either focused your energy or created some energy, come to a comfortable position (or stay where you are) and start to bring your awareness to how you’re feeling. We call it taking an inventory of your body and mind. Where is there tension? Do you feel stress? Is your mind jumping all over the place? Even just acknowledging each of these starts to bring your awareness inward and not on the things around you. Noticing tension you have been carrying all day can help you start to let it go. Noticing that your neck, shoulder or jaw are extremely tight can help you move inward. Just noticing. Noticing you, and not what’s around you.
As you become aware of the tensions you are holding onto, you begin your mindfulness. Not fixating on them, but noticing, accepting, and then working to let them go. If your mind starts to wander, bring it back to the things you are working to let go. It is a very personal and mindful task – nobody around you is even aware of what you are working on. You will eventually notice that the tension or stress starts to disappear, your mind and body are letting it go, and you don’t go back to it because it is no longer there. It is a very beautiful part of the practice.
2) Focus on your breath.
Although similar to the previous strategy, this one draws you in even further. You start to become aware of whether your breath is shallow and fast or if you are able to slow it down and draw a much deeper, fuller breath. Noticing the breath along the back of your throat reminds you to breathe through your nose and notice how it feels as you open the back of your throat. You start to notice the belly rise and fall (if you are on your backs) or fill up and then relax if you are seated. This means your diaphragm is at work, contracting and pressing downward to create space for your lungs to expand, and then relaxing as you exhale and allowing the belly to return to its original position. This type of belly breathing reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and alleviates anxiety. Sadly, many will unlearn this type of breathing as they age, being coached to “suck in” their stomachs to look thinner and because most don’t take those nice big inhales they did when they were younger.
If this still isn’t yielding a mindful experience, you can count the breath, starting with the length of inhale and exhale. If you count to 4 on the inhale, count to 4 or 5 on the exhale. The exhale can continue to be longer than the inhale as you want to completely empty the lung of breath before taking the next inhale. Performing this exercise for 1 minute can create a more mindful, inward experience. The counting keeps the brain busy, too, so it’s not distracted by things around you.
Finally, if stress is still creeping in, box breathing is very effective. In box breathing, you will begin by completely exhaling all the breath out of the lungs. Then, begin by inhaling to the count of 4, hold the breath to the count of 4, exhale to the count of 4, and hold to the count of 4 before beginning the cycle again. Continue this for about 1 minute, and then return to normal breath. The brain is busy, the breath is slowing down, and the mindfulness journey continues.
3) Redirect your thoughts.
You can’t control what thoughts pop into your head! All of a sudden they are just there. But, you can control your response to them. There are several ways to respond that will help your yoga practice be more mindful.
The first strategy is this idea of observing your thoughts without judgment. Step outside of yourself for a moment and just examine the thought from afar. Then either accept it and hold onto it, or let it go by changing the direction of the thought process. The mind loves to dwell on negative thoughts and experiences, creating very strong neurological pathways for negative thought processes. I’ve heard it described that negative thoughts are like velcro and positive thoughts are like teflon. That can be reversed. By switching the negative thought to a thought of gratitude, you have just interrupted that negative neurological pathway, making it weaker and the gratitude response stronger. Nothing around you changed. The stimulus that initiated the first negative thought may still be present, but your response to it changed, thus creating a mindful, grateful neurological pathway rather than strengthening the negative neurological pathway.
4) Focus on the physical part of the posture
The last strategy is to deepen the physical part of your practice. If you’re in child’s pose and thinking about how boring it is and wondering how long you have to stay there, try changing the thought process to “How can I make this a more meaningful posture?” Maybe relaxing your jaw, opening up your shoulders more, noticing the muscles in the back lengthening, or feeling the low back release will allow you to sink into it in a way that brings meaning and not boredom. Just hanging out in child’s pose isn’t going to be the same experience as being mindful about what is happening in the posture.
If the instructor seems to be going slower than usual, take the time to work through the cues you’ve learned that align with that pose and see if you can do more with it. In Warrior II, the lunge could be deeper, the arms stronger, the length of your stride further apart. If the instructor is going faster than usual, give yourself permission to slow your practice down and meet your body where it’s at. It is your practice. Focusing on the intricacies of the posture at your pace keeps your mind present and inward, not worrying about what everyone else is doing or other distractions.
I once had a yoga teacher who wisely said, “moving into the pose is the pose.” Being mindful of transitions and making adjustments as you move into a pose is just as powerful as the pose itself. Yoga is an experience and everyone in the room is having their own experience, including you. Embrace it!
In conclusion, life happens. Distractions happen. Racing and negative thoughts happen. But using these 4 strategies can help cope even in our everyday lives.
You can find more articles like this when you subscribe to my blog. Namaste