Yoga, Mindfulness, and Meditation

Hello everyone and happy holidays! This post is all about practicing yoga, meditation, and mindfulness; something we all may need more of after this crazy, busy holiday season. If you have not tried yoga before, I encourage you to do so. Yoga helps with flexibility, mobility, breathing, clearing of the mind, focus, and strengthening.

There are several types of yoga and classes you can take so I suggest you to look at the description of the class before taking it. Examples are:

· Anusara= uses the physical practice of yoga to help others open their hearts, experience grace, and let their inner goodness shine through.

· Ashtanga= rigorous style of yoga that follows a specific sequence of postures; where each style links to the next movement in a flowing motion in the exact same order.

· Birkram= follows the same sequence of poses 26 times through in a heated room (sweaty workout for sure).

· Hatha= is a generic term used to describe any yoga class that teaches physical postures. So basically, this is an introductory course!

· Hot Yoga= similar to Birkram yoga but the sequences may be different

· Iyengar= a class focusing on the proper alignment of a pose; using props to assist in the correct pose. Not a lot of movement, but more there is more time spent in the pose.

· Restorative= a nice, relaxing way to restore your sore muscles and receive a perfect stretch. Each pose is held for a specific amount of time rather than a flow through.

· Vinyasa= fluid, movement-intensive practice with the purpose of linking breath to movement. Going from one pose to the next similar to a “dance.”

* “A Beginner’s Guide to 8 Major Styles of Yoga”-GAIAM

Whatever class you decide to try, it will definitely be a new challenge for your mind and body to learn. What I love best about practicing yoga, is that when I show up to class, I know this will be a moment I can specifically put aside to focus on me and what my body is telling me. It is a time where I can set aside my to-do lists, my stresses, negatives about my day, whatever may be going on, I am able to silence my mind and focus on the moment right in front of me. Although this takes practice to do, I would recommend practicing for yourself! Even if that means you practice at home, in a chair, at the gym, in the office, wherever!

I have spoken about mindfulness back in my “Anxiety” post, but if you have not read that yet, I will fill you in on what it means! Mindfulness is the ability to be mindful of what you are doing in the present moment. For example, when you are eating, that means to put full focus on your meal and what it tastes like, the texture, the colors, instead of thinking about other stuff not currently going on. During yoga, you are being mindful of what the pose feels like, the alignment of how you look in the mirrors, the movement of breath through your nose and how it lifts your lungs. Mainly, it is bringing the focus of the NOW.

Meditation by the way is the practice where an individual uses different techniques, such as mindfulness or focusing on the same mantra or object for a particular amount of time to train the mind to be attentive, more aware, and to clear the mind to become at an emotionally calm state.

Yoga, mindfulness, and meditation go hand in hand and when it comes to stressful times or the need to stretch after such a hard workout, this is the way to go. To help your body.

Below are examples of poses and breathing exercises you can start practicing!

Yoga poses you can do in bed: https://blog.paleohacks.com/nighttime-yoga-in-bed/

Yoga poses you can do in a chair:

Breathing exercises:

5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique: 5-Look around and name five things that you see

4-Name four things you can feel

3-Listen for three different sounds

2-Name two things you can smell

1-Name one thing you can taste

3 Category Deep Breathing Technique:

First, focus on breathing through your stomach only. Let your belly rise as

far as you can while counting to four, then exhale counting to four again.

Secondly, focus breathing through your chest only. Expand your ribs counting to

four while inhaling and again exhaling. Finally, focus breathing through your collar-

bone. Inhale and exhale, counting to four again each time. Then repeat the

process for five minutes. I would recommend placing your hand on your heart the

entire session; this will help you focus on the rhythm of your heartbeat along with

the focus on counting.

5 minutes Meditation:

Sit cross legged, hands placed on your knees, sit up straight, and close your eyes. Set

a timer for 5 minutes. Pick a word or mantra you feel best fits you in that moment.

Such as: "I am strong," "I am confident," "I am the child of God." Whatever seems to

stick with you in that moment, repeat that to yourself over and over in your head for

the entire 5 minutes. By focusing on this mantra or phrase, you may find yourself to

drag off, which is perfect and a sign you are in the "zone." Be mindful of your

breathing and focus on keeping your focus on your phrase only!