If you’re focusing on your physical body, it might be the right moment to engage your mind as well.
With the graduate school semester behind me, I’m finally attending to some much-needed self-care by joining a nearby yoga studio. My practice has been irregular with all that’s happening globally and the increased time pressures of grad school coupled with full-time work. However, given my busy schedule, it’s become all the more crucial to carve out time for self-care.
While my yoga practice had been far less regular in recent months, with only outdoor classes once a week, I dedicated myself to nurturing something different. Over the last year, I’ve taken mindfulness and meditation more seriously. I have explored everything from solo quiet time to a Calm trial to meditation sessions on Clubhouse. Initially, it felt like an uphill struggle, but now that I’m establishing firmer routines around meditation, I find it much easier to be mentally engaged when I roll out my mat for yoga practice.
Mindfulness is often the most underrated aspect of yoga for some practitioners. Even when you’re physically on the mat going through the routine, your mind may drift elsewhere, racing at lightning speed. The more stress and obligations you face in life, the more challenging it is to disengage from it all and simply be *yourself*, being mentally engaged in the present moment.
Moving in sync with your breath is equally vital in yoga as understanding the postures.
In the earlier stages of my practice, I often overlooked the significance of breathwork. I would *attempt* to keep pace *and* manage my breathing, but as a beginner, it can be quite complex to juggle everything simultaneously. Although I was committed to mastering proper alignment and making smooth transitions between poses, I failed to focus on mastering my breath.
Reflecting on it now, I can clearly identify the limitation in my previous approach. The breath genuinely is a significant element of yoga. It’s challenging to breathe with intention when trying to gain strength and flexibility, but truly moving with the breath, as instructors frequently encourage, compels you to be more present. It’s captivating and immersive. It requires a lot of concentration to align your movements with your breath.
Even if it feels overwhelmingly difficult, as it did for me initially, persist in your efforts. As the poses become more familiar and somewhat easier, breathing through them also becomes more instinctive. Synchronizing your movement with your breath transforms each pose into a meaningful event. With every inhale and exhale, you prepare for the next moment, enhancing the sensation and stretch of each pose. When immersed in those feelings, being mindfully present in your class becomes significantly easier.
In moments of stillness, counting your breaths provides an incredibly grounding effect.
It’s a straightforward practice—simply track how many seconds pass with each inhale and exhale. This is a common suggestion when starting a meditation practice since it gives your mind a task related to your actions. Often, when your thoughts are preoccupied, they are disconnected from what you’re physically doing. For instance, while driving, you generally aren’t constantly aware of the act of driving.
If you struggle to quiet your thoughts, counting each breath is a fantastic grounding technique. I used to have difficulty stopping my mind’s racing thoughts entirely. That simple, automatic process of counting made it far easier to transition into genuine meditation.
Moreover, during the winding-down phases of a yoga class, it can be beneficial to intentionally lengthen your exhalations. This technique has been shown to slow down your heart rate. For those who appreciate a bit of science, extending your exhalations beyond your inhales serves as a [stimulus to the parasympathetic nerve](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6037091/#:~:text=One%20known%20cause%20of%20relaxation,stimulus%20to%20the%20parasympathetic%20nerve.&text=In%20this%20study%2C%20we%20found,indirect%2C%20non%2Dinvasive%20method.), promoting relaxation. If you’re beginning to unwind and aiming for shavasana, it’s an excellent method to decrease your pace.
Visualization methods can aid in calming turbulent thoughts.
If your mind resists stillness, try engaging it in a more soothing manner. Visualizing and picturing things with your mind’s eye demands considerable mental effort to sustain.