On Yoga and Meditation

Stressed? Anxious? Overwhelmed? You're heard. However, have you ever tried meditation?

Combining seated meditation with a physical practice like yoga can be quite beneficial because, for many people, the silence of a seated meditation practice can initially actually cause anxiety.

Combining meditation and yoga can help you get started with your meditation program and will improve your body and mind in similar ways. Let's examine each in turn.

Mindfulness

The most well-known type of meditation is mindfulness, which usually entails sitting, paying attention to your breathing, and bringing consciousness to the feelings, thoughts, and sensations of the current moment without concentrating on the past or the future.

According to a large body of research, mindfulness meditation may help:

• reduce stress (and stress-induced inflammation)
• reduce anxiety
• ease depression symptoms
• improve self-awareness
• improve memory and attention
• ease chronic pain
• improve sleep
• lower blood pressure

Yoga, which is fundamentally breath work done in conjunction with physical poses (or asanas), has also been thoroughly researched for its mind-body advantages.

Yoga may help:

• improve flexibility
• improve balance
• increase strength
• decrease body fat
• reduce stress
• reduce anxiety
• ease chronic pain
• boost energy
• improve sleep
• lower blood pressure

How to Practice Yoga Meditation

A link between the mind, body, and breath as well as an emphasis on being present on the mat are features of yoga that have elements of meditation built right in.

To transform it into a type of moving meditation, you might just need to make a few little adjustments.

If you've ever practiced Vinyasa yoga and simply lost yourself in the flow, you've probably already had the experience of this movement meditation without even trying.

Not worrying about your posture or where you're headed next, she advises, but rather taking in each moment as it comes.

That sounds great, but how do you do it?

Yoga meditation doesn't have any fixed rules, but certain techniques can assist you in focusing on your body rather than your thoughts.

You might try a few strategies to tune into your body and your surroundings for a deeper connection if you've been rushing through your yoga courses just to become sweaty.

1. Decide on an intention or a mantra.

A mantra is a word or phrase that you repeat during meditation, frequently in your thoughts. This can help you change your attitude and perspective toward a circumstance (or toward yourself! ), as well as assist you avoid distractions like your to-do list or work.

2. There's no need to hurry, so slow down!

You can still flow even if you don't move slowly, but you also don't want to rush through each pose. It's important to walk at a rate that feels natural and at ease, without rushing breathing.

You want to move at a speed that allows for conscious, deep, and complete breathing with each breath.

3. Let your breath be your guide.

Yoga relies heavily on the breath, which is also what lends many types of yoga their inherent contemplative qualities.

Find your Ujjayi breath by inhaling and exhaling through your nose while maintaining a tiny constriction in the back of your throat and keeping your lips closed. This breath is also referred to as "ocean breath" or "victorious breath."

It has a similar sound to when you fog up a mirror, which is haaaah. Match each pose to your breath after beginning on an exhale, but feel free to hold a stance for a few breaths.

Try to let go of the ideas and emotions that aren't helping you with each exhale.

4. Experience EVERY feeling.

Focus on bodily sensations to aid in clearing your mind of the constant chatter.

Try holding Warrior II to feel your quads firing, pedaling your heels in Downward Dog to feel the mild stretch in your calves and hamstrings, breathing into Pigeon Pose to get that beautiful hip stretch, and try pushing your hands, feet, or other body parts into the floor to feel more grounded.

Throughout, pay attention to any areas of stress, any poses you might like to hold for a longer period of time, and any minor modifications your body is requesting to feel more balanced.

5. Recognize your worries and let them go.

Your thoughts may begin to stray, and that is quite acceptable. Redirect your attention back to your breathing and the physical sensations in your hands, feet, and other parts of your body whenever you notice that it has shifted.

Let your anxiety out if it starts to rise. As you breathe, acknowledge each nervous thought and let it go.

6. Put such hopes aside.

There is no correct way to meditate while doing yoga, as there is with any form of meditation. Over time, you'll reap the rewards as long as you make it a point to live in the present and respect what your body requires. Never worry about it.