Mindfulness in Yoga: What It is and How to Do It

What is mindfulness in yoga? Have you been practicing mindfulness in yoga all along and not known it?
Why be mindful during yoga? How does mindfulness impact you and your yoga practice? Will mindfulness follow you off the mat? These are questions you are probably thinking of while reading the title alone.
So, why mindfulness during yoga? After all, all you have to do is show up, and Bam! You’re a mindful yogi, right? Yes and no. Being mindful during your yoga practice makes all the difference in the world.

Here’s why:

What is Mindfulness?

First, what is mindfulness? This trendy word has been used quite often, but what does it truly mean to be mindful? For one, like yoga, being mindful is a practice. There is no end level or endpoint to mindfulness since there will always be room to grow and expand within your own mindfulness.
To practice mindfulness is to present with the current moment. You pay full attention to your surroundings by slowing down and taking note of what you are doing. What do you see? What do you feel? What do you smell? What do you taste? What do you hear? You are focused, relaxed, and open to that around you.

How to Be Mindful during Yoga?

It’s not enough to just show up, although it’s a start. To really reap the benefits of yoga, one should practice mindfulness during yoga. Learn to leave whatever is on your mind aside and be present with your practice. To be mindful during yoga, remove all distractions. Without any judgment, tap into your own experience. Tap into how you feel. Tap into the discomfort (if any, during and between poses). Tap into your breath. Tap into the heat of the room and the heat your body releases. Tap into the movement and transition of every pose. Allow yourself to release any expectations for the class/session/practice and just be.

Benefits and Changes You’ll See

Let’s talk about the benefits. To begin, be patient with yourself if mindfulness is more difficult than you thought it was. Don’t get discouraged and keep at it. Exercise and train your brain to be mindful, and before you know it, it’s like second nature.

So, why keep at it? There are so many benefits to practicing mindfulness during yoga.
-You are more in tune with yourself and your surroundings
-You can work through heavy emotions like anxiety, stress, and more
-Greater concentration
-Higher Immune system
-Increase the feeling of peace, contempt, and elation

And many more benefits will arise, so let’s get practicing, shall we? How will you bring

mindfulness to the yoga mat?