practicing presence

YOUR WEEK OF YOGA
monday 23rd - sunday 29th june

YOUR NEW WEEK OF PRACTICE

A mix of yin and yang style classes to suit your mood, day and sentiment. Choose your own yoga adventure.

FLOW YOGA
PROPS: nil
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: here

SLOW FLOW YOGA
SUGGESTED PROPS: nil
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: here

YIN YANG
PROPS: nil
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: here

GENTLE YOGA
SUGGESTED PROPS: nil
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: here

YIN YOGA
PROPS: cushion
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: here

STRESS RELIEF MEDITATION
PROPS: cushion
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: here

practicing presence

There are a lot of amazing benefits to being more present and mindful, but one of my favourites is this: you’re not missing the beauty and joy of the present moment.
Being present also helps you to see when you are feeling fear or resistance, uncertainty or the urge to procrastinate, anger or resentment … and then to work with those difficulties mindfully.

That’s all great, but how do you remember to practice being present? It’s so easy to get caught up in our thoughts and distractions, and forget to practice.

The honest truth is that no one is perfect at this. Me least of all. It’s a continual learning process, not something you figure out and then you’re good. It’s messy and beautiful.
So with that in mind, here are some practical ways to practice:

A Small Regular Practice. Form the simple habit of meditating for just two minutes a day (to start with). After you wake up, simply sit comfortably and try to focus on your breath for two minutes. When (not if) your mind wanders, just notice it and label it “thinking.” And gently return to the breath, without harshness. Set a timer, and when the timer goes off, you’re done! If you feel like expanding it by a minute every week or so, feel free to do so, but you don’t have to expand. The benefit of this regular practice is that you learn skills you can take and practice in other parts of your day.

  1. Work with Others. Having a regular group or partner to meditate with is helpful, you support each other continuing to practice.

  2. Have Mindfulness Bells. You could have a chime regularly sound off on your phone or computer (numerous apps do this) to remind you to pause and be mindful of what’s going on right now.

  3. Set an Intention Before an Activity. If you’re about to do a work task, process email, read a book, cook dinner … you can pause just before starting, and think for a second about what your intention for that activity might be. What are you hoping to do with this activity?

  4. Reflect Daily. At the end of each day, or at the beginning, take a minute to journal or just reflect on how your day has gone.


    Namaste xo

mantra:
be here now.