With so many distractions occupying our every thought these days, it’s hard to concentrate on just one thing at a time or to even clear our minds at all, which is why mindfulness awareness is so invaluable. It’s important to make some time for ourselves and to find stillness in our minds within a chaotic world, but it can be difficult to know where to start.
We asked the below yoga teachers what their top tip would be for bringing mindfulness into everyday life. This list of expert tips is the perfect place to start for carrying out small but effective methods into your everyday routine which you can start implementing today. These tips are particularly great if you’re a student and you’re struggling concentrating on that exam revision or coping with University stress.
Enjoy some well-deserved 'you' time!
Taylor Harkness
... a former paramedic now aiming to unite others through yoga and optimistic neuropsychology
"Yogis' talk a lot about being mindful, and for good reason. It's so easy to get sucked out of the present, especially with our constant bombardment of stimulation these days. The human brain has a finite amount of cerebral capacity, and is estimated to be roughly equivalent to 56 bits of information per second. This is why it's very hard to focus on two people talking at once and nearly impossible to focus on three. Whenever I feel myself spiralling, it's usually because I've lost my sense of the present - I'm either stressed about the future, concerned with the past or simply distracted.
One of the best tips that I've come to live by is this: become more mindful by making it a habit and a routine to disconnect from technology during activities. For example, when you're having a conversation, practice not looking at your phone, tv, or computer. Instead, try noticing the color of the person's eyes, or the way that they smile. When eating a meal, focus on the aromas and flavors of the food and silence your cell phone. Stop multitasking and instead, do whatever you're currently doing one hundred percent. It takes time and practice but it eventually becomes second nature. Less reliance upon and distraction by technology means more cerebral capacity for the present moment. Begin paying more attention to the things around you and watch how it permeates into the rest of your life."
www.taylorharkness.com
Stephanie Spence
... writer, adventurer, yoga teacher and screenwriter from California
"Stay in the present moment, that's where power is. This is a skill that can be learned. Practice brings rewards. Build your appreciation muscle. What you focus on magnifies, so train yourself to focus on the good things in your life. Embrace your emotions! When you don’t feel good, your emotions are letting you know that you are not aligned with joy and abundance, so stop the train of thoughts that brought you to this point and accept yourself and everything around you exactly as they are at this moment."
www.one-with-life.com
Allie Flavio
... born and raised Florida girl who loves the ocean, outdoors and all types of adventure
"Gratitude & Movement.
A gratitude practice is a wonderful way to stay grounded, connected and humbled in times of stress. By recognizing the simple, yet profoundly incredible aspects of our lives, we can truly appreciate the rest of the madness. Wondering how to do this?
Start a gratitude practice.
Write down three things you're grateful for every damn day. Keep it simple, keep it light, keep it fun. It can literally be anything - your cup of coffee, the comfortable bed you sleep in, your outfit, your family and friends, the food you ate... truly, everything is fair game. A movement practice can also be anything, so long as you move, breathe, and feel yourself come alive. Whether you walk, run, do yoga, dance, rock climb, or swim, there's no wrong way to move. The only requirement is that you connect to you, your beautiful self, and the miracle that your body is! Just like the above practice - keep it simple, enjoy it, don't put too much pressure on it. Just move and move every damn day!"
www.thejourneyjunkie.com
Randi Ragan
... holistic wellbeing expert and speaker, mindfulness teacher, ceremonial guide and green living entrepreneur
"I would urge young people to simply try and find moments they can build into each and every day, that allows them to pause, step back, center themselves and focus on their breathing – to turn this pause into a sacred ritual of self-care that provides a bubble of uninterrupted, quiet focus. They don’t have to be thinking of anything in particular – in fact, to NOT think of anything but the present moment is the goal. Do this by becoming aware of how their breath feels, how their skin feels, how the air around them feels; what sounds they hear; to close their eyes and simply BE without ANY kind of distraction (here’s looking at you technology!).
I like to work the sacred number 108 into these ‘pause rituals’. (108 is the number of mala beads on a Buddhist prayer necklace. It shows up in Yoga texts and ancient Hindu scriptures as well). Take 108 steps in a mindful walk, breath and meditate for 108 breaths or 1 minute and 8 seconds, count to 108 while listening to bird sounds, take your pause ritual at 1:08 pm every day, spend 1 hour and 8 minutes writing in your journal every week – literally you can apply this number to anything that you want to set aside and make sacred as YOUR time to be mindful. The more the Pause Ritual is practiced, the more one appreciates its power, and the power to radically alter the way we live our lives on a daily basis. This is Mindfulness In Action!"
www.randiragan.com
Adam Husler
... bringing something a little different to the yoga-mix
A photo posted by Adam Husler (@adamhusler) on
Jul 23, 2016 at 8:53am PDT
A photo posted by Adam Husler (@adamhusler) on
Jul 20, 2016 at 5:31am PDT
"Take 5 to 10 minutes in the morning to simply sit. Keep with the back of your body long, the front of your body open and spend some time bearing witness to you breath. Don’t have any expectations, don’t look of an elated feeling or a journey in your head, but simply spend some time trying to find calm. Whenever your mind starts to wander to the future or past, return back to the object of your focus; your breath. It can be as simple as that."
www.adamhusleryoga.com
Sarah Highfield
... London-based yoga teacher with a passion for achieving the miraculous work-life balance
"Try to remain present; yoga takes us into the present moment, it's the only place where life really exists. We spend far too much time thinking about the past or feeling anxious about the future. Stay focused during your practice, move with your breath and the rest will follow."
www.sarahhighfield.com
Gwen Lawrence
... yoga instructor and founder of Power Yoga For Sports program
"Learn diaphragmatic breathing. Simply learning to breath in and out through your nose only, utilizing the bodies natural filtration system (the nose) as well, the nose is built to warm or cool the entering air appropriately for full effectiveness for the body. Adding to that, diaphragmatic breathing means breathing in and out through the nose and deep down into the belly not shallow chest breathing. When you breathe this way as opposed to through the mouth and in the chest you shut off the bodies fight or flight response mechanism and can quickly calm the body, mind and reduce stress, fear and anxiety. Of course there are many simple techniques you can do, but this is the gold standard user friendly one to pick no matter where you are or what situation you find yourself in."
www.gwenlawrence.com
Meadow DeVor
... author, yoga teacher, master life coach and founder of Yoga Church
"My best tip is to remember to breathe. Our breath is always available as an anchor to ground us and to help us feel connected to the present moment. Take 3 deep breaths on purpose. It's the quickest way to change your state."
www.meadowdevor.com
Katarina Rayburn
... London-based yoga teacher, focusing on Dynamic Vinyasa and Dharma yoga
"My top tip for bringing mindfulness into everyday life would 100% be to practice yoga regularly but I appreciate that isn't realistic for everyone. So if that's the case then I'd say give yourself at least 10 minutes in the day where you are completely removed from any distractions, any technology and allow yourself to switch off, cultivating a more internal focus. Starting to notice your breath, linking the body and the mind, which is what we aim to achieve from a yoga practice. If you can get outside in the fresh air, even better! Removing all the clutter and just getting back to basics, it helps me to appreciate the simple things. It's so important to give your mind and body conscious rest, whether it's in Savasana or just sat alone in a park."
www.katarinarayburnyoga.com
Calli Popham
... specialises in teaching yoga inversions in a playful and accessible way
A photo posted by Calli Cat (@calliyoga) on
Aug 3, 2016 at 2:28am PDT
A photo posted by Calli Cat (@calliyoga) on
Jul 7, 2016 at 3:17am PDT
"Start to write a gratitude list. Every single day, take a moment first thing in the morning to write down at least 10 things that you are grateful for and why. The more we can reflect on the every day things we are grateful for, the more positive and happy we feel and the more wonderful things we welcome in. You can also start to add in things that you would like to manifest, and write them down as if they have already happened, say thank you and then watch the magic happen!"
www.calliyoga.co.uk
Bram Levinson
... offers alternative approaches to physical, mental and emotional well-being
"Set intentions. Every morning we should set an intention for that day - what we want out of it, how we want to feel during it. In addition to a daily intention, we should also set an intention for life.
We should constantly be asking ourselves how we want this experience of life to unfold and set a clear intention to do our part for that desire to be fulfilled. This is not to say that we have complete control over what occurs, but we do have influence, and a fair share of it is up to us."
www.bramlevinson.com
Rachel Scott
... artistic educator, romantic adventurer and yoga nerd
"Being a student can be stressful! Juggling deadlines, workloads, and extracurricular activities can lead to anxiety and burn out. Mindfulness is a wonderful tool for reducing stress while increasing focus. One of my favourite mindfulness techniques is also the simplest: counting the breath. Best of all, you can do it wherever you are: in the library, seated before a test, or even during a lecture.
- Sit comfortably with a tall spine.
- Begin to count your breath: inhale for a count of four, and exhale for a count of four.
- Continue to inhale and exhale slowly and evenly.
- Repeat 5-10 times.
Even just 5-10 repetitions will help to calm the body and still the busy-ness of the mind. If you have the time, extend the length of this practice to five minutes for a soothing and effective meditation. This simple exercise is a gem: slowing the breath pacifies the nervous system, while counting the breath helps to focus and clear the mind."
www.rachelyoga.com
Jennifer Marie Lane
... creating mystical musings and guided meditations
"Blessings for stress
When I’m stressed, my mind swirls in a frenzied state of overwhelm. I can’t seem to focus on anything, let alone the rhythm of my breath or sensations in my body. Any attempt to turn inward is thwarted by the chaos. Does this sound familiar?
So instead of forcing my mind into compliance, I step outside. I look for traits in nature that mirror the qualities that I would like to embody, and I bless those beings and objects. As I bless the outer world, my inner world shifts. Here are a few examples to inspire your powerful mind:
Blessings to counter stress:
- Blessed be the sky, so clear and vast.
- Blessed be the sweet birdsongs, soothing and charming.
- Blessed be the mountains in the distance for enduring the test of time.
Blessings to promote productivity:
- Blessed be the redwood tree, so tall and rooted.
- Blessed be the bees, gathering pollen and making an abundance of golden honey.
- Blessed be the road and road signs for taking people to their destinations with ease and clarity."
www.beautyloveandmagic.com
J. Brown
... seeking to change the dialog, and direction, of yoga practice in the west
"The only thing that someone can do to bring mindfulness into everyday life is have a regular practice that facilitates that. This can take many different forms but my recommendation is these simple breathing and moving exercises in the link below:"
Slower is stronger
www.j.brownyoga.com
Ashley Josephine Zuberi
... embracing life through mindful movement, meditation and a yoga-inspired lifestyle
"As a yoga instructor the best tool I have to offer to anyone who is trying to reduce stress and boost productivity is the breath. Make it a priority to take 10 deep, conscious breaths in between projects or tasks and it will totally change your energy and your ability to focus."
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