Much like anything we do in our life, if we do it mindfully, rather than unconsciously, we always get better results. Most of us understand that eating too fast, and/or in front of the TV, is “mindless” eating, which can lead to digestive issues and weight gain. “Mindless” exercise is when we rush headlong into exercising without really being conscious of what’s going on with our body. The results of mindless exercise aren’t always great: at the very best, we may not be able to attain the goals we have set, and at worst we injure ourselves.
Yoga IS mindful exercise, and through my years as a yoga teacher I learned the beauty of a practice that joins the mind, body and spirit together as one. However, even yoga can be practiced mindlessly. Over the years I’ve seen intermediate students pushing their bodies to do things they clearly shouldn’t be doing in Level 3 classes (which tend to breed competitiveness). For students like this, yoga becomes a competitive sport rather than a spiritual practice, which is fine, so long as the student is fully aware of why she is doing it, and the result she wants to achieve.
Here’s how I try to “Mindfully” Exercise:
1. I schedule the week ahead in my calendar, making sure I’ve carved out exercise time for everyday. I know that being a writer and sitting at a desk for most of the day, I absolutely owe it to my body to maintain good cardio, strength, flexibility and balance. I have to schedule in most of my yoga and Pilates classes, and on a day that I don’t have a class, I’ll decide what my home practice will be: a fitness App, a DVD, a kettle bell workout – whatever…
1. I check in with my body, mind and spirit before any practice, class or workout that I’m about to do. By closing my eyes for a few moments and taking a couple of deep breaths, I can usually tune into what’s going on. Am I dying to push myself beyond because I ate way too much yesterday and feel like a lump? Am am irritated with life and hope that the workout will make me feel better? Am I depressed and hope that by moving my body I’ll feel happy? Am I wanting to do fifty thousand squats because I caught a glimpse of my backside in a changing room mirror last week? Or, do I want to practice so that I can connect with the divine? Sometimes it’s a blend of 3 or 4 of the above.Checking in with my body, mind and spirit before I set off can help me to be honest – it doesn’t matter what my motives are…what matters is that I understand what I’m trying to get out of the practice.
2. I consciously BREATHE throughout my workout. It doesn’t matter which exercise I’m doing – by consciously breathing throughout, I am way more able to stay connected to what my body needs, and how to take care of it. I recommend taking the breathing technique that you learned in yoga (if you haven’t learned a yoga breath, you’ll find a gazillion You Tube vids showing you how,) and take it into every exercise you do – running, weights, rowing, hiking – it works for everything.
3. I try to stay hyper-aware of my body throughout the workout. This may sound obvious, however if you notice how many things go through you head when you are exercising (shopping lists, planning your workday, going over last night’s argument,) you’ll realize that you are far from mindfully exercising! Exercise is like a mediation where you keep bringing you mind back into the moment, and you do this by staying aware of your body: Am I spreading my toes while running? Am and drawing in my abs and tucking my tailbone while using weights, Are my knees tracking in line with my toes while I am squatting or lunging? These are the questions that I constantly ask myself to help stay in the present with full awareness.
4. I practice “Ahimsa”, which in Sanskrit means “to do no harm.” Although I understand that I have to push through my comfort zone and work as hard as I can to achieve the results I want, I also want to take care of my body. Practicing Ahimsa means that if I have an injury, I don’t go running, or do a crazy hard yoga class. I LISTEN to my body and nurture it because it’s the only one I’ve got. If I ignore what needs to be attended to/healed, I’m in for big trouble further down the line.
Finally, don’t forget that exercise can be split up into tiny chunks. Most of us are so time-challenged nowadays that it’s hard to carve out 90 minutes for a yoga class or spinning class, but a 30-minute fast-paced up hill walk can sometimes suffice, as can downloading one of hundreds of fantastic fitness Apps. As with everything, we are now spoiled for choice – so choose wisely what works best for you, plan ahead (or you might not do it), and above all practice whatever you do mindfully.
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