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Incorporating Self Care & Mindfulness Into Your Yoga Practice

In uncertain and often challenging times, practicing self care can be an integral part of keeping our mental states afloat. Without taking the time to rest and decompress, it can be easy for anxiety and negativity to grab hold of us. Daily life and everyday tasks are harder to get through. We succumb to burnout and exhaustion. Part of what makes yoga so powerful is that it asks us to be still and quiet our thoughts as we shift our focus solely onto our practice. When partnered with meditation and mindfulness, your yoga routine can become a wonderful conduit for self care.

 

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Yoga — and specifically asana (the practice of physical postures) — is a great tool for boosting our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. When incorporated into a holistic self-care routine, a yoga asana practice can help us feel calmer, less anxious, and more grounded.

The benefits of asana

For many, practicing asana is a way to connect with the body on a deeper level. Think of it as a tool for physical therapy: a way to strengthen, stretch, and rejuvenate the body after a long day.

 

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Asana is a powerful tool to boost our overall physical well-being. But these physical postures and poses have also been used for thousands of years as part of a restorative meditation and mindfulness practice. Asana can help bridge the gap between our minds, body, and spirit, unifying each element together. In this meditation we are free to explore our thoughts, feelings, and sensations in a safe, grounded place.

Tuning in to your body

Another great way to incorporate self care into your everyday yoga routine is to simply check in with yourself at the beginning of every session. Pay close attention to how you’re feeling, and let that influence how long and how intense your practice is that day.

Once you complete your self check-in, set an intention for your practice. Your intention may be to practice mindful meditation, master a new pose, or simply to focus on positive energy. Setting an intention can help ground your practice toward a specific goal and help dispel any negative or self-sabotaging thoughts.

 

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After setting your intention, make sure to follow through within your practice. For example, if your intention is to become more aware of your breath, be deliberate in focusing on practicing breathing techniques throughout your routine.

Self-Massage is self-love

Along with these mindfulness and meditation practices, another way to practice self care and self love through yoga is through self-massage. Use your hands or therapy balls to gently give yourself a massage. Focus on the tension being released from your body.

At the end of the day, yoga is a tool we use to bring balance to our body and mind. Adding elements of mindfulness and meditation to our yoga practice can not only help us round out our self care routine, but help us shape our practice into something even more restorative and inspiring than ever before.

 

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asana, meditation, mindfulness, self-care, yoga practice