Well into the 30 Day Yoga & Mindfulness Challenge, what kind of shifts have you noticed? Hopefully you’re feeling stronger in your yoga poses. Maybe you’re finding it easier to fall asleep at night. Or, perhaps you’re not so quick to snap at the driver in front of you who didn’t use the indicator. Being mindful means acting with integrity and purpose, working with what you’ve got in the moment. As we start to see the benefits of our mindfulness journey, it’s easy to find a happy place. But what about when it’s not so easy? Of course we’d love to tell you that we never get angry, annoyed or anxious and spend our days chanting OM. But the truth is, being mindful in our modern world is a constant challenge. And just like anything worth achieving, it takes practice. One way we can connect back to the present is to be grateful. Here are a couple examples of how you can use gratitude when you aren’t feeling so yogic.
Put it in perspective
Often referred to as “First World Problems,” sometimes the things we’re mulling over really don’t impact us in a big way. And the things we actually do believe are huge obstacles, may be trivial in relation to the bigger picture. For example, next time you’re fed up with slow Wi-Fi, take a moment to reflect on how lucky we are to have incredible technology right at our fingertips.
Make it a mantra
A mantra is simply a word or statement repeated to oneself to aid concentration. Check in. Identify what makes you feel alive, passionate, and happy. Use that person/place/thing/flavor of frozen yogurt to bring you back to a space of gratitude. Try repeating your mantra as you walk to work each day, or maybe during your shower at night. On your mat as you’re settling in before class begins, let each inhale invite that mantra of gratitude, and let each exhale release anxiety.
Practice, practice, practice
As with any skill, we all start out a bit rusty. Think of gratitude as a skill, just like riding a bicycle or perfecting your Pincha Mayurasana. The more you slow down and tune in, the clearer the mind becomes.
So today, we challenge you to realise that what you do have is always greater than what you don’t.
About the author: Miranda Raimon is a yoga instructor, Kula studio manager and freelance health & wellness writer from the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Kula Yoga has a beautiful hot yoga studio on Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn, Melbourne. Kula offers ‘Hot Yoga’ classes for detoxification, dynamic poweryoga ‘Flow Yoga’ as well as a gentle ‘Light Yin Yoga’ option. Beginners through to advanced students are welcome to all classes. Kula also provides prenatal & postnatal yoga classes, and provides Melbourne workplaces with group corporate yoga programs to build employee health, fitness and wellbeing, and school yoga programs. Kula also runs an annual ‘Kula Cruise’ yoga retreat sailing from Bali to Lombok & the Gili Islands. Find out more on our website www.kulayoga.com.au. Or follow us:
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