meditation through mindfulness

uni-tasking
Mindfulness is the opposite of multi-tasking (which is essentially anti-meditation); it’s taking the time to focus on one thing and savouring life. Instead of eating breakfast while watching TV, try to give your attention to one activity; take pleasure in the taste and texture of your granola.

focus on your breathing
Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight (if you hunch forward your lungs and diaphragm won’t be able to expand fully). To  begin with you probably want to find a quiet place but as you develop your practice you’ll become better at blocking out the surrounding world. Focus on the air flowing through your nostrils and the rise and fall of your abdomen as you inhale and exhale. When your mind begins to wander, bring it back to focus on your breathing.

meditation in motion

yoga
For those of us who can’t sit still for long, yoga is the ideal way to meditate. Yoga combines specific movements with a meditative focus on the body and breathing. Other meditative practices in motion include running, tai chi or qigong.

momentary meditation

three conscious breaths
If your life is non-stop action and you can’t see yourself stopping for 20 minutes to meditate, little micro-meditations are a great way to alleviate stress and improve your concentration. Use physical reminders as cues to your practice (which cues you pick will determine the frequency). For example, take three deep breaths every time you send an email or every time you think about work outside of work hours.

stop and smell the roses
Take the opportunity two or three times a day to stop and appreciate the world around you. Explore your environment sense by sense; what can you see, hear, smell and how do your emotions reflect or react to these sensations?

Focusing on what you're eating as you eat it is a great first step towards a healthy, more deliberate life.

other great articles on meditation in sport

• how to meditate while running
• think of your workout as active meditation

how to start meditating

• Commit yourself to 5 minutes a day for a week, adding on 5 minutes per week until you reach 20.
• Be patient with yourself. No one is able to run a marathon without training, and your brain is the most difficult part of your body to train.
• Start by sitting up straight.
• Some people like to have an icon to focus upon, with eyes closed or slightly open. Choose what works for you.
• Find a comfortable seat.
• While practicing, own it and commit to it.
• Fight the urge to get off your cushion or mat to check your phone or jot down ideas.

outward vs inward benefits

The outward benefits of yoga seem almost too obvious when we begin to practice: strength, focus, peace of mind, balance. If you’ve practiced, you’ve felt it too. But what about the inner benefits? The more you practice, the more you begin to discover other unexpected and invaluable benefits: such as the way in which we relate to ourselves.

Legs up the wall.

The term that my meditation teacher uses is “making friends with yourself”; the process of letting go of that voice inside that tells you that you have to be something different than what you are. You are already all that you need to be, and the ease that you build in a yoga practice will help you to realize just that.

Modified gentle inversion.

Yoga heals. I regularly teach Yoga for Cancer Recovery workshops and my students cannot sing enough praises about how yoga and meditation have healed their body, mind, and souls. For a cancer survivor, nothing feels better than to proactively participate in promoting his or her own good health.

Meditation fingers.

meditation helps you achieve goals

In our modern lives, we are programmed to think that we will be happier if we do more and accomplish more. A meditation practice helps us achieve our goals by understanding that there is nothing we can do that will make us healthier or happier, than something we can pull from within ourselves.

Floating body rest.

There is nothing mystical or religious about this concept, which may seem unattainable at first. Our practice simply asks us to be ourselves. When we accept and make friends with our true selves, our goals become within reach because we truly understand our potential. The hard work of uncovering that true self is simply up to you.

Reclining cobblers pose.

This practice of yoga and meditation teaches us that there is no thought so brilliant that you must hold onto it. You'll begin to forgive, let go, and create ease in both your body and mind. Teach yourself to let go in challenging situations, and find the best in yourself. Namaste.

Here is a photo guide to restorative and gentle yoga poses for more details about the poses pictured above.