Quick mind-focusing yoga practice
Do you know how you can make somebody WHO IS TALKING VERY LOUD lower their voice? Shushing only makes people irritated. Instead you can start to TALK VERY LOUD yourself and then gradually lower your voice, and they will follow. This is called “mirroring”. It works in a similar way with energy management. When you come to your yoga class frazzled and jittery, the worst thing you could do is to lie down on the floor and will yourself to calm down. Instead of releasing excess energy you end up suppressing it.
A better approach is to acknowledge where you are energetically and then begin to move your body with big, fast, whole-body movements that match your energetic state. Then you can gradually use your breath and movement to take yourself toward more balanced, focused state.
So next time when you feel frazzled and unable to focus, try this 20-minute yoga practice. It uses gradual slowing of the movement pace, balanced poses, mismatched movement and breath work to help you feel more balanced and focused. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
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The alternating nostril breathing really works to dial back and calm the mind. Is this safe for kids to learn?
Hi Kristen, I don’t see why not. As long as they don’t hold or force the breath, they should be fine. It’s always a good idea to give them other options if they have a stuffy nose.
Very good practice for maintaining focus! The pat head/rub belly practice was particularly challenging for me