Calming the mind: how to connect with your practise

When you went into your first class, I imagine you were encouraged to sit or lie on your mat and find your breath. It probably felt like ages before you eventually got up and began the movement side of the practice. Did you wonder, “when is the workout starting?”

You Are Not Alone.

In that space between, settling in stillness and moving your body, a few things may or may not have happened. Let us assume that, as you were in this space, the teacher started to teach you what settling was about and touched base on how connecting with your mind and your body would make the physical movement easier. Then you would have connected to your breath. Feeling the rise and fall of your chest, that breath then became connected with every part of your body. As the teacher eased you out of it, you found this brand-new connection with the ‘Self’, which would forever change your life. 

The other thing that may have occurred is that you came to this still position - something you never experience until you are tucked up in bed - and in stillness, all you hear was your own thoughts. You thought, “What is the teacher talking about? Where is my breath? Should it be feeling like this? Am I doing it right?” You sneaked an eye open and found everyone, lying on their mat, looking serene. You closed your eyes again and the yoga teacher said, “Don’t let the worries of the day invade your mind”. Suddenly, all the worries of the day crept in: the bills, the car, the kids. The thoughts were there, and you thought they shouldn’t be. Clear your mind. Clear your mind. Then, when you were not even paying attention to the teacher anymore, you heard the music begin and your eyes flew open, realising that you were meant to be moving now. I am sure that many bad words came to your mind. 

 I am going to tell you a few things about your experience.

You are not on your own, I imagine there were more people in the room with your dilemma. Also, this is not just going to happen that first time.  It is a practice, and life gets in the way. It may take many attempts before settling in is an easy concept for you. Eventually, you may feel as though it is, for your body, a coming home - to the only real home you will ever have.

Thought will always be there. It is neither good nor bad. You don’t have to engage with it though. I could finish this blog with that, but you may have a few more questions, but if you take anything away, please let it be that.

A yoga practice is like no other workout class.

Believing that your thoughts are the enemy is only one side of the coin. You could get to a yoga class and sit there with your hands out, ready to work out, and the teacher leaves you there in silence, with your thoughts driving you crazy. All you want is to move, sweat, build strength, find your split and eventually get that glorious handstand you saw on social media. These are valid goals, and there is nothing wrong, if you go to a class and this happens. I do feel like you deserve the truth about yoga.

Yoga in the west is recognised as one of the best workouts, for your flexibility, for detoxing, for mental health. I do believe all this to be true. I also believe we should move our bodies every day. If yoga, or the asana (movement side of yoga) practice, like me, gets you doing that, that is great. Our dear asana practise is not a workout. Or maybe it is not only a workout. There is so much more to this wonderful practise and this can call for a lifestyle shift. I am not saying this to deter you; however, you need context to what you are walking into. Say you make it to a yoga class after you hear it is like pilates, or after doing a movement video on YouTube and then the teacher starts chatting about yamas and niyamas, about noticing your third eye or not forcing your body, and listening to what it needs. These can be confusing for you from other exercise classes and at the end of the day conflict with your own goals.

Calm the mind.

“Let’s settle in."

“Find the breath.”

“Prana should flow through the breath.”

“Feel the thoughts soften.”

“Ground.”

“Sorry what? I am a beginner what does this mean?” What is this crazy lady in tie dye saying to me?” “This is way too spiritual for me.” “Can I just walk out?”

I know there are people wondering, why they went to an exercise class, and now they feel confused about their breath and what all these buzzwords mean. 

Settling in is a mindful experience. Some teachers may offer more spiritual teachings of it, but if you don’t feel compelled to take those on, just accept what does or does not resonate with you. I will not go into those spiritual understandings today but watch this space for more about them.

As more studies come out about mental health, we all know that more mindful practises, that get us away from screens, that lowers anxiety, and that make us all more present to enjoy life are beneficial. Yoga is seen as one of the best, whether that be the movement (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama) or meditation (dhyana), which to me speaks to the fact that Yoga is a way of life. I am not saying leave your family and flee to Bali to live out your days fasting and meditating. What I am suggesting is that you can bring these things into your daily life and that you will find an easement of those mental strains that are causing chaos in your mind. You may find you sleep better, or that you have more energy, or that you can do more or that you have more focus. The advantages are ongoing, and settling into your practise is a key part. Modern life has room for yoga, if you make it.

Settling in is what makes yoga unique.

The advantages are endless, but if you are one of the many who went to one class and decided it was not for you, please allow me to explain.

Calming your mind at the beginning of your practice is a practice. It is not something to sweep under the rug, it is quite literally an ongoing practice. It is what makes yoga unique, and it is what makes you have the mind-body connection and feel fully present. You feel fully engaged with the breath and the ground under your seat and you allow for thoughts to come and go. Don’t force the thoughts out, nor invite them in. Keep them neutral and without judgment. Note their existence and allow your awareness to come to the breath.

Once you get this, even for a moment, you may find the breath and moment even more present when you glide through your sun salutations or when you are trying to stand steady in a tree pose. You may also find it easier to handle difficult moments: when you are in the grocery store, waiting in line and you are running 5 minutes late. Or when the rain soaks you washing. What happens on the mat may continue when you are off of it and that is what makes yoga unique to other movement classes. 

Other advantages are:- mental clarity, better sleep, more focus, ability to do mundane tasks, reduced anxiety and symptoms of depression, increased appetite, learning your bodies signals, and mind-body connection. And more, that is just the beginning.

Other ways to settle in:-

If you struggle with your personal practise, including settling in, especially in silence, it can be hard to recreate the stillness of a yoga practise. Here are just a couple more things you can do in your own space.

Pranayama - as simple as box breathing, giving you complete concentration on the breath, can just slow the thoughts down.  This might make it easier to move past overwhelming thoughts and become focused on the body. I will share pranayama in a later blog post, but there are some great videos on breathing techniques on YouTube. For beginners, start with the bee breath or with box breathing.

Journaling - Peeling through your thoughts can be a great way to find stillness once you come onto the mat, because you have already looked through those disturbing thoughts and begun to see, which are logical, and which are of no consequence. Also, tune into which thoughts are pressing in at the moment of stillness (spoiler: none). This will encourage you to stay in the moment, when you are settling. You can work through the shadow work, and this means you can work through a lot of demons that might plague you. If you are looking for journaling prompts, I share them on my Instagram every week.

Finally, just do nothing - start sitting still through your discomfort. It is uncomfortable, and that is okay. New things can be, even though just being should be a normal part of life; we are out of practise and the only way to improve is by doing and by being.

I hope this encourages you to embrace just being and to find yourself more on the mat. There will be more blog posts to come.

Thank you for being here xx