5-Minute Mindfulness by David B. Dillard-Wright PhD

people unfamiliar with yoga think that they have to be like a Gumby toy—able to touch their toes to their nose—but this is not true. Yoga is the great equalizer. Two people can walk into a yoga class, one very flexible with no strength and the other stiff (too strong) with little flexibility. These individuals can do the same poses, with mindfulness and care, and the overly flexible person will build strength and the stiff person will create space in his/her body. With modifications to the postures, overweight people, pregnant women, and older people can practice yoga and receive its benefits. Many types of yoga are suitable for anyone, and poses can always be modified to fit an individual’s needs.
    MINDFULNESS IN MOTION
    Yoga is a process of learning to recognize and observe the reactions and habitual patterns of the mind, body, and breath. When you become aware of your patterns, you can slowly, with diligence, exchange them for new, more balanced patterns of movement, breathing, and think-ing—in a word, mindfulness.
    Learning yoga is like learning a new language for your body, mind, and spirit. This is why yoga is described as a practice—you practice it to gain experience and self-knowledge from your efforts.
    YOUR MINDFUL BODY
    When you practice yoga, you are striving to align the bones, joints, and muscles, thereby enhancing strength and flexibility, balanced muscle action, and stamina and endurance. The more you practice, the sooner you will discover the right balance between ease and effort in the poses. Once you find that balance, you’ll be properly lengthening and contracting your muscle groups, stacking and feeding your bones into the joints, and soothing your nervous system. Voilà—mindfulness in motion!
    How much you practice is up to you. Like meditation, the more consistent you are, the better. And, by establishing a regular practice—be it a weekly yoga class, a video you do on your own twice a week, or a daily practice you set up at home—you set the foundation you need to access the same benefits you experience during yoga practice while you’re going about the rest of your day, no matter how crazy busy your day may be.
    Remember that a little bit can go a long way. Frequently doing a few poses at a time may be better for you than practicing for two hours at a shot. You can do yoga any time of the day. When you practice in the morning, the body tends to be stiffer, but the mind is sharper. In an evening yoga session, the body is suppler, but the mind is duller.
    THE UNION OF BODY AND BREATH
    Yoga is very user friendly. It requires little in the way of equipment and space. The most important part is to show up, have an open mind, and be present with your self. Yoga is all about expanding self-awareness. Therefore, it is important to listen to your body and a trained practitioner as you practice postures and breathing techniques. It is imperative to safely practice in a nonaggressive manner. When opening up tight areas in the body that are unaccustomed to stretching, you may feel discomfort. This discomfort may be due to stiff joints, tight muscles, and/or tightness of fascia (the fibrous interconnective tissue that is like a web between skin and muscle and also encases organs). Discomfort could also be due to how your body is built: Some postures may not work for you the same way they work for another person. Every body is unique. So, it’s important to go slowly and mindfully. Breathe into the postures during your entire practice: As you initiate a pose, build it, hold it, and release it; keep breathing, and notice how your body feels as you move and breathe.
    Continuous breathing is the key. Often, shortness or holding of the breath is a good indication that you are working too hard or thinking too much. Let your breath inform and infuse your practice. Yoga is yoga because the breath is connected with the continuum of getting into the posture, being in the posture, and coming out of the