our bodies are not meant to be stationary for a very long time. they need to move and breathe, even if it is just going for a short morning walk before going to work or joining yoga classes. if you have decided to embrace yoga as your way of movement, then it is very important to learn how to be more mindful and more aware of your thoughts.

here are a few ways to be mindful on your yoga mat:

acknowledge what you are feeling

like we have said before, there is no right way to think when you are opening yourself up to meditation and yoga. let your thoughts come and go without any self-criticism and judgement. the more we try to keep our feelings at bay, the more it will affect our practice. yoga expects constant commitment in the moment and that takes a while to master. but, the first step would be accepting and acknowledging your emotions, whatever they may be.

you don’t have to set goals for yourself

if you truly want to embrace mindfulness, then you need to stop giving yourself end goals like achieving flexibility or losing weight. this should not have any purpose. practicing yoga everyday on your mat should be just as simple as breathing. do you breathe because you have to achieve a goal? no right? then why do the same for yoga? the only way to be in complete control of yourself is to let go of the agenda. 

you are not competing with anyone

stop competing. period. while it is great to be the best in everything. you do not have to be the best at this. there is no positive advantage to competing with anyone. it will just distract you from being in the moment. it will disrupt your thoughts. while you can accept that you are feeling competitive, you should also let it go and focus on the now.

get rid of all distractions

now we don’t expect you to go to a yoga studio without your phone, but you should switch it off or put it on silent when you get there. if you are home, then definitely put it on silent. the practice area should have your yoga mat and any other prop that you might need for your practice.