Meditation
is the icing on the cake for yoga practice.
You should always close your yoga practice
with at least 5 minutes of meditation
but longer is better.
Many
people think that meditation is challenging
or think it is too hard. The best way
to begin a meditation practice is to
allow 5 minutes a day. Try to do the
meditation at the same time every day
or three times a week.
Begin by making
yourself comfortable, either reclining,
sitting, or lying down.
Be
in a place where noise cannot distract
you. Turn off the phone. Turn on some
soft music. Close your eyes and take
a few deep breaths. Begin to talk to
your body and tell it to relax. You
can start at your head and work your
way to your feet the other way. Keep
your breath steady and even. Then begin
to count backwards: Inhale deeply and
think 25 when
you exhale. Inhale deeply again and
think 24
when you exhale. Continue counting 23,
22, 21... every
time you exhale, until
you get to 0.
Then, pause for a few breaths and slowly
move your body to gently reawaken it.
You
can do this ritual every day, rising
our lowering the number. Some people
like to close the eyes and imagine being
in a relaxing place: a hot tub, the
beach, in a hammock, whatever image
works for you! I find that my meditation
is deeper and more soothing after yoga,
but you don't have to do yoga to meditate.
You can take a few minutes and count
backwards with every breath and see
how mellow you can become!
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