Try These 4 Focus Tips to Quiet Your Mind During Your Yoga Practice

Staying focused with a quiet mind during a yoga class can, at times, feel more challenging than the postures themselves!

Not only is it easy to get lost reviewing your to-do list or wondering if you put enough money in the parking meter, but the brain often likes to throw in some screams to immediately stop doing that pose that’s making your muscles burn!

How on earth are we supposed to ignore our ego and overcome the multitude of thoughts running through our minds?!

Dropping the ego in yoga isn’t easy, but it is possible: Here are 5 Ways to Drop Your Ego in Yoga

When we hear instructors reference “asana”, what often comes to mind are the postures we know and love – the physical challenges that foster strength and flexibility.

However, yoga poses are meant to elicit emotion and build mental strength, guiding us to a stronger mind and sense of self. While yoga teaches us to power through when the mind is telling us to stop, the aim is to quiet the mind altogether.

Luckily, there are some simple but effective focus tips that can work really well in a yoga practice.
 
 

Here Are 4 Focus Tips to Help You Quiet the Mind During Yoga Class:

Use these effective focus tips to help you start to tame your wild monkey mind!
 

1. Put the Phone Down

Do you spend the few minutes before class scrolling through your phone, sending off quick emails, or reading Instagram posts?

Instead of giving your mind more fodder in those last moments, put the technology away. Rest your head on your mat and breathe. Focus on the calm and serenity you hope to bring to your upcoming practice.
 

 
 

2. Know Your Intention

Do you go into your practice knowing what you want to manifest, or are you often left scrambling, barely able to summon a word that describes how you want to feel?

Our favorite trick: picture a huge, white canvas in front of you. Visualize yourself painting your intention, as though the canvas were a vision board. Imagine yourself place it in front of your mat and come back to it whenever your focus begins to wane.

Continue the visualization and manifest your dreams using this guided meditation! Prepare to Manifest With This Guided Sound Meditation by Dr. Wayne Dyer (Video)
 

3. Avoid Pushing Through Pain or Physical Distraction

We’re not referring to challenging postures here. Injury, exhaustion, or a full or empty belly can all mess with your ability to stay focused during yoga.

Physical pain is great at derailing thoughts, and if you’re worried about an injury, unable to ignore how tired you are, or are so hungry you’re still salivating over the smells that wafted by as you walked into the studio, you will clearly be preoccupied.

All of this will obviously make it harder to create a quiet mind. Do your best to avoid practicing while feeling physical sensations like these.
 

4. Breathe

We always come back to our breath in yoga, without exception. When you sense your mind is wandering, take a moment to reset.

Feel the air flowing through your nostrils or your mouth. Notice the pace, the sound, the warmth of the breath. It’s like counting sheep for yogis – when you place your entire focus on one specific thought process, in essence you’re kicking out those other unwanted thoughts.

Get a head start with these breath techniques: 4 Go-To Breathing Exercises For Meditation, Stress Relief, and Overall Wellbeing
 

 
 

Use These Focus Tips for a Quiet Mind and Remember It’s a Constant Practice

You can always come back to these basic principles any time you notice a pattern of your mind wandering during class.

You can even work on accessing a state of natural flow in your day-to-day life, which will certainly carry over into your yoga practice as well!

Your ability to maintain a quiet mind can vary by day, but with consistent effort, it’s sure to continuously improve.

How do you eliminate distractions and improve your focus in yoga class? Let us know in the comments below!

Need more focus tips to tame your monkey mind? Read: Bye Bye Monkey Mind: 6 Proven Ways to Calm an Overactive Mind

The post Try These 4 Focus Tips to Quiet Your Mind During Your Yoga Practice appeared first on YogiApproved™.

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