If you are striving to be a high performing employee, business owner, athlete, etc then practicing yoga and mindfulness techniques will offer you a long list of benefits. The majority of us want to show up as our best self, whether that’s the best mother we can be or the best manager in the workplace. Carving out time to practice regularly is probably providing you with more benefits than you realize.
A few months ago I began teaching at On Ice Hockey Performance Centre and Bujan Goaltending where I’ve been really inspired by the high performing athletes who walk in and out of those doors. Simultaneously, Helena and I hosted our second Emerge Mentoring workshop with a focus on finding your flow state, and tapping into your optimal consciousness to feel your best and perform your best. Creating all this content for entrepreneurs and teaching young athletes made me think about how the average yogi can still enhance their life.
Let’s explore the top 5 benefits you are getting from practicing yoga on and off your mat!
Increased Energy & Productivity
Improved Memory & Concentration
Enhanced Visualization & Motivation
Decreased Stress Levels & Regulated Nervous System
Reduced Physical Tension & Pain
Increased Energy & Productivity
I can’t be the only one who sleeps better after a yoga class. When we sleep well we have more energy during the day. Yoga also boosts your productivity by stimulating the prefrontal lobes of your brain where higher level thinking and critical decision-making occurs, as well as where the “feel good” hormones are released.
2. Improved Memory & Concentration
When practicing yoga, especially balance poses, you are training your mind to concentrate on a single task, whether it’s a handstand or boat pose. A well-rounded vinyasa flow class will move you through a variety of poses that stimulate the nervous system, increasing circulation of blood and oxygen while regulating your breath. If you are also practicing meditation, or exploring it at least, you are taking focus and concentration to another level entirely!
3. Enhanced Visualization & Motivation
I find myself receiving my best ideas and solutions during my yoga practice. I suddenly remember an idea I had forgotten about earlier in the day or a tailwind of emotions starts to surface on my mat. Because we are less stimulated in class (notice how minimal and simple IFF’s decor is) our mind has a chance to catch up to the present moment and process thoughts and feelings. So why visualization? Nineteen year old Mississauga local, Bianca Andreescu, scored the victory against Serena Williams at this past year's U.S. Open and she reported that she had been visualizing for years. "I’ve been visualizing ever since I was 12 or 13 when my amazing mother introduced me to it," Andreescu said. "I find it very helpful ... I believe we create our reality with our mind." Take time to visualize your greatest goals and the life you wish for yourself.
4. Decreased Stress Levels & Regulated Nervous System
Practicing yoga can aid in changing your perspective of stress but also give you tools to process these emotions and release the physical symptoms like tight hips or chest. Healthy stress responses are a gamechanger, along with using your breath as an anchor to come back to the present moment. Increasing your body awareness and ability to see your reactions from a clear point of view (rather than your ego) allows you to soothe yourself or put yourself in a position to ask for help. There’s lots more scientific evidence of this if you want to research further!
5. Reduced Physical Tension and Pain
From an article in Harvard Health Publishing: “Yoga can help people with arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine, low back pain, and many other types of chronic pain conditions. A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that among 313 people with chronic low back pain, a weekly yoga class increased mobility more than standard medical care for the condition. Another study published at nearly the same time found that yoga was comparable to standard exercise therapy in relieving chronic low back pain. A meta-analysis of 17 studies that included more than 1,600 participants concluded that yoga can improve daily function among people with fibromyalgia osteoporosis-related curvature of the spine.”
Former first-round NHL draft pick Kris Beech, now a mindfulness coach with Aim Mindfulness, said using mindfulness and meditation practices helped him derail negative thought patterns multiple times throughout his career. He said, “We like to say in mindfulness that attention is currency. What you place your attention on is valuable.”
We offer a variety of classes to suit your level and hold space for you to receive the benefits that this practice can offer when practiced regularly. For today, simply set a timer for 5-7 minutes and focus on deep breathing. Continue to bring your focus back to your breathing when you notice your attention wandering. This is normal. Slowly increase your timer in the following days, weeks and months. Happy practicing!
More About Meagan
Meagan is a graduate of the In Fine Feather Yoga 200 Hour Teacher Training Program, the assistant manager at the studio, a lifestyle coach and yoga instructor. Learn more about Meagan HERE. Come meet Meagan on the mat at In Fine Feather Yoga by checking the class schedule HERE and find her bio HERE.