“The first time I attended a yoga retreat I experienced some amazing physical benefits, but what really blew me away was how my mind became so absolutely still, clear and sharp like a laser beam,” says Korin Kritzinger, medical practitioner and yoga teacher. “I literally felt like I had a new mind.”
While yoga is a form of exercise, it is so much more than that. When practiced correctly, yoga can have a positive impact on the mind in a way quite different from the effect regular forms of exercise have.
How does yoga affect your mind?
Yoga increases sattwa: Practising yoga reduces in you the qualities of rajas (restlessness) and tamas (dullness and inertia) and increases sattwa (purity). The more sattwa there is, the more restful and clear your mind is and the less likely it is that you’ll have a mind that’s constantly chattering or getting stuck in the negative.
Yoga stills your thoughts: The first person to write a wholly comprehensive account of yoga, a sage called Patanjali, described its effect thus: “Yoga chitta vritti niroda,” which means, “Yoga restrains the thought waves.” Our mind can be compared to the ocean. When the waves are very active it’s impossible to see the stillness at the bottom; when the waves subside it’s easier to see the deep stillness. Usually our mind is very active: thinking, planning, worrying etc. Only when it becomes still and rested can we see and access the peace that resides in the inner core of our being and yoga is one way of helping that happen. However, you don’t have to make an effort to quieten your mind when practising yoga. Simply do the practices with honour and respect and allow the benefits to unfold naturally.
Yoga cleanses the nadis: Our whole being functions because of the subtle life force called prana, flowing in the body through more than 65,000 nadis (subtle energy channels) and many chakras (energy centres). The amount of prana that can flow through you depends on how open your chakras and nadis are. When they’re open and the prana is flowing smoothly, your mind is automatically clearer.
Yoga increases your prana: When your prana is low you’ll be inclined towards feeling sad, negative, angry etc. In fact, sadness and depression are essentially connected to having low prana. Often when you’re sad you link it to an event or person, but much of the time sadness occurs in you because your prana is low. When your prana is high, your mind is naturally clearer.
Breathing mindfully enhances clarity: Breathing techniques are a very important aspect of yoga. Your breath is intimately linked to the state of your mind. For example, when your mind is happy and clear, your breath is long and easy; when your mind is bombarded with anxious thoughts your breath becomes shorter and shallower. When you work consciously with your breath, as you do with yoga breathing techniques, you automatically create an environment inside yourself that is conducive to clear thinking. In fact your breath is your most powerful and effective tool for clearing your mind in a short amount of time.
The more subtle, the deeper the effects: Just practising yoga poses can help bring about clear thinking. But when the more subtle aspects of yoga — such as pranayamas (breathing techniques), yoga nidra (yogic sleep) and dhyana (meditation) — are included in a yoga practice the experience is deeper and the impact on your mind more noticeable. The most potent yoga routine for your mind includes warm-ups, yoga poses, breathing techniques, relaxation and meditation.
Yoga sequence for clear thinking
Before you begin the following short yoga practice, here are some guidelines for you:
1. Practise in a clean room that has cross ventilation, fresh air and is free from electrical devices (computers etc).
2. Reduce potential distractions such as phones.
3. Wear comfortable, lose clothing.
4. Avoid drinking during your practice.
5. Practise on an empty stomach — ie, 20 minutes after a light snack, one hour after a light meal and 3–4 hours after a heavy meal.
6. Always warm up for at least five minutes before you start, making sure your limbs and muscles are loose and warm. Shake and move your whole body and then warm up your joints by rotating them in all directions.
7. Practise the sequence with your eyes closed. Closing your eyes has a significant impact on the time your mind takes to become more still and clear.
8. Don’t practise to music; just be in the silence, allowing yourself to be with your thoughts as they come and go, to observe your feelings and any sensations in your body. Whether good or bad, give them permission to be there.
Warm-ups
Doing a few warm-ups before practising yoga poses gets your circulation moving and prepares your body for the poses. Take five minutes to warm up your body however you’d like to. You could jog lightly on the spot, dance, do a bit of zumba, shake your arms and legs and rotate your joints a few times in both directions or you could do a few rounds of the sun salutations yoga series.
Poses
All balancing poses are wonderful for bringing stillness and clarity to your mind.
Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
Start by focusing your eyes on a point directly in line with your eyes. Keep your gaze here. Now stand on your left leg, placing your right foot anywhere that’s comfortable between your left ankle and inner thigh. Keep that foot flat against the leg, toes pointing downwards. Slowly bring your hands together in prayer position in front of your chest. If you feel comfortable, raise your arms above your head. Hold for five breaths and then do the same on the other side.
Knee to Chest
Again focus your eyes on a point directly in line with your eyes. Raise your right leg and take hold of the shin with both hands, keeping your spine straight, shoulders dropped. Hold for five breaths. Now drop your left arm to the side and gently take your right leg the side. Hold it here for five breaths and then do the same on the other side.
Natarajasana 1 (Lord Shiva’s Pose)
Once more, focus your eyes on a point directly in line with your eyes. Raise your right leg and take hold of your right foot with your right hand. Straighten your spine and drop your shoulders. When you feel balanced, slowly raise your left arm above your head. Hold for five breaths and then do the same on the other side.
Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep)
Lie down on your back for a couple of minutes, with eyes closed, arms by the side of your body. Relax completely, observing the effects of the warm ups and poses on your body and mind. Be still. When you feel ready, slowly roll to your right, eyes closed, and come up to sitting position.
Ardi Mudra Pranayama
Through the practice of ujjayi breathing we gain victory over our mind and the mind becomes still. Mudras or “seals” manipulate and redirect the prana. This particular mudra has a positive effect on the brain and stills the mind. The best way to do this mudra is to combine it with long, slow ujjayi breaths. To breathe in ujjayi, gently constrict the muscles at the back of your throat so that when you breathe you make a sound similar to that of the ocean. Sit comfortably and easily with your spine straight, eyes closed. Place your hands in ardi mudra by folding your thumbs into the palms of your hands and wrapping your fingers around them. Take 10 long, slow ujjayi breaths.
Bhramari Pranayama (Humming Bee Breath)
Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Place your index fingers on the inner lobes of your ears. Take a deep breath in through your nose and as you exhale slowly make a gentle humming sound. Complete three rounds. This soothes the mind and stills the thoughts.
Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
Sit comfortably with your spine straight, head in a neutral position. Place your left hand in chin mudra (see picture) and rest it on your left leg. Now, with your right hand, rest your ring finger lightly on your left nostril and your thumb on your right nostril. Lightly close your right nostril and take a slow breath in. Now close your left nostril and slowly exhale through the right. Inhale through your right nostril and then slowly exhale through your left. This is one round. Complete nine rounds and then sit quietly with your eyes closed.
Dhyana (Meditation)
If you already have your own meditation practice, then this is a good time to begin it, as Nadi Shodhana prepares the mind for meditation. If you don’t have a meditation practice, sit quietly for 10 minutes, effortlessly observing your thoughts and your breath.
The importance of regularity
If you want yoga to positively affect your state of mind, then it’s the daily regularity of a practice that will really have that impact. It’s like anything that you want to become better at: it needs regular practice. The best way to become a good guitar player is to practise every day.
While a once-a-week yoga class may leave your mind feeling clear, it probably won’t be long before the noise and lack of clarity return. It’s better to practise for a short time every day (even if it’s just for 10 minutes) rather than for an hour once a week. Every day we brush our teeth, bathe or shower etc, but what do we do to take care of our minds? To experience the deeper, accumulative benefits of yoga, service your mind daily with yoga, pranayamas and meditation.
“Since I became regular with my practice, I notice that I move through disturbances more gracefully and have been able to maintain inner peace,” says Padideh Omidian, 27, a sales and marketing consultant and Sri Sri Yoga teacher. “So even when things get really busy, I always make time for my practices.”
What else can I do to still my mind?
Chant and sing: It’s a wonderful thing: when you sing or chant, especially in a group, your mind becomes focused and calm and thoughts decrease. One aspect of yoga is satsang, where a group of people come together and sing uplifting songs. Initially when a group sits together there are so many different thoughts happening in each person’s mind, but when they sing together all the minds unite and become like one mind.
Increase your consumption of sattvic food: Whatever food you eat affects your mind in one way or another. Food either has you feel more restless (rajasic), dull and sleepy (tamasic) or more peaceful, clear and content (sattvic). Eating more sattvic foods and fewer tamasic and rajasic foods will increase the clarity and stillness of your mind.
Keep good company: Being in the company of someone whose mind is settled and calm can have an incredible effect on your own mind.
Be silent: Another aspect of yoga is observing mouna, being in silence for some time. Constant conversation and chatter creates noise in the mind, while silence brings mental clarity and stillness.
Be more grateful and complain less: Complaining creates disturbance not in your mind but often also in the mind of anyone listening to you. We usually complain about those things that we don’t take responsibility for. To create more stillness and clarity in your mind, complain less, take more responsibility to improve the things you’re not happy with and regularly take time to focus on everything in your life for which you’re grateful.
Be patient: If you’re doing lots of great things to help still your mind but it’s still not happening, don’t give up. For some people it happens easily and quickly; for others it takes a little more time. Keep applying effort and know that eventually your mind will reap the benefits.
Join a group: It’s typically harder on your own and much easier and more fun in a group. The group energy can deepen your individual experience. Doing yoga, breathing, meditation or satsang in a group increases your chances of experiencing that inner stillness more deeply.
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Sattvic foods include fresh vegetables and fruits that grow above the ground; cereals, whole grains and foods made from unrefined grains; legumes, nuts, sprouting seeds, honey, herbs (including herbal teas); and some dairy products. Rajasic foods stimulate the nervous system. They include spicy, hot, bitter, sour, gaseous and pungent foods which are not as easy on our digestive systems as sattvic foods. Examples include salted, chemically processed foods, chillies, onions, garlic, green or black teas, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, carbonated drinks, chocolate and refined sugars. Tamasic foods increase dullness in the body and mind. They include stale, fermented, microwaved, canned, reheated, deepfried and processed foods and foods that have a lot of preservatives and colouring in them. Examples of this are meat (including fish), eggs, fast foods/junk foods and food that has been cooked and left standing for three hours or longer. |
Meggan Brummer is an internationally published freelance writer, corporate wellness consultant and yoga teacher. She is currently channelling her passion for writing into capturing her journey through parenthood. To read more about how she balances heath, happiness and mamma-hood, visit www.megganmamma.com.
