“World peace starts with inner peace.” I think that makes a lot of sense. The United

Nations is organising International Yoga Day on 21 June this year, based around

this principle. This day will be celebrated with yoga events all around the world.

I’ve noticed that we’re all paying more and more attention to mental

health these days. How positive we’re feeling, in other words. I can see why. I want to feel happy and healthy too. From the top of my

head to the tip of my toes.

Focus on the positiveWITH YOGA AND

MINDFULNESS

YOGA AND MINDFULNESS

We have a new neighbour a bit further along the street

and I often see her walking past with a rolled-up yoga

mat under her arm. I recently went up to her to introduce

myself. We ended up having a really nice chat and it

actually turned out that she’s a mindfulness coach. Isn’t

that interesting? So, as well as some great yoga tips,

she was able to give me some really useful pointers on

mindfulness: a practice based on eastern philosophy.

Yoga is more about the movement side of things whereas

mindfulness is more about meditation. But they really

complement each other, according to my neighbour.

YOGA AND MINDFULNESS TIPS FOR BEGINNERS:

1. Find time for some breathing exercises every day. There are lots of different kinds of yoga and they all start with good breathing. Practice calm and focused abdominal breathing, really engaging

your diaphragm, once per day.

2. Make space every day for a moment of mindfulness too. Mind-fulness begins with experiencing the present consciously instead of

thinking about the past or the future. You can practise this by completing one activity with total focus and concentration every

day. I chose to do this during my morning walk with Mr Bear. Instead of distracting myself by making all kinds of to-do lists in my head, I try to consciously occupy myself with thinking about walking

and looking around me. Truly living in the moment.

3. Try not to make judgements. This is an important part of yoga as well as mindfulness. During my first mindfulness walk, I actually found the sound of a lawnmower a bit annoying, for example. But

it’s important to become aware of your experiences and accept them, without adding a value judgement like ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

4. End the day on a positive note. Try to reflect on something you’re grateful for before you go to sleep. You could couple that with a

meditation or yoga exercise, but you don’t have to.