I was chatting with my students recently and mentioned the saying, "Movement is Medicine." While I DO believe that is true, I feel that the saying is incomplete.

I believe that "Mindful Movement is Medicine."

Here is my perspective: I love a good, fast-paced group fitness class or hot yoga class. The music and the energy of the room gets my blood pumping and is invigorating. However, I find that without the mindfulness piece that is my yoga practice, I learned that I push too hard and don't pay attention to what my body is telling me. Sometimes leaving me exhausted, disconnected from myself and prone to injury.

Do I think that we shouldn't take these kinds of classes? Absolutely not! This kind of fast-paced movement IS good for us! However, I believe (and have experienced) that wonderful healing can happen in a slow, mindful yoga practice. Body, mind and spirit.

So what does mindfulness on the yoga mat mean? And how do I practice that?

The first step is to notice your breath. I tell my students all the time that "the first order of business in every posture is to find your breath."

When you move into any posture, notice how you are breathing. Is it slow, shallow, short, choppy, deep, full? Where do you notice the breath in your body? Your chest, abdomen, belly? If you are having trouble connecting and slowing the breath, can you back out of the posture a bit to find your full, slow breath? This paying attention is adding mindfulness to your practice.

The next step is to notice where your body is in space. Can you feel the connection of your body to the mat? Do you notice your posture? Are you slouching or can you find a little more length?

There are so many more ways but by noticing these two things as you are moving from one posture to the next, you are adding mindfulness to your practice!

Give this a try and let me know what you notice!