This month we’ve been focusing on the theme of mindfulness and weaving mindfulness practices into our asana (yoga movement) practices. 

So what the heck is a mindfulness practice, you might ask?  Mindfulness practices very simply invite us to pay attention on purpose.  They invite us to see things as they are by paying attention to what is happening right now. They invite us to return again and again to the present moment with curiosity and friendliness. 

I’ve been enjoying, in my own movement practices, weaving in different anchors to help bring me back to the present.  The breath can be an anchor; the sensations in our bodies can be anchors; our senses can be anchors; our feelings and our thoughts can be anchors.  These anchors are simply something to focus on as you sit or move.  You bring your attention to your anchor of choice, and then when your mind wanders away, which it will, and you ‘ve noticed it has wandered you invite it back to the anchor. 

In my mind I envision mindfulness practices and using anchors like this: one end of a long leash is connected to a big oak tree, the other is connected to my dog.  Right now my dog is lying on the grass enjoying the sunshine, feeling its warmth, but then a beautiful breeze blows by and he catches a scent in the breeze.  Soupy, being a hound, gets up and starts to follow the scent.   Luckily the leash tethers him so he doesn’t wander off too far and get lost.  When he feels the tug he realizes that he needs to come back, and back he comes to lie in the sunny spot.  The wandering might happen again and again, but because he has that leash to tether him he returns again and again.

Our anchors work similarly to bring us back again and again very gently and kindly to what is happening right now. 

My two favorite anchors have been my breath and my body.  They feel strong enough to bring my wandering mind back again and again to the present – the inhale of my breath, the exhale of my breath – or the feeling of my breath moving in my body. 

Here is a brief meditation using our breath as the anchor.  Check it out and enjoy taking a few minutes to connect with yourself and the moment.

Check out my schedule of classes and videos for more mindful movement practices!