FINDING MINDFULNESS ON AND OFF THE MAT By Mikayla Carroll
Photo by Erin Hu
Mindfulness. Strength. Flexibility. These are all aspects of
have. Tuning into our bodies and catering to its needs can be
yoga that make up a beautiful flow of movement. It is a set
extremely beneficial. Choosing to flow to the rhythm of music
sequence of motion, yet it is not rigid. It is a routine, but it is
can bring life and energy to your practice, as it provides a
not demanding. You can take or leave whatever speaks to your
basis for the movement you take.
body. It can be set to music, or be just as fulfilling set to the sound of your breath. In the blur of college life, where there is always stress
In college, it’s too easy to feel as though you’re living in a bubble. We allow ourselves to fixate our minds on everything that we could’ve done differently. We overthink to the extreme
and urgency, yoga encourages the mind and body to simply
and stress relentlessly over the uncertainty of our futures.
slow down and be in the moment. There are no worries of
Mindfulness is all about letting go of the regrets of our past
an upcoming exam when you’re on the mat. You are not
and the anxieties of our futures and exchanging them instead
worried about the pose you will come into next. Mindfulness
for gratitude for the present.
is essential, on and off the mat. Practicing acceptance and
Yoga teaches us that there is no moment more important
gratitude in the current moment can be something we strive
than the present one. We owe it to ourselves to tune out the
for in our everyday lives.
world every once in a while and tune into our bodies and
Yoga preaches leaning into the discomfort, as sometimes it can bring you to the next level in your practice. In our daily
souls instead. We are so bogged down by school, our social lives and our
lives, sometimes we also need to embrace what is outside of
never-ending responsibilities that we neglect our very own
our comfort zone because that’s the only way to achieve real
well-being at times. Yoga provides an escape. When you step
growth in life.
into the studio or onto your mat, you are exhaling all the
Concentrating on breath-to-movement is an essential part of practice. Focusing on our breathing is an important skill to
stressors of the outside world and inhaling new-found life and strength to face whatever awaits you after your practice.
Photo by Jessie White
YOGA