π‘ Idea
This noisy, overstimulating world turns our lives into a blur filled with procrastination, unfinished goals, and neverending browser tabs. Naturally, a focused and clear mind is a rare find.
Let's find our focus to:
set our priorities
stay on track with our goals
enjoy the present
π§π½ Focus Pose
You don't need to practice challenging yoga balances to improve your focus. In fact, Easy pose becomes anything but easy when you use it for meditation instead of watching TV on the couch. So grab a yoga block, do a short warm-up, and most importantly, breathe.
Prep & How-To:
Step 1.
Sit upright with your knees bent.
Bring the soles of your feet together and draw them in as close as possible.
Grab the feet with your hands and gently press your elbows into the knees to help them open.
If possible, slowly fold forward on an exhale, leading with your chest. Make sure not to round through your lower back.
Hold for three full breaths.
Step 2.
Sit down with both legs extended in front of you. Depending on your flexibility, you might want to bend your knees slightly.
Stack your shoulders over the hips and keep the natural curve of the spine. If you're not sure about the sensation, try sitting against the wall. Your shoulders and sacrum should touch the wall. Roll a yoga blanket or a towel and place it behind your lower back.
Place your hands beside you.
Flex your feet and make sure your toes point straight up.
Draw your navel up and in, and engage your thighs.
Hold for three full breaths.
Step 3.
From Staff pose, bend your left knee and bring the foot to your right hip as if you're planning to sit cross-legged.
Bend your right knee and bring it toward you.
Hold onto your right foot with your left hand and your right knee with the right hand. You can also bring the right knee into the crook of your right elbow and your right foot into the crook of your left elbow while clasping your hands.
Start gently rocking the right leg from side to side as if you're cradling the baby.
Start working towards making your right shin more horizontal - but only if you can keep your back from rounding forward.
Hold for three full breaths.
Switch sides
Step 4.
From Cradle The Baby, lower your leg, place the shin parallel to the mat.
Adjust your feet so that each is located more or less beneath the opposite knee.
Lengthen through your spine and draw the shoulder blades down.
Place your hands on your knees with palms up or down.
Hold for three full breaths and switch the cross of your legs.
Sit on a yoga block or a blanket if you find it hard to keep your spine upright in the pose.
π§ Brain Food
Drishti, a βvisionβ, a βfocused pointed gaze,β is a yoga technique of fixating your eyes on a single point.
From the practical point of view, Drishti helps you find balance and stability in Asana practice.
Try standing in Tadasana with your eyes open and fixed in front of you and lift one leg. Piece of cake.
Now, start looking around, leg still lifted. Staying balanced suddenly gets much harder.
Besides saving you from falling flat on your face, Drishti is meant to calm and train our overstimulated minds.
When you drift off:
looking at people around us in a yoga class
thinking when this dreadful pose will end
planning the weekend during Savasanaβ¦
... Drishti helps shift your attention from the noise and return to what's truly important - your practice and your yoga goals.
We can use the wisdom of Drishti off the mat too.
Not only as an antidote to multitasking but also as a way of creating the reality we want.
βWhere you put your attention is where your energy will flow.β - from the book Perfectly Imperfect by Baron Baptiste
For example:
If you wake up cranky, thinking what a terrible day lies ahead of you, you're probably going to be right. You'll be focused and spending your energy on your misery.
If, instead, you wake up grateful for what you have, you'll likely see more positive things happening to you throughout the day.
If you turn your attention to being healthy, youβll more likely prioritize and use your energy on working out rather than mindlessly scrolling the web or watching TV.
Drishti doesn't help us shut off from the outer world - distractions and negativity will always be there.
But we can train our minds to focus on what we want to cultivate without getting lost in the blur of life.
πͺ Double Action
On the mat: Try this exercise from Leah Cullis to train your Drishti.
Off the mat: Do this simple journaling exercise to determine your priorities for the week (based on 3-step technique from Warren Buffett).
Write down your top 15 things you want to accomplish next week.
Review your list and circle the top 5 things.
You now have two lists: the 5 items you circled move up to FOCUS list. The other 10 you did not circle move to Avoid-At-All-Cost list.
Important! No matter what, things in Avoid-At-All-Cost list get no attention from you until youβve succeeded with your top 5 FOCUS list.
Got a journal?Β Download the printable template here.
Got any questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send me an email at laura@yogakali.com.
Happy weekend!
Laura