Back To Mindful Yoga – BionicOldGuy

I do a stretching routine every night, partially based on what I’ve picked up in books and classes on Yoga, and partially based on physical therapy exercises I’ve accumulated due to rehabbing from various ailments or injuries. I find it is a lot more relaxing and enjoyable if I do it mindfully, paying attention to each exercise rather than simultaneously watching TV. I recommended this as a coping strategy here back during Covid.

Unfortunately I tend to get out of this habit if there is something especially interesting on TV. The last time this happened was during the NBA playoffs last year. When they are first on there is a large backlog of games to watch. So I decide it’s OK temporarily to watch them while doing my stretching. But the playoffs ended last June, and I hadn’t got back to doing the routine mindfully till now. So much for the excuse “temporarily”.

For the past several days I’ve reestablished my mindful stretching, and confirmed yet again how relaxing it its. Hopefully I’ll be able to fight off the excuses next time.

This incident motivated me to read up more on mindful Yoga, and I found books about it on Amazon. So I tried The Practice of Mindful Yoga by Hannah Ross. This is a good book with a lot of good tips on injecting mindfulness into your routine. I would only recommended for those who already have a Yoga or stretching routine, however. Hannah does give a suggested routine at the end of the book, but the instructions are solely in text, no pictures, which is difficult to learn from for beginners.