Mindfulness is an important topic at the moment. It can feel as though we've lost the ability to live in the moment. Mindfulness reminds us to bring ourselves back to what is going on in the here and now. It is a practice used for many different purposes, including by athletes who want to improve their performance at the gym.
It may be a trending buzzword at the moment, but a mindful workout can make a considerable difference. Of course, in order to exercise in this way, you must know what it means. A team of UK researchers examined this from the John Moores University's School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Faculty of Science, and from the university's Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Science, both in Liverpool.
They defined mindfulness as being accepting of feelings and thoughts and being attentive to the present. At the same time, it included a conscious turning inward of focus. In a society in which we're always connected and plugged in, mindfulness represents the opposite of our typical daily activities. This practice helps us to release feelings of discomfort and fatigue that can be associated with continually being connected. That said, this same concept can work with the discomforts and disconnects of workouts.
This technique helps people to move beyond their feelings of fatigue and the discomforts they feel when they're doing a particularly difficult workout. Therefore, a growing number of athletes are starting to practice mindfulness workouts to get past their barriers and get more enjoyment and results from their exercises.
Among the best ways to introduce mindfulness into your workout is to listen to the perfect music throughout the workout. This helps to lift the mind away from a workout's struggle in favor of listening to the music.
That said, practicing yoga and tai chi accomplish this goal without the need for music to distract. The very practices of yoga and tai chi involve various forms of mindfulness as a component of their sessions. These practices both focus on the process of the poses and movements, instead of on the outcome achieved at the end of a session.
If you haven't yet started turning your focus inward to help improve your training, it may be time to try. Choose to incorporate more than one technique into your overall workout routine. That way, you'll have several forms of mindfulness workout on your side. Continually update and improve your workout playlist to ensure all your tunes are working for you. Then, sign up for a yoga class to enjoy improving your flexibility, balance and mental health as you actively practice mindfulness on a regular basis.