The connection between yoga, meditation and mindfulness

Yoga, meditation and mindfulness are all interconnected disciplines that work together to help you promote optimal health and wellbeing in your life; physically, mentally and emotionally.

These three practices have a kind of symbiotic relationship, as each is supported and enhanced by the other two. Together they work to empower you, the practitioner, to gain a deeper understanding of your own body and mind, so that you can move through life with a greater sense of awareness and purpose.

Laying the foundation with Yoga

Yoga involves a series of asana (physical practices) and pranayama (breathing practices) that work to encourage optimal health and wellbeing. These different practices work to regulate and enhance the function of the many different systems of your body, including your muscular-skeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, lymphatic, endocrine, nervous and immune systems.

However, yoga isn’t just about physical health, it incorporates meditation and mindfulness within its teachings as a means of creating a link between your body and your mind. The teachings of yoga help cultivate an awareness that both your body and your mind are integral aspects of who you are, and what impacts on one, can also impact on the other.

Your physical body represents the foundation from which your mind operates, so it makes sense that to keep your mind as healthy as possible, it is important to work towards keeping your body healthy too. 

According to the Yoga Sutras, yoga asana and pranayama are necessary to prepare the body for meditation. When the body is healthy, there are less physical disturbances that might distract from the practice of meditation. When we meditate we cultivate mindfulness. With mindfulness, we become completely present in our lives, acting and reacting to the world around us from a state of calm and peaceful acceptance and understanding.

Meditation

Meditations are practices that can enhance your focus and awareness to help promote a clear, stable and healthy state of mind.

Together with yoga asana and pranayama, meditation can help reduce stress and work to support your physical health and mental wellbeing.

Stress can have a serious impact on your physical body. It can increase the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which then stimulates the production of the inflammation-promoting chemicals called cytokines. Increased levels of cytokines can raise your blood pressure, disrupt your sleep and can leave you feeling physically exhausted.

Chronic stress can also have a negative impact on your mental health and has been closely linked to conditions such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Meditation has been proven to be a useful tool in helping to reduce the symptoms of stress, both physically and mentally. Physically, meditation works to counteract the inflammation response, lowering blood pressure and regulating sleeping patterns. Mentally, meditation helps relieve stress by promoting relaxation and cultivating mindfulness.

Mindfulness 

In 1979 a developmental psychologist, by the name of John Flavel, decided to make a term for the idea that humans are aware of their ability to think. He named it ‘metacognition’. It is this concept, that shows we are capable of stepping back from the constant chattering of the thoughts in our mind and observe ourselves without judgement.

This awareness of self is the act of mindfulness.

The idea of observing ‘without judgement’ is important. Because mindfulness is not about recognising a ‘negative’ thought and then chastising yourself for thinking it. It is simply about recognising and acknowledging the different thoughts, and any feelings or emotions that might be attached to them. 

It is human to have negative thoughts at times. Being mindful is not about changing who you are, it is about understanding that your thoughts don’t have to control how you feel or act. 

Through the practices of both yoga and meditation, you are naturally working to cultivate a greater awareness of your body and mind, which is perhaps the ultimate goal. Because mindfulness is about being present and relaxed so that you can learn and grow, whilst enjoy a fulfilling life. 

How they can help motivate, inspire, and regenerate your outlook on life

The practices of yoga, meditation and mindfulness have all been shown to help enhance physical and mental health, as well as reduce stress, and stress-related health conditions.

Through the practices of yoga you can strengthen your body, through the practices of meditation you can strengthen your mind, and together they will both promote a more mindful state of awareness. 

Together these practices will help empower you to live your life to the fullest!

*Please note: This blog is for education purpose only. If you are experiencing clinical depression, please reach out to your health professional. Some forms of meditation might not be recommended for people with introverted mental health disorders.

Sources:

Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research.  Psychotherapy<https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022062>

Goyal M, Singh S. (2014) Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med <https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018>

Li-Chuan Chu (2009) The benefits of meditation vis-a-vis emotional intelligence, perceived stress and negative mental health. Stress and Health <https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1289 >

Marian Garfinkel, Ralph Schumacher (2000) Yoga. Science Direct. <https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-857X(05)70126-5>