Mindfulness is defined as the ability to stay in the present moment and to focus your thoughts on what is happening in the here and now. With countless distractions our day often goes by without us even checking in with ourselves, let alone spending time practicing mindfulness. This way of life, ironically ends up making us feel disconnected and unhappy.
Try this simple exercise as the first step to improving your mindfulness.
Stop what you are doing- find a comfortable seat…now rely your senses to keep you in the present moment. What do you smell? What does the air around you feel like on your skin? What sounds do you hear? What do you see?
Behavior Awareness
You can’t change anything that you are not aware of…so check in with your body. Our body sends us signals all day long…unfortunately, we are often too busy to notice or deal with these signals at the time. Practicing mindfulness by checking in with our body and where we are holding tension can improve our posture and breathing pattern, both of which affect how our pelvic floor muscles function.
OK…I’ve practiced mindfulness /checked in with my body, now what?
Step 1: identify the muscle group you are holding tension in.
Step 2: ask your body to let that tension go.
Step 3: continue to recheck frequently throughout the day as the tension tends to creep back into the body often in the same muscle group.
Step 4: try some form of tripper point release to help improve blood flow, release muscle tension/tenderness.
Improve muscle length. One that we often see patients present with in the clinic is: chronically holding tension in the glutes/butt during standing.
Strength through Stability
Being mindful of our posture can be a great self-care tool that you can do anywhere. Finding and maintaining optimal posture can go a long way in helping reduce unnecessary tension held in the body.
SB pelvic ROM to find optimal seated posture through pelvic positioning is a great tool that will create muscle memory and help your body find symmetry.
Functional Mobility
Change it up challenge! Often we fall into a pattern with our exercise routine which in turn results in going through the motions rather mindlessly. Breaking out of that rut will improve both the physical and mental benefits of the workout. So, for your next workout change it up, pick something both functional and perform it with intention. Try a functional yoga routine.