Ten to Zen

Sports

Ten To

Zen

Words and selected images

by Lynsey Riach

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Yoga can help to unlock our inner and outer strength, but to maximize its benefits outside of the studio, trying your best to live a centred, balanced life is key. Here are ten tips to help you along the path to serenity.

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s a yoga instructor people often expect me to be in a constant state of calm, where nothing could possibly bother me. But I feel that unless you’re genetically predisposed to be a cool and collected character then how can we change who we intrinsically are? And that question carries even more weight when placed in 2014 where each one of us is guilty of being ‘oh-so-busy’ all of the time.

Effectively, busy lives mean busy minds. The ability to switch off has become even trickier than ever before (sometimes feel like you just can’t escape?), so what can we do to slow it all down and be grateful for what we actually have?

Well the answer lies in re-programming. That means your actions, your routine, your day and, eventually, your overall mindset. Introducing, Ten to Zen which is a set group of mantras originally created by Buddhist monks who, along with much meditation adopted their chosen mantras into each part of their day over and over until it became their day.

The idea behind this is to be mindful and fully aware of what you’re doing at times that matter most to you. Think about the last item of food you ate – did you stop and chew it properly? Savour the flavour? Enjoy it? Did you even need it? Or what about the last conversation you had with a loved one – did you even listen properly to what they had to say or were you too busy multi-tasking and checking on your Facebook notifications?

If we stop and act more mindfully on matters that are important to us, we become more aware of how we spend our time. Everything from how and what we eat, to how we behave provides an insight into each of our days and lives so we can turn things around if we feel something is no longer serving us or we could be a better version of ourselves.

So, you can start each day mindfully by thinking about these mantras and how you can incorporate them into your life whether it be at home, at work or even in the car!

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Let go of Judgments To judge is to criticize, to act as if you know best boosts only the ego – so just don’t.

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Let go of Anger An emotion we all have that can be controlled through proper management and is often triggered by a re-occurring obstacle. Tackle what that problem is and understand that an angry person is not rational or helpful.

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Let go of Regrets As we age we accumulate experience, so it’s easy to look back and wish we had acted in a different manner or chosen a different path. It’s best to accept that at that time you made the best decision you could for whatever reason you did. You cannot change it now so let it go.

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Let go of Worrying The past has happened, the future is an imagination and the present is all we have. Stay in today, the present moment. Worrying about the past uses energy, worrying about the future that has not happened yet is day-dreaming.

Unless you can be productive in your worrying then don’t even entertain it.

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Let go of Comparing Once you start pitting yourself against others you create rivalry, hostility and negative energy within your body and thought processes.

Accept that you are you and as for others, you most probably don’t know their full story so to compare is a waste of time. Enjoy being you.

Let go of Competing Healthy competition never hurt anyone but if you have a competitive nature you may find this can become a burden to you and create negativity and unrealistic ideals in your life. Be mindful of how and what you are competing for – make sure it’s worth it to you.

Let go of Blame As an adult, we learn to accept responsibility.

If there is blame to be had, instead of pushing this onto another, accept the role you have played. Be in control of how you operate and conduct yourself. Being more mindful of this will help to cut down on arguments and upset with those you love.

Let go of Guilt Sometimes we feel guilty for things we can’t control in the lives of others. Accept that we all play our own role and we act in a way we feel acceptable at that time due to the circumstance.

If you ate a piece of chocolate when you were trying not to, you may feel slight guilt but it soon

passes and you may learn from your ‘mistake’.

Learn and keep on learning to rid yourself of the heavy burden guilt carries.

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Let go of Fear Conquer your fears by facing them. If you couldn’t sleep for worrying about bills to pay and are now fearful you cannot pay them, be productive – face the problem head-on and resolve it. There is always a solution, always.

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Laugh Every single day. Happy hormones flood your system and stay with you, so make sure and get a proper belly laugh – it’s good for your soul!

You can break these Ten to Zen down onto a piece of paper to carry with you, or stick onto the fridge as a reminder. Of if you prefer, create your very own mantra – pick a quick and easy phrase that means something to you and that you can memorize, then use it when needed.

By making mantras part of your day, you should be able to mindfully bring your attention back to the present moment – what is a priority and a reality. In turn it should leave you a more grateful person. Now, don’t forget to breathe…Namaste! n Lynsey Riach is a qualified yoga instructor living and working in Doha.

To learn more about her services visit www.andstretchyoga.com.

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