Guest Article Written by Sheila Johnson

As many of us know, yoga is one of the healthiest things a person can do for their body. Research shows that its benefits include alleviating back pain, reducing symptoms of chronic diseases, promoting weight loss, and helping people manage anxiety and depression. It can also help relieve a burdensome pain cycle. Harvard Health also notes that people who practice yoga develop inner awareness that helps contribute to a better body image and soothe overall tension in the body. 

Of course, it can be hard to find time and space to develop a meaningful yoga practice in today’s chaotic world. The good news is that the technology we keep close by can be converted into a personal assistant that helps us find ways to insert yoga breaks into our everyday life. YourSoulfulGuide offers a few ways you can use technology to practice more often and keep track of your results.

Set An Intention For Your Yoga Practice

These days our smart devices are always at hand, so why not convert your smartphone into a personal yoga trainer? There are plenty of apps to help you set intentions surrounding your yoga practice. Apps like Daily Yoga, Down Dog, or Glo can help you set goals, remind you to follow through on your fitness commitments, connect you with inspiring teachers and exercises, and help keep manage your progress. You can also track your efforts through a smartwatch or fitness tracker to help gauge your progress and see how your vital signs match up with your exertion. Best of all, the apps mentioned are easy to find for smartwatches that are set up for Android or Apple. 

Allow Yourself To Practice For As Little As Seven Minutes

You know that that phone of yours has a handy little timer on it, right? Some yoga is better than no yoga, so even if you have a super busy lifestyle, using your timer to set an intention, even as little as 5-15 minutes can help you fit some yoga into your day. It’s a great way to take a pause, relax the muscles, and let go of any tension you’re carrying around in your body. You can even memorize a 7-minute yoga routine for relaxation and do it whenever you have a few spare moments to devote to yourself…no fancy studio needed!

Meditate Instead Of Just Zoning Out

Another way to enhance your overall yoga practice is to integrate meditation into your day. Just as with a 7-minute yoga routine, a few minutes of meditation when you’d otherwise be zoning out is a perfect way to fit a bit of you-time into a busy day. Studies suggest that taking little meditation breaks can significantly reduce stress and help regulate the body. The good news is that you can meditate just about anywhere, even if you’re somewhere where it would be difficult to bust out some yoga poses. This is especially true if you use an app like Calm or Buddhify to help you select meditation practices that suit your mood and location.

While yoga is wonderful in a classroom setting, it isn’t always the best way for everyone to get deeper into their practice. For some, these intentional and technology-assisted methods can help ensure they fit more yoga into their life more often…and who couldn’t benefit from that? 

Heading Photo by Plann on Unsplash

Bowl Meditation Photo by Conscious Design on  Unsplash

Yoga Photo by Dane Wetton on Unsplash