One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned from YTT is that your mental strength is
just as important as your physical strengthen when it comes to improving the quality of your
practice.
Mental strength is about the ability for your mind to stay present and to silence the external
noise. According to a Harvard study, almost half of our waking hours is spent thinking about
something other than what we’re doing. “Unlike other animals, humans spend a lot of time
thinking about what isn’t going on around them: contemplating events that happened in the
past, might happen in the future, or may never happen at all. Indeed, mind-wandering appears
to be the human brain’s default mode of operation.”
What’s concerning is that the study suggests a correlation between a wandering mind and an
unhappy mind. How often our minds leave the present and where they tend to go is a better
predictor of our happiness than the activities in which we are engaged.”
Yoga teaches the mind to be present and to resist wandering. In particular, focusing on the
breath allows me to stay present and aware of my body. This is was a surprising benefit for
me joining YTT. I had originally intended to get more in shape physically. However, I was
surprised at how much training the mind to be present impacted my overall satisfaction. I am
excited to learn more about the breathing exercises and to also teach these techniques to my
future students.
Ou Yin Yin
July’19 Weekend YTT
