Mindfulness vs. Yoga

The difference between yoga and mindfulness may not seem clear at first, as both practices are similar in many ways. Today we are going to talk about these disciplines and how they differ.

In a society that seems to be dominated by the daily hustle and bustle, it's necessary to set time aside to connect with and become aware of your emotions and thoughts, relieve stress and manage anxiety levels. For this, there are disciplines such as mindfulness and yoga that are capable of helping you stay connected and to solve these daily problems in an appropriate way.

To approach problems from a totally different perspective, these mindfulness exercises that will be shown below will help everyone to enter the world of mindfulness, control anxiety and stress accumulated during the day, and achieve mental well-being.

What is the difference between them?

To explain the differences, it's important to start off by noting mindfulness and meditation are not the same. Mindfulness is a lifestyle that consists of applying mediation to everyday problems to achieve better control of emotions. Likewise, meditation is a technique for the mind to travel to the present, observe and let go of everything that arises. Mindfulness is full awareness and meditation is simply being in the present moment.

Having established the differences between mediation and mindfulness, it is important to distinguish between mindfulness and the discipline of yoga. Yoga works both physically and mentally, improving flexibility, balance and muscle tension. Also, on a mental level, yoga improves aspects such as concentration, memory and creativity and helps control stress, anxiety and insomnia. To achieve that state of mental well-being, mindfulness is incorporated into the discipline of yoga.

So on the one hand, yoga is an activity that combines mental & physical work with breathing & calculated movements, which help relieve pain and muscle tension, a practice that strengthen both the circulatory and immune systems.

On the other hand, mindfulness is  a lifestyle, because its followers and practitioners are focused solely on the present, without judgement or desire to change their surroundings.

How to differentiate between mindfulness from yoga?

Simply put, mindfulness is using meditation to enter the present and work through problems that arise throughout your day. Yoga seeks to strengthen your mind and body, by incorporating meditation and mindfulness into the physical requirements.

Mindfulness can be practiced without yoga, but yoga cannot be practiced without mindfulness.

Until next week!

~Bernie