Willpower Tips, Day 18. Yoga for Willpower.

Meditation is great for boosting your parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn will help you with self regulation.

Yoga is basically meditation with movement. If it hasn’t appealed to you previously, it might just be a matter of finding a type you like.

The kind I like is called Yin Yoga (by this I mean the kind I like personally for my own practice). It’s done almost entirely on the ground in lying or sitting down positions. These are the videos I use for doing it at home YouTube link.

Yin Yoga involves staying in the same pose for a long time (usually 5 mins).

Over the course of the 5 mins you’ll usually find that your body softens up and you can go deeper into the pose than you could at the start. While you’re in pose, scan your body for any muscles you’re tensing and allow those muscles not to be tense. Since you’re mostly going to be lying down, it’ll be the floor, gravity, and your “props” that will be holding you up, so your muscles can relax.

I use the mat from a sun lounger, cushions off the sofas, and rolled up towels for my props.

The usual disclaimers apply. I’m a Psychology PhD, not a medical doctor or a yoga teacher/expert. Use your own judgment and seek medical advice if necessary. Yoga can be harmful if not practiced correctly or if a practice isn’t right for your body.

You can check out this video if you want to learn about research on the benefits of Yoga for mental health.