Mindful Mini-Flows

During our busy days, our attentional field is constantly bombarded with information and can sometimes overwhelm us. Taking a short break and moving through a short sequence repeatedly hits a reset button. By synchronizing your breath and your body, you can move through all the "clutter" in your mind and bring more clarity into your day/night.

Asana, as we all know, is a posture in the practice of Yoga; the Sanskrit translation of the word Asana that we use at YTL is to be seated in balance. One interpretation of balance is between effort and ease -- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Doing a short sequence, practiced repetitively, acts as a self-regulation technique. The attention to finding a balance between effort and ease allows us to self-assess without judgment; we can ask ourselves: am I striving too hard? Can I bring more ease into this sequence? Am I just going through the motions with a distracted mind? Can I practice with a bit more dedicated effort and attention?

This practice is mindfulness in motion.

The human nervous system responds positively to both rhythm and repetition. At YTL, we practice and recommend trying a couple of mini flows that feel nurturing to your body/mind when you notice any form of dysregulation emotionally (frustrated, angry, sad, jealous, depressed) or physically (muscular tension, idiopathic physical discomfort, bodily fatigue). Be sure to choose a sequence that suits your body/mind and not one that will encourage an internal striving or sense of failure. As always, we recommend you practice in a way that feels right for your unique body/mind – what expression of the suggested poses feels just right for you?

These Mindful Mini Flow sequences are used as self-regulation tools and are not intended to be a full practice.

Our colleagues at TIYT™ Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy have taught these Mindful Mini-Flows to clients from all walks of life for over a decade. The recommendations are based on the feedback of thousands of Yoga Therapy clients in programs for SUD recovery, anxiety reduction, PTSD trauma resolution, chronic pain, Managing Menopause, and other customized YT sessions. 

We love to hear from our YTL Collective – do you have a Mindful Mini Flow sequence you want to share? Which one feels best for you?

Note: If you are a YTL subscriber, you can find all of the mini flows below in Public Sequences (all titles begin with "YTL Mindful Mini-Flow") to play or add to your own collection of sequences.