by Michaele Paoli, LICSW, RYT

How many times have you finished a yoga class, you feel wonderful; you feel more open, taller, calmer and more grounded. There are times that you have felt inspired by a lesson or words of wisdom from your instructor, or felt that sweet spot during your meditation and then you leave your mat, your class or studio and within minutes your back in autopilot. Work/life worries seep in, you lose patience in a check out line, during traffic, or lose your temper with a coworker or family member.

When I see psychotherapy clients, I prescribe exercises, breath work or poses, meditation, or guided visualization that are to be done regularly in order for them to fully reap the benefits. Every week I teach an intentional yoga class, last week we discussed how to carry what yoga teaches you out the door and into your life.

Here are five easy ways to bring yourself back to zen when you stray from the path.

1. Mountain pose (Tadasana) any where. Long line @ the coffee shop? Feel your feet touching the earth. Sense the floor/ ground beneath you, feel a sense of being anchored, grounded. Notice the strength of your legs and the length of your spine.
2. Find your breath. Bring your attention to the tip of your nose and just feel your natural breath move in and out. Feel how the breath is cool as it enters the nostrils and warm as it leaves them. You can do this anywhere and will feel the calming benefits quickly.
3. Deepen the breath- pull the breath all the way down into the belly, feel the rib cage expand, then fill your chest and throat. Take several of these when you are feeling anxious or stressed.
4. Meditate – even if it’s 5 or 10 minutes per day. Also, remember, meditation can also be movement, yoga of course, or a walking meditation. Keeping the breath and body moving together and being aware of your breath as you move is what’s important.
5. Be of service to someone else. A simple act of kindness goes a long way! Holding a door, letting someone go in front of you in a check out line, volunteer at a local non- profit, help build houses for the homeless. This is simply good karma.
6. Have an attitude of gratitude. “Trade your expectations to appreciation and the world changes instantly” -(Tony Robbins). Being thankful for even the smallest of things can help divert negative thinking and spread positive energy into the universe.