Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

Yesterday was my class for confidence building for people who have mental health issues. Think it may be working.
A yoga instructor came in yesterday and we all did a yoga exercise with her. We all sat in comfy chairs, relaxed position for arms and legs, feet grounded on floor, low music playing in background and instructor softly speaking and controlling how we were breathing getting us to gradually to take longer breaths in and out.
Ok I was the one who feel asleep right near the end but I've been having terrible problems with sleeping lately.
The first thing I knew was I felt my tutors hands on my shoulders from behind and saying my name and asking if I was ok. She said she had been watching the class and had noticed that I wasn't doing the arm stretching movements at the end of the session and had realised I'd tuned out. Thank God I hadn't started snoring. Felt very groggy when woke up even though I wasn't out for long, but what surprised me is that I didn't care and didn't feel embarrassed as normally I would collapse and die after doing such a thing in front of people.
Ok I'm lucky that my classmates mostly women are quite friendly, they've even offered to interview any prospective girlfriends for me so I don't make a hash up like I tend to do picking women. Its a big thing for me not to feel embarrassed about myself all the time.

The yoga session was very similar to meditation classes I went to a few times with ex gf but the difference was that in meditation class the tutor(?) Used to get you to used your imagination about where you were going to go in your mind during the meditation and the feelings and sensations you were feeling during.
I always thought that yoga was more of a body exercise routine rather than a mind exercise.
Am I wrong?
Does anyone here use yoga or meditation?

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

Hi MC I am glad you found yoga beneficial. I do yoga but have had to limit it this summer because of my frozen shoulder. I'm hoping to start again soon because it's starting to finally recover. There is definitely a connection between the moves and your psyche. I can be feeling totally stressed and a short yoga session will completely rebalance both mind and body leaving me feeling the way I would after a full body massage.

I do not find meditation so useful. I simply don't have the patience and if I am feeling rubbish I just dwell on that mood. Whereas yoga can completely change that mood.

I used to think the psyche could be controlled by the mind, but I am now convinced it's all chemical. I've noticed something like having a nutritious meal can change my mood as can doing exercise.

Yoga brings together the mind and body and I liken it to having something like deep tissue acupuncture or cupping. It realigns the energy inside your body and one of those energy points is in your head. It's great that you have had such a good response. You must have a good instructor.

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

Yes,I've always found meditation to be a great help in keeping Me calm & grounded when I find Myself getting irritated/ratty/worried over things which don't really matter...I do it in the quiet and privacy of My Own Home..unplug tv/phone/laptop,and just concentrate on the peace and quiet knowing My Life is as it should be...I'm not supple enough now for Yoga exercise as I have arthritic joints which just won't do as I wish them to unfortunately

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

Meditation and silence is a huge part of my religion so I'm very keen on it.

I've not done yoga but I hear very good things about it.

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

I always found meditation hard to do ... until I read a book explaining that the Western mind wasn't especially well geared for such contemplative silence .. we're too brain busy.

I took to Creative Visualisation instead.
The gist of that is instead of trying to think of nothing .. direct your mind to one thing. Occupy it. This could be seeing yourself walking along a quiet sandy stretch of beach whilst beach combing, or waggling your bare toes in the softly lapping sea surf as it laps around your ankles.
That's to say ... dwelling and luxuriating in something pleasant which relaxes you and clears your brain of clutter and niggling thoughts.
You can even create yourself a little imaginary walled garden full of roses and go for a stroll if you love flowers. Anything you like ... create your own inner space to rove in.

Another one is whilst you're sitting relaxed after yoga to imagine a blue healing light surrounding your body .. and you draw it into your solar plexus, imagining it's calming refreshing energy as it spreads out inside you, even down to your fingers and toes. Flex those little fingers and toes which begin to feel relaxed and tranquil. Come across a bunched muscle? Tell it to relax and it will. And as you do this ..imagine all the crap energy, worries and anxieties of the day flowing out from your feet into the ground ... like shedding a skin, till you feel free of tension or stress.
I've used this one to help me nod off at nights.

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

Last year, l went to Yoga and loved it. Then the classes finished!

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

That's really interesting morti. It's how I do it as I've never found thinking of nothing comfortable, I tend to think nothing, no that's something, stop thinking, stop it and on it goes

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

I know ... I love it when it says to let the thought drift ... don't fight it ...don't acknowledge it or focus on it or it will grow ... just let it lazily drift off.

Just doesn't work .. it's like those old Atari games, the Ping-Pong one where I sit there with me eyes clenched shut with a mental bat lobbing them around but they never go over the net and keep coming back.

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

I do mindfulness which can be dome anywhere at any time.

Re: Yoga? Meditation? What do you think.

I tried yoga and meditation in my youth. Not my thing at all. Too slow and I just couldn't settle into it, it all felt a bit 'flaky' to me.

Anxiety and nervous stomachs led me to see a counsellor who suggested relaxation and he did me a tape. It was all about flexing and relaxing muscles from the head to the toes, deep breathing etc etc. Wonderful relaxing voice and it worked. Still got it nearly 40 years later. Trouble is, one time I rose up and floated somewhere - it frightened me so much, I never did it again.

Fast forward to when my daughter was about 3 (she's 29 now) and I went to this blind chap who I could relax with as he couldn't see me. He did hypnosis with me, which didn't work too well which I won't expand on. Anyway he told me something similar to your Creative Visualisation and left me to create my 'scene'.

I used to visualise lying in a boat just drifting along under the canopy of the trees, with the sun twinkling through every now again, the birds were singing, bees buzzing, oh all sorts I used to visualise. Always relaxed me when I felt anxious or stressed.

I'm nothing like I used to be with stress levels, and I've made myself anti social to a certain degree - so I sleep like a log and the only thing I worry about is not having much of anything to worry about

Funnily, I swear worrying kept me slim, now I don't worry so much, it's slowed me down and I've got a belly