We live in a world that is full of fantastic technological advances, we have gadgets for everything, not to mention all the applications out there! And all in the palm of our hand. But with all these wonders we also get over stimulated and in many ways, overwhelmed by all those emails, text messages, notifications, alerts, etc.  We ae expected to multitask all the time. Emails need to be answered immediately, and text and instant messages are even more ‘urgent’. But… Are they really that urgent?

One of the side effects of all this is our inability to focus on one task at a time, it hinders our ability to stay on the present moment without having to rush for what is coming immediately after. This is one of those many areas in which taking yoga with us outside of the mat is extremely helpful. In yoga we strive for staying in the moment using our breath to keep us stay centered, by focusing on our breath we can come back to the present and leave behind all those distractions. Also, the concept of a focus point, or ‘drishti’ point, where we set our gaze to help us concentrate on the asana or in meditation.

Recently, I started working in a new office, and despite the fact that I am not used to all the distractions that are part of an office, I have noticed that my capacity of focusing is amazingly higher, and I believe it is because I have been applying all of these yoga principles in the office. Next time you feel distracted when attempting to complete a task that requires your full attention, try to stay “on your mat” applying any or all of these yoga techniques and you will see how much more efficient you can be!!!

Namaste!