Go with the flow for more happiness and clarity

In yoga, we talk about something called pratyahara which, in simple terms, means absorbing yourself fully into an activity, like your yoga practice, a hobby you enjoy or even something mundane like the washing up!
 
You might have experienced this before – have a think about whether there’s an activity that you really lose yourself in every time you do it. Where time just seems to slow down.
 

For me, it’s reading. I love to get lost in a great book or watching a film at the cinema... Both activities are really absorbing – I’m not thinking about anything else at the time, I'm just in the moment.
 
But over the years I’ve noticed that it’s harder to concentrate on these things and even to make time to do these things that I enjoy. The modern world has trained us to be so easily distracted, with the constant pinging and beeping of our smartphones and the many pulls on our attention, encouraging us to stay busy, busy, busy. 
 
Practicing yoga re-trains us to focus our minds and draw our attention inwards. It's one of the reasons why I practice. 

Here’s a challenge for you this week – make time and space to perform an activity that you enjoy, that you can really absorb yourself in. Pay attention to how you feel afterwards and your state of mind. 
 
Let me know how it goes!