How to Achieve Mindfulness with Yoga and Meditation

Why do I practice yoga? It's impactful on my life and therefore it affects my trading.

I had no idea what impact it would have on me when I began my practice. If you haven't started, I would give it a try.

One of my teachers Erich Schiffmann has called yoga a "moving meditation" - you lose yourself in the vinyasa flow and don't think about the choreography of the flow.

Become mindful of your breath and you calm yourself, lower your blood pressure and level of stress. Surrender to the process and notice over time how you feel better the longer you practice yoga. I admit, I did not feel this way within the first 3 months of practicing yoga. But there came a point where I didn't want to go a day without it. The blissful hangover you have the day after a yoga class is worth the effort.

When you feel better, I think you'll trade better. You won't have the knots in your lower back, the stress in your shoulders, or tight hamstrings that distract you during the trading day.

You can also just meditate and forget the yoga altogether, but the benefits to you overall body with yoga are superior to that of just

You can also tap into your subconscious also by going with the flow and seeing where you are holding stress in your body and all the feelings that you are holding on to that you don't know you are holding on to...you'll release all the energy that your body is blocking mentally and physically.

You'll also develop a stronger sense of mental stamina because you'll condition yourself to quiet your mind - and that means focus. When you focus, you'll be able to harness all your mental power and put it on the task at hand. You'll also benefit by NOT spending energy on things that don't matter anymore. That's how your life will improve.

You can watch yoga lessons on YouTube. You can also buy some DVDs to practice at home. IMHO, you'll benefit more if you are a beginner because your teacher will help you make the adjustments so that your postures are picture perfect. Like for baseball pitchers, you want to have great yoga mechanics so that you don't inadvertently hurt yourself by trying to go to deep into a pose.

My good friend Ally Hamilton has an online yoga school where you can stream lessons for $10/month and have access to some amazing teachers - many of whom I know.

Listen to my interview with Ally Hamilton

Listen to my interview with TM master Norman Rosenthal