STRIKE A POSE
You’ll find it difficult to stay mindful if you’re trying to extract your gym shorts from awkward places mid-pose. To fast-track your mental contentment, make sure you’re wearing the right gear. The new range from yoga specialist Manduka is kind both to the environment (it’s made using a combination of recycled polyester, plant-based material and organic cotton) and to your body. The Minimalist tank (pictured, £32) is made with a lightweight stretch mesh fabric to aid movement, while the Atman tights (pictured, £72) have contoured flat-locked seams and an elastic waistband to maximise comfort and performance. manduka.com
Practising mindfulness, a form of meditation, could offer a host of mental benefits such as improved memory, accelerated learning and reduced stress, according to research from Harvard Medical School. Scientists compared brain scans of long-term meditators with those of a control group and found that the former “had more grey matter in the frontal cortex, which is associated with working memory and executive decision making”.
If you’re new to mindfulness, it can be tricky to achieve the serene state that allows you to enjoy the full effects. If that’s the case, you may want to take up yoga, which will deliver the mental benefits while also giving you a workout that helps to strengthen your core and reduce your risk of injury.