Shona Virtue's 10 minutes to tranquility: Part 1

Yoga and meditation work. Studies credit mindfulness with better sleep quality, reduced heart rate and blood pressure, and improvements in symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety and pain. But what exactly is it? It’s sitting or moving with a focus on the present moment, allowing thoughts and sensations to arise before letting them go. This could mean focusing on your breath, the sensation of your feet hitting the ground as you run, or the sense of release you feel as you sink into a juicy yoga pose.

Interestingly, research has suggested that exercise and meditation improve mental health in the same way – both make us more resilient to stress. And doing both could be more effective than practising just one. For your workaday gym goer/runner/busy parent, making meditation or stretching part of your regular routine is typically the first thing to fall off the radar when life, work and laundry call.

Feeling seen? Enter personal trainer Shona Vertue. She’s the Aussie import credited with introducing David Beckham to yoga, and she includes elements of yoga or meditation in all her home- and gym-based fitness programmes. “The Vertue Method values the development of strength, fitness, flexibility and psychological wellbeing,” she tells LK. “True wellbeing requires attention to all of these areas, not just the ones we like. I wanted to take the guesswork out of balancing the things we know we need to do, but often skip because we’re unsure how to practice or schedule them.”

So what does mindfulness look like for Shona? “At the moment it’s a morning meditation and a series of dynamic stretches. But sometimes that shifts to a more static evening routine, where I focus on a calming breath practice,” she shares.

Making time for mindfulness in your daily routine can help improve your wellbeing

It’s all about what works for you – and what’s possible, given those previously mentioned non-negotiables (work, washing, childcare). She suggests starting small with a commitment you can build on over time. Overcommit yourself and you’re far less likely to stick with it. “Start with something you could do with ease,” clarifies Shona. “Maybe that’s 10 minutes a day, maybe that’s 30 minutes twice a week.”

Still struggling to put those good intentions into practice? “We can become very good at making excuses for ourselves,” Shona notes. “Some of us avoid relaxation practices because stopping means we have to feel all the things we’re stressed about, whereas a workout can help to mask them.”

Noted. But don’t take that as a get-out-of-gym-free pass. “Those gym hours can help us build the resilience we need to move past stress and develop psychological – and physiological – strength,” she adds. “As annoying as it is, both are equally important.”