We live in an era of distraction. We spend an incredibly short period of time looking at one tab on our computer or device, before jumping to the next. We jump from our work to our email, to Facebook, to twitter, to an article, and back to our work again, in an almost automated frenzy of distraction. Not surprisingly, this has a big impact on our productivity, and in the long run, can affect our joie de vivre - due to lack of engagement in anything that feels deeply engaging or meaningful - which leaves us feeling mildly depressed or prone to anxiety. Needless to say, our working lives could benefit from a good deal more concentration. Not to mention our relationships (which, like all living things, require sustained care and attention in order to flourish), our passions and interests, and our lives in general. So, in a world that is dominated by a plethora of distractions at any given moment, how can you actually stand a chance of focusing your concentration on one thing in a sustained way long enough to see it flourish, reach fruition, or come to completion? Yoga just might be your answer. Here’s why.

1. Focus. Yoga provides one fo the most effective methods for cultivating the capacity to focus. Known as drishti - or gaze - in yoga, each pose provides an opportunity to focus your gaze, and cultivate concentration. The capacity for single-pointed focus being like a muscle, yoga is the perfect place to build this kind of mental fitness, in a stress-free environment.

2. Simplicity. In a yoga class, there are few distractions. Once you start your practice, there's little to do but draw your wandering mind back to the breath and movement that characterise a typical yoga class. The relaxing combination of simple movements and gestures allows the part of us that's frazzled from too much distraction, reach a still point, which is precisely the kind of rest that allows us to focus when it matters.

3. Presence. The practice of yoga gradually draws you more and more into contact with the present moment. As the mind becomes still and the body becomes strong yet relaxed, you develop an increasing sensitivity to what’s not wrong. In other words, you come to appreciate and even enjoy the richness of the present moment - whatever form it may take. This quality of relaxed but focused presence means that you are no longer so inclined to desire to escape the moment by jumping from tab to tab to tab or flicking channels or half-listening when someone speaks to you. You find that the only place you really want to be is wherever you are, enjoying whatever it is you're actually doing in that moment. Together, these qualities of yoga practice lead to a much higher tendency towards single-tasking - or full attention given to the project at hand. Find the right teacher for you in the YogaHive teacher directory.