Seasonal De-Stressing

yoga loon mountainI love Christmas.  I’m one of those people who is unafraid to say those scary words “Merry Christmas” as well.  I also recognize that this can be a (more) stressful time of the year for lots of folks.  Of course, a massage will do wonders for your mental well-being and yoga is well known as a de-stressing technique.  In the spirit of the holiday insanity I wanted to share a few tips to help melt that stress away, if only for a little while.

a great breathing exercise (meaning life force extension) is called Pranayama.  By slowing down and being more purposeful with our breathing, we can calm down our minds a bit and re-energize the whole body.  This happens with most of yoga, but here’s a technique you can do in line at the store or sitting in traffic (just keep your eyes open!)

Inhale for 3 seconds, then exhale for 3, repeat this three times, then
Inhale for 3 , hold your breath for 3 and then exhale for 3, repeat this three times, then
Inhale for 3, hold your breath for 3, exhale for 3 and finally hold that last breath for 3.
I think you’ll find that this slows everything down a bit and might even help to center you a little!

While (or before or after) this, make a little time to be present.  Whomever you are with and wherever you are, try and focus on the present moment and enjoy it.  Yes, we may not entirely enjoy ALL the people we are going to see this year, but remember that all of our time with family and friends is precious.

We talked about giving “time” as a gift last week and this is another great idea to remove some stress from this time of year.  Check out our article last week for some great ideas.

Lastly, just simply do some yoga.  I’d love to have you in a class but you can practice at home with a free 15 minute chunk of your time.  If you can afford (or steal!) more time away, push for 30 or even 60 minutes.  Grab your comfy clothes and a quiet area of the house and work your way though some postures.  It is not important the sequence or even the duration of each pose, but the overall experience will be relaxing and rewarding.

The main goal here is to enjoy the season and enjoy the spirit of the holidays.  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good pose!

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