I’m sure I’m not alone in allowing things to slide at this time of year. It gets so busy and frenetic, what with Holiday recitals, parties, shopping etc, and it’s all too easy to put the very disciplines that make me feel alive and well to one side. The one and only thing that holds me together during this season, is 15 minutes of simple yoga.
I have a choice – either I go into the Holiday Season with an unnatural amount of stress, or a degree of serenity. If I can fit in a short & sweet daily yoga practice, it’s the game changer for me. A yoga practice is way above and beyond a simple set of exercises. If I follow the simple steps below, I allow myself to slip into the present moment, where I become conscious of the tensions that have been building up in my body – it’s only by becoming conscious of where I’m gripping and holding, that I can let go.
This daily practice is also a great way to avoid over-indulging. We tend to overeat when we’re not fully present in our bodies – instead we try to deal with boredom, stress and pain by watching TV and/or eating. Yoga helps us to breathe through our suffering whatever it may be. The greatest thing that yoga has taught me over the years, is that I cannot avoid anything. Avoidance just brings on more suffering – spiritually, mentally and physically – so time to roll out your yoga mat and explore what is going on with you today!
1.Roll Out The Mat
The hardest thing is to start, especially if you need to get up early on a cold wintery morning to do it. Don’t listen to your thinking, as it’ll have you pull the covers over your head for another half-hour. Get your bod out of the bed and onto the mat, before resistance can come in and tell you why you don’t need to do it. This step is all about telling resistance where to go!
2. Get into Child’s Pose
Either with your arms outstretched in front of you or down by your sides, whichever feels more comfy. Begin to deepen your breathing. Breathe into your belly for 5 slow beats, exhale for 5 slow beats. Continue with this slow in-out breathing cycle for a few minutes.
3. Cat Cow: This is my favorite stretch for waking up your spine. Get onto all fours,
making sure your hands are underneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips. On an inhale raise your heart up to the ceiling, arching your lower back. As you exhale, round your back, drop your head and draw your belly button into your spine. You should feel this throughout your trunk and core – I do an augmented version of this stretch at my desk while I type.
4. Downward Facing Dog
Stretch back into down dog. Walk out your heels to stretch your calf muscles. Bend your knees and draw your hips up as high as you can, then without losing the length in your spine, draw your heels down to the mat
5. Bridge
Lie down on your mat with your knees bent and your feet hip width apart. Lift your hips up as high as you can and interlace your fingers underneath you. Take five slow breaths and on each inhale, feel your chest rise up toward your chin.
6. Forward Bend:
If your hamstrings are tight, practice this asana with your knees bent. Simply sit up straight with your legs out in front of you. As you fold forward from your hips, extend your heart towards your toes. Gently grab your feet or wrap your first two fingers around your big toes (or use a strap or a towel). Take five slow breathes.
7. Seated Meditation
Sit in a cross-legged position. If this is painful for you, sit up on a high, firm cushion. Close your eyes. Place your hands on your thighs with your palms facing up. Practice the one minute meditation as shown here by John Douillard.
8. Savasana
This is really the most important pose, because it’s where you get to understand what is really going on with you and to intentionally let go. I suggest lying in as comfortable position as you can. You may want to place a cushion under your head and have a blanket at the ready to cover yourself with. I like to place an eye bag over my eyes. If you’ve read the Power Of Now, one of the most useful exercises I took away from it is where you scan your body in a way that you become uber-conscious of the energy in and around your body. If you mentally bring yourself into the present (easier said than done,) and then draw your conscious mind like a scanner slowly down your body from the crown of your head to your toes. Notice any areas of hardness, tension – any area where it feels as if the energy is not flowing freely and allow that area to release.
Finally in Savasana, realize that there is no separation between you and your environment – everything is just energy. In feeling this oneness, we understand that whatever we do to others or our planet, we do to ourselves. All your God or the Great Spirit that you believe in, to surround you and your family with love for the Holidays
