Adding Yoga to Your Holiday To Do List

It's begun. Black Friday hit like a frenzied swarm of bees. People frantic to get great deals, buy the perfect gift for someone they love (or perhaps feel obligated to buy for). Our lists are made and we're out trying to get them completed. Holiday parties are lining up and we're getting the house ready for the influx of relatives and friends that will be coming. What precious little time we had in our daily lives has now been taken over by holiday tasks and events. You'll need yoga now, more than ever.

Finding time during the busy holiday season to take a yoga class can feel like one more thing that you have to do, but it will be the one thing on your list that is sure to make you smile and enjoy the season more.

To start, evaluate your list. Do you really need to get a gift for everyone? I come from a big family and I'm blessed to have a lot of close friends. I could drive myself crazy getting gifts for everyone. Instead I made the decision a few years back just to do gifts for my immediate family. My friends and distant family still know that I love them, even though I didn't get them a gift.

 

Practicing daily at home or making it once or twice a week to a yoga class, will help considerably in reducing your stress levels. Stepping onto your mat allows you time to reconnect with yourself. It gives you time to come down from the chaos of the holiday to do list and be present. You'll leave class lighter and relaxed, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of the holiday season and all the magic it has to offer. A regular yoga practice, especially in a time of high stress, helps you to sleep better, can invigorate you more than a cup of coffee (without the caffeine crash later) and helps boost your immunity. No one wants to be sick and tired this time or year.

When we're stressed we carry tension in the body. This causes a lot of back and neck pain. Yoga can literally help work out the kinks. It does this by giving us an outlet for our stress and relaxing the tension in the body. You'll be able to enjoy the time with your family and friends more if you aren't in pain.

It's good to practice those deep breaths, especially if you have a difficult family and are anxious about going home for the holidays. Families come in all shapes and sizes and they all have a little (or a lot) of drama. That yoga breath you do in class is perfect to help keep you calm for those family saga's that tend to unfold.

Yoga will help you to control your weight during the holidays. There are lots of goodies to be had between work, parties and just baking for the sake of tradition. We eat a lot of rich food this time of year. Yoga teaches us to be aware of our bodies and how they're feeling. We learn to notice if we're eating because we're hungry, of if we're eating because we're experiencing some uncomfortable emotion. Yoga gives us a heightened sense of well being. As much as we love those cookies, we know it will make us feel pretty crappy if we eat a bunch. Instead we'll eat just one and enjoy and savor each bite. Stress also causes weight gain, less stress (thanks to the yoga class you just took), healthier body.

While you're out buying or making gifts for all the people you love in your life, make sure to give a gift to yourself. Give yourself the time to take a class or carve out time in your morning or evening before bed to do your yoga practice. The holiday season is a special time, learn to enjoy the amazing aspects of it rather than get caught up in consumerism and pleasing everyone around you. Get back to the main reason for the season. Joy, Peace and Love.