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Yoga, the Holidays and YOU!


With the holidays coming, you might be wondering where does my yoga practice fit in? 


The beautiful thing is that while our schedules, customs, and habits change for a few days or weeks, yoga is something that we can take with us. In fact, my favourite part of yoga isn’t the big fancy asanas; it’s that no matter where I am or what I’m doing, yoga is always available to me. 


You might be asking yourself how that’s possible. How do I find time to roll out a mat? Or even the space? Sometimes the answer is that you don’t roll out the mat, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still do yoga. 


Yoga is the Sanskrit word for ‘union.’ It means connection to yourself. Read that one more time. Yoga means connection to YOURSELF: that beautiful soul and being that you are. It means you strengthen that connection, and that’s something that doesn’t always require a mat. 


What you can do is work it into your every day. At its simplest, yoga is a mindful breath that grounds you and brings your focus back into alignment with yourself. All you need for this is a little bit of intention. Try it yourself. Take a breath in and out and just observe it. If it feels good, take a couple more. If you don’t feel grounded or more clear yet, take a couple more. Either way, one good breath deserves another! 


For simple things you can do to take your physical practice with you this holiday season, check out some of these suggestions:


Relax your shoulders:


Our shoulders tend to creep up towards our ears. Pull them down and away from your ears. You might even squeeze your shoulder blades gently towards each other on your back and open your chest. It’s a simple way to reduce tension. 


If you’re sitting, press into your sitz bones:


Press the two bones that you sit on down. Draw your navel in and up like you’re giving yourself a little hug. The simple engagement from your core not only builds a low level of strength but also helps your posture and aligns your skeleton. This allows your shoulders to relax instead of holding yourself up. 


If you’re standing, press into the ball joints of your big and little toes. Then press into both sides of your heels. These four points will connect you to the earth. Once you’ve made those connections, draw up from the arches of both feet. You’ll feel the lift up of energy. You can do this anywhere! In fact, a community member messaged me today and said:

“Oh I just have to tell ya I found myself grounding all four corners of my feet, bringing up my arches, etc...in the freaking shower today lol!”

- Flow and Go Member


Didn’t think you’d be doing yoga in the shower, did you? 




It might not be the grandest asana flow, but adding these little bits of yoga will keep you connected to both your mind and body whenever you need it. You don’t need a mat, and if you get the chance to rock out a child’s pose (balasana) or upward salute (urdhva hastasana) before bed, then you’re doing awesome! Or you might consider pavanamuktasana (wind relieving pose - ahem!) after your holiday meal. 


Consider this a friendly reminder that you can have it all. You can have the holidays and your yoga practice. You don’t need to sacrifice, but you have to allow things to bend, ebb, and flow as your circumstances allow. In fact, that’s often part of why we show up on the mat, to begin with. In some ways, that’s it’s own celebration. 


I hope this helps you work in a little yoga over the holidays. 


With love,

Janice



If you’re looking to get a quick yoga flow in this holiday season, check out Flow and Go Yoga for 20-minute yoga sessions! 


Janice is a Yoga Instructor and Registered Respiratory Therapist with a background in kinesiology. She is the founder of Flow and Go Yoga - an online platform that provides yoga for everybody in a way that suits your lifestyle.


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