As much as we all look forward to the holidays to relax and catch up with friends and family, they can be a source of stress. The pushy, equally stressed crowds make you irritable. Your schedule is so full that you have no down time. Additionally, you’re bound by some unspoken rule to put up with the less-than-tolerable members of your family. Considering all these factors, it’s no wonder why so many people become anxious and stressed around the holiday season. However, if you want to survive the holidays, you can use yoga and its principles as a fantastic aid.
Make Time for You
Even if your schedule seems full to the point of bursting, it’s still important to make time for yourself. Forget about your long list of things to do for a while and dust off that yoga mat. After about half an hour of doing some yoga, you’ll feel prepared to tackle your chores efficiently and calmly.
Create a Happy Place
In an area of your home that’s away from screaming kids, demanding pets, loud television and other distractions, create a place of peace and quiet. This will be your little hideaway where you can relax and de-stress. Here, you can do yoga to soothing music while surrounded by your favorite scented candles. You can even use this as your meditation room or a place to ponder your innermost thoughts and emotions.
Do Unto Others
The holiday season provides an opportunity to cherish the people you love, and to extend that, love to others as well. After all, they don’t call it the season of giving for nothing. It’s important, both spiritually and mentally, to practice care and compassion. You can also apply this to gift-giving. It’s not the price of the gift that’s important. A gift should be thoughtful, meaningful and from the heart. In other words, it should stand as a monument to how much you love and value the person you’re giving it to.
A Present for You
Although the holidays are about being generous to others, there’s no reason why you can’t also be generous to yourself. Provide your mind and body with the care it requires each day. Eat well, exercise, do things that make you happy and get plenty of rest. These are the best gifts you can give to your mind and body that will lead to a wonderful holiday season.
There are numerous ways that you can discover peace and tranquility even in this hectic time of year. Taking time out for you, making your own happy place, and being loving to yourself and others are just a few of the ways you can do this.
Mike Manning