4 ways to find your calm this holiday season

By Heather Logan

Brace yourselves: the holidays are coming! While there are many things to embrace and enjoy about this time of year – cozy times inside with family, yummy food, fun in the snow, time to sit and reflect on the year past and plan for the year ahead – we all know things can get a little manic.

If you’re someone (like me) who finds yourself in a whirlwind of frantic activity – making list after list, adding more and more items faster than you can cross others off – you might find that these four simple techniques will help you to take a step back from it all and refocus.

Each of these can be done individually, and can take as little as 30 seconds (but you can always spend longer with them if you’ve got the time). You’ll be amazed at how quickly any of these will help to press the “reset” button on your mood.

1.     Rag Doll

Forward bends, such as Rag Doll, are very grounding postures. They calm your breath, slow your heart rate, and help you connect with that place of quiet and calm we all have deep within us, at our centre. They speak directly to your nervous system, taking it out of its sympathetic, reactionary mode that can lead to stress – and helping it to get in touch with that inner centre of calm and peace.

Find a bit of privacy and stand up straight and tall, reaching the crown of your head toward the ceiling, pulling your spine straight and long.

Take a deep breath in, raising your arms overhead, and then hinge at the waist to bring your upper body down toward the floor as you exhale. Bend your knees as much as you need to in order to rest your belly on your thighs. Let your neck be long with the crown of your head relaxing toward the floor. Let your arms hang heavy, and just breathe. Feel your upper body melting toward the floor.

Keep the knees bent, or, if it feels good, you can slowly and gently straighten the legs only as much as needed to feel a nice stretch in the backs of your legs. Keeping a micro-bend (or more) in the knees helps to release tension in the lower back.

 

Hold here for at least five long, slow breaths (or longer if it feels good). When finished, slowly roll back up, stacking your vertebrae one on top of another above your hips. Let your head hang heavily until the very last, then raise it slowly to prevent dizziness.

 

Take a moment here to remember who you are, what you yourself need, and what needs doing. This will help you to tackle the day’s business in a more focused, strategic way – something that comes in handy when trying to get the holiday shopping done!

 

 

2. Heart Meditation
   This practice was taught to me by my Yoga Therapist, one of the wisest, most insightful people I know. I do it every day, usually when my eyes hurt from staring at a computer screen for too long. I am always amazed by how healed I feel when I come out of it. I hope it works as well for you.

Find a comfortable position. If you are in your office, push your chair away from the computer and turn your back to it. Close your eyes and bring the palms of your hands together in front of your heart.

Feel your fingertips pulsing gently together as your heart beats. Focus on this feeling for a few moments.

 

Notice a similar pulsation in your palms as your heart pumps nourishment to them. Focus on this sensation.

 

Remember as you do this that your heart is always beating from your quiet centre and nourishing every part of your body with fresh blood and nutrients.

 

 

3. Face Massage

I learned this exercise from one of my favourite yoga teachers, who is the epitome of calm, warmth and love. I feel refreshed and revived after doing it, so have made it a regular practice. You may too.

 

Find a comfortable position and close your eyes.

Working with the first two fingers of each hand, sweep your fingertips gently across the tops of your eyebrows, from the centre out to the temple. Repeat.

 

Sweep just under the eyebrows, from your nose to your ears. Repeat.

 

Sweep gently from the bridge of your nose across the tops of your cheekbones to your ears. Repeat.

 

Sweep gently from your nose and under your cheekbones to the spot under yours ears, near the top of your jaw line. Repeat.

 

Starting from just under your ears, sweep gently along your jaw line until your fingers meet at your chin, relaxing your jaw as you go along. Repeat.

 

 

4. Ujjayi Breath

If you can’t get to a private spot to do one of the above exercises, an extremely effective way to calm yourself quickly is to focus on your breath. This can be done anywhere, at any time: while you’re walking, shopping, baking with kids, or at a large family gathering.

Take a deep breath in through your nose.

Exhale through your nose, keeping the front of your throat slightly constricted. You’ll feel your breath tickling the back of your throat. It may sound like the wind in the trees or waves in the ocean.

This vibration in the back of your throat sends a direct signal to your nervous system to relax, helping you to find a calm, peaceful feeling inside.

 

 

From my heart to yours, I wish you a happy peaceful holiday season.