Staying Present During the Holidays

For so many people around the world, the holiday season is one of the most magical times of the year. Ironically, the more we look forward to the joy that the holidays bring, the more we create expectations and attachments to the outcome of events. This cycle of anticipation and expectation can create unnecessary stress, when we lose our sense of mindfulness and presence. As you begin to plan your holiday season, you might even feel the shift of your emotions from excitement to dread based on the circumstance of each holiday celebration. 

Luckily for yoga practitioners, when we spend time on our yoga mat, we are better prepared for the spectrum of emotions that arise in life. From the joy-filled easy moments in life (think child’s pose or savasana) to the emotionally challenging, heat-inducing situations life throws at you (the handstands and the backbends). Our practice has taught us to breathe through them all, to be present in every pose, have compassion in any given moment, and to remember that yoga, like life, is a PRACTICE. Let go of the idea that there is a “perfect” holiday just like there is no “perfect” pose and allow the holidays to center you into yourself just like the postures do.

One of the biggest lessons from yoga that can help you through this season is to let go of the past and release the future. Each day your body, mind and spirit are different than the day before, and there is no guarantee that your body will look the same way in a yoga pose. This holiday season will not necessarily be the same as past years, and it may drastically change in the years to come—so allow yourself to experience it moment by moment, breath by breath. 

Try the breath-meditation techniques below to make your holiday season blissful and bright!

Breathe Through Every Situation

Whether you find yourself quarantined with family or friends, or feel a bit more independent this year than most, practice a sense of radical acceptance by breathing into your reality this holiday season. The Yoga Sutra’s concept of santosha—Sanskrit for contentment—is one of the quickest ways to accept what is for all that it is. Contentment is the state of being okay with whatever is happening in life. Think of it as a happy neutral place devoid of “good” or “bad” labels; a natural state of being. 

One way to ground yourself in contentment is to notice your breath and bring it into a balanced, even state. As we well know, life is full of extremes, so creating equanimity in the rhythm of your breath and emotional state can be tricky. But one thing that almost every mindfulness practice agrees on is that breath is the fastest tool you can access to become present and grounded. Here is an on-the-go, in-every-moment breath meditation technique for you to become mindful, balance your breath AND calibrate your emotions back to the simple state of santosha. Breathe IN the beautiful moments and sigh OUT the stressful ones.

• Breathe in the Bliss! Notice your breath when you are filled with love and joy from the season’s highlights; when you bring your attention to your breath you can slow time and make the most of every detail that surrounds you. For these magical moments, start to focus on your inhales. Breathe in the smells from the kitchen, your scented candles, maybe the pine trees outside. Expand your inhalation to enjoy all the best moments the holidays bring to you like you can inhale them right into your heart to hold forever. On your exhalations, allow yourself to soften into a state of gratitude. With every exhale allow yourself to settle deeper into that seat, the place of witness, like you’re watching your own Hallmark movie, perfectly imperfect and heartwarming. Continue to breathe in all the beauty of the best times and exhale into the seat of your soul that appreciates every detail.

• Breathe Out the Stress. On the contrary, when you are faced with a stressful situation, first focus on your breath OUT. If you are running late, feeling anxious, or triggered by a challenge, imagine the stressful energy and thoughts leaving your body as you exhale deeply. Let the sound and texture of your exhale be an energetic release to bring you back towards your neutral state. After several intentional exhalations (I love actual sighs aloud for this) add a positive visualization along with your inhalations. If you are feeling anger, visualize your breath expanding love into your heart until you can feel your heartbeat in your chest. If you are feeling stress, visualize peace filling up your lungs all the way to the very bottom to make your belly expand, then open your mouth and let the stress ride right out on an intentional exhale. You can even silently repeat a mantra word or phrase to yourself to accompany the inhalations and exhalations. Breath IN, silently repeat the word “peace,” breath OUT, while silently saying the word “stress.” 

• Balance Your Breath. Find balanced breath so that your inhalations and exhalations match, and your energy can remain constant. Notice how adding the layer of awareness around what you bring in on the inhales and what you let go of on the exhales can alter your emotional state. The goal of this exercise is to not only be mindfully present with your breath more often, but to help you find the “sweet spot” of contentment through conscious breath work. This mindfulness practice doesn't have to be formal, literally let the situation be your teacher and learn from your breath. 

Set the Season’s Intention

If you really want to make your holiday season extra special, borrow the practice of “setting an intention” from the beginning of your yoga class and apply the concept to the season itself. Reflect on what the holidays mean to you, journal about what you would like them to represent or embody for you and your family, and create one word or a short phrase that can be your personal intention for what you want to manifest over the coming weeks and months. Come back to that word or phrase as often as you need to anchor yourself. Stay patient with the practice. And, of course, keep showing up for your favorite yoga classes online. Give yourself the gift of yoga as often as you need!