Did you try the super restful version of Adho Mukha Virasana (Downward Facing Hero’s Pose) I posted? If you missed it, check it out here. If you did the pose, post a comment to let me know what you thought about it! Even just a few minutes in one restorative pose can totally change your energy levels and turn around your day, especially at a busy time like the holidays.
In other words, self-care doesn’t have to be an hour-long massage, a long hike out in the woods, or a weekend retreat at a spa. Although these things are fantastic acts of self-care, let’s face it. During the holidays, the only hike you might be taking is around the mall, and it’s likely more of a crawl as you stand in long lines to pay.
With so many holiday parties, home tours, special markets, musical and dance performances, shopping, tree trimming, gift wrapping, and other fun activities at this time of year, it’s easy to feel like there’s not enough time for it all. Sometimes your schedule can get so packed that you have trouble getting enough sleep, let alone making it to your regular yoga class.
If you’re like me, you love the holidays so much that you don’t want to miss out on any of it. I used to think that if I just scheduled it all, I would get to it all. That only resulted in cramming my schedule so much that I had to rush to get everywhere, only to arrive exhausted, cranky, and less able to enjoy whatever it was. Or I would stay up all night making fudge and cookies because that’s the only time I could fit it in before the party where I was serving it, and then I’d have a hard time keeping my eyes open at the party and end up sick for days after it.
For so many people, self-care, even in the most basic form of sleep, is the first thing to go out the window when there’s extra pressure on your time. Yet, during the holidays, you’re out and about more, seeing more people, touching things at the stores that lots of other people have touched (ew!), eating foods full of toxins that stress your body, straining your voice to be heard over the din of that work holiday party, etc. At precisely the time you need sleep the most to handle the extra stressors, you might choose to forego it for the sake of getting in all that holiday merry making. No wonder people end up sick at this time of year.
So how do you make time for self-care when there are so many extra things going on? How do you create space for sleep, moving your body, clearing your mind, and really enjoying the season with your loved ones?
Here’s my top yoga tip for creating spaciousness and ease in your holiday schedule so you can take care of yourself and truly enjoy the season.
When you apply the ancient yogic principle of Saucha (Cleanliness) to your schedule, you create time and space to focus on what matters most to you.
Committing to too many things—especially those that feel like obligations or that you don’t really even want to do—has the potential to create clutter in your schedule. That overload can take away from what’s most important to you, stress you out, and ultimately, make you sick.
When your schedule is cluttered, your mind gets messy. When your mind gets messy, it becomes harder to keep your body “clean.” How often do you reach for unhealthy food because it’s easy and you just don’t have time or mental energy to figure out something healthy to make?
The first step is to figure out what matters most to your self care this holiday season. Is it staying healthy? Or maybe spending time in festive activities with friends and family? Is it getting your shopping finished early so you don’t have to stress about it? Or perhaps taking quality time alone to connect to your spiritual side?
When you’re faced with a choice about what gets on your calendar, ask yourself whether it contributes to your what matters most for your self care. Then, choose only the things that do.
Because…
Your self-care depends on what nourishes your whole self, not just your body.
So if spending time with your friends and family feeds your soul more than standing in line at Macy’s, make a conscious choice for a different type of self care. Give yourself permission to do what feeds you, and don’t “should” on yourself. That negative self-talk will just wear down your immune system and make you feel crappy. Likewise, if moving your body in a yoga class, at the gym, or on a run sounds like it would nourish you more than dinner with that uncle who makes you crazy with his conspiracy theory politics, it’s ok to choose you.
I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with doing it all. It’s not good, bad, right, or wrong. As with any action, there are consequences. If doing it all feeds your soul, then whatever the consequences are will be worth it for you.
After so many years of sickness at this time of year, I decided that as much as I enjoy the holiday hustle bustle, I enjoy my health more. So now I choose how much hustling I want to do, based on first and foremost, preserving my wellness. Simple as that.
Practicing Saucha (Cleanliness) in all parts of your life is key to feeling the joy that the ancient texts tell us will come when we keep the body clean and the mind pure, no matter what time of year.
Speak Your Truth
What matters most to you at the holidays? What do you do to free up time in your hectic holiday schedule? How do you focus on what matters most and create spaciousness during the holidays? Let me know in the comments!!!
In wellness, joy, and light,
Tami