Holiday Recipe

It’s that time of year again. We are moving into the holidays and transitioning to winter. Winter solstice is approaching; the shortest day of the year. During the winter months, the sun rises later and sets earlier. Winter invites us to rest, restore and nourish ourselves so that we can prepare for the spring. Discovering our centre, being okay with stillness and introspection are processes associated with the winter months. Many of us naturally feel the urge to draw inwards and slow down, yet all around us the month of December can seem to be about busyness and consuming in excess. We can feel out of balance and off centre.

Over the next few weeks, it can be useful to formulate a recipe for self care. Here are some ingredients in my recipe–they may spark some thought.

A Recipe for Self Care

  • Check in with yourself regularly and ask, "What do I need right now?"
  • Assess how you are spending your energy.
  • Allow for open pockets of time in your day where you have nothing scheduled.
  • Are you saying, “yes”, when you really want to say, “no”? Boundaries are essential for health and well-being.
  • Find time each day to relax–do corpse pose (savasana) or legs up the wall (vipariti karani) for 15 minutes.
  • Ask yourself, "What can I let go of right now?"
  • Notice your breathing whenever you can. Take deep, slow, even breaths. Breath is revealing and healing. Try this while waiting in line.
  • Ask yourself if you are getting enough sleep–a large percentage of the population is sleep deprived.
  • Move your body every day, any chance you get–we are meant to move. When we move our bodies sensation, energy, feelings and thoughts shift.
  • Notice what you are feeding your body–what is fuelling you?
  • Be real. Connect in meaningful ways with others. Human beings need intimacy
  • Get outside into nature.
  • Practice gratitude. It is the parent of all virtues.

This year our family unit is going to Mexico over the holidays. This is our gift to ourselves. I am looking forward to slowing down, enjoying the sun, swimming in the ocean and reflecting on this past year.

I am so grateful to share my love of yoga with you. Join me for my final December classes before the new year begins. Stay tuned for my new schedule in January. Going to a yoga class or taking a private lesson with me is a wonderful way to practice self-care. 

Namaste,

 
Kathryn Bowen