Holiday gatherings can be exhilarating and exhausting. Whether it is the work involved, the food ingested, or the heightened social interaction, holidays can take a toll. A Restorative yoga practice helps smooth out our nervous systems and renew our energies.
Breathe: Begin by lying on a yoga mat in Savasana (corpse pose) or Constructive Rest position, above (lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the floor parallel to each other). Begin breathing deeply, noticing your abdominal muscles expanding on the inhalation and relaxing on the exhalation. Relax to the flow of the breath and feel the rhythmic flow of breath and movement of the abdomen. Continue for a minute or two, allowing your body to relax as you exhale.
Stabilize Your Core: Now, bend your knees and cross your forearms behind your head to open your intercostal muscles and lungs more deeply. Your hands should be on opposite shoulders (you may also support your head with your fingertips on the back of your skull and thumbs going downward as pictured). Continue breathing deeply. The next time you exhale, lift your head and shoulders off the floor, inhale return to the floor. Repeat a few times. You many also exhale, lift and hold, continuing to breathe. After a few breaths, on an inhale lower your upper body back onto the floor. Repeat several more times, switching the cross of your arms.
Strengthen Your Back: We often mistake the abdominal muscles as being the entirety of the core. But strengthening your back is just as important. Spending lots of time sitting in chairs weakens the back. Poses such as Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) can help strengthen the back part of your core. Root down with your tailbone, press all ten toenails into the floor and anchor your legs. Inhale to rise, lifting head, neck, and torso. Exhale to return to the floor. Lift your hands from the floor and use the contraction of your back muscles to lift you away from the floor. In between, relax and turn your head to the right.
Practice Balance: Come to your feet in Samasthiti (attention pose). Find your grounding and stability by drawing naval to the spine slightly and rooting down with your tailbone and feet. Try the balancing pose/poses of your choice: Vrksasana (Tree Pose – photo left), Garudhasana (Eagle Pose – photo 2) or Hasta Padangusthasana (Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose – photo 3). Balance poses not only teach your body the skill of balancing, but they also help promote concentration. If you have a lot of responsibilities to juggle during the holidays, balancing poses can provide grounding.
Expand Your Heart: On Thanksgiving, practicing heart-openers allows us to open to feelings of love, joy, and peace. You can literally expand your heart area by practicing a supported backbend. Try Supported Matsyasana (Fish Pose - photo left), Natarajasana (Dancer’s Pose), or supported Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose – photo right). Stay as long as it feels comfortable.
Rotate and Relax: These restorative twists can help you shift from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous system. Lay a bolster lengthwise on the head end of a yoga mat. Sit sideways on your yoga mat with your hips about 4-8 inches from the end of the bolster. With your hands on either side of the bolster, gently lay your torso down onto the bolster, chest down. Adjust your distance from the bolster, if necessary, to keep your abdomen free and your rib cage supported. Turn your head in the direction of the twist and rest your arms on either side of the bolster. Take a few deep breaths, settling onto your bolster as you exhale. Then allow your body to breathe naturally. Rest here for five minutes or more. To move out of the pose, press your hands into the floor, straighten your arms, and come to an easy sitting pose for a few breaths before turning around and twisting in the other direction
Create Digestive Ease: Supta Baddha Konasana (Supine Bound Angle Pose) is essential to a Thanksgiving yoga practice. It is one of the few poses that can be helpful to practice after eating. Remember this if you find yourself overstuffed during the holidays! Stay in the pose as long as you like.
Savasana: Make sure to give yourself ample time in Savasana (at least 10 minutes, more if you can). You can lie flat on the floor or try a supported variation.
Finally, give thanks for your yoga practice! Yoga asana was originally developed to help calm the mind and body. This Thanksgiving yoga can be an ally for helping you move gracefully through the responsibilities and joys of the holidays.
