The Paris Independent
25
December 2, 2023
H E A LT H Y L I V I N G Keeping Christmas calm with yoga techniques Yoga Moment with
Heidi Pfleger
With less than a month to Christmas, it’s not uncommon for us to feel some ‘holiday stress.’ Many of us still have lots of shopping, decorating and baking to do. There’s also the planning The added stress of shopping, planning, over-eating and lack of time for regular of Christmas dinners, at home exercise, it’s not uncommon for our body to feel stiff, sore and tired and for our head to be spinning. and with extended family, that often requires lots of travel and for 4 counts and then exhaling for 4 soul and stepping out for just 10 sitting. counts. After 10 or 15 rounds, begin minutes can provide a perfect little to lengthen the exhalation to 5 ‘time out’ to regroup before Needless to say, with the added counts. Imagine that, with each and stress of shopping, planning, every inhalation, you are breathing resuming all the tasks that are at over-eating and lack of time for in warm, soothing relaxation into hand. regular exercise, it’s not your body. With each exhalation, uncommon for our body to feel imagine that you are breathing 3. Create a plan. Take time to sit stiff, sore and tired and for our tension, tightness, discomfort and down and set up a schedule that outlines, day by day, what needs to head to be spinning. dis-ease out of your body. If, after a while, you wish to release more be done to get you to Christmas Here are some tips to get you tension, increase the exhalation by Day. If you are like me and have a through the next few weeks: another count, bringing you to a 4:6 tendency to procrastinate, you will 1. Take time to consciously rhythm. With practice, you may find find added stress in mind and body breathe. When stressed, we tend yourself able to achieve a 4:8 if you leave everything to the last to shorten our breath or even hold rhythm where you are inhaling for 4 minute. Make your plan manageable and allow time to focus on doing our breath, without realizing. counts and exhaling for 8 counts. something relaxing each and every When feeling any level of stress 2. Step out for a Time out. Take day. or anxiety, take time to notice time to get outside for some fresh 4. Once you’ve created a plan, how you are breathing. Simply air. Even if it’s for 10 minutes, implement it! Again, if you are like becoming aware of our breathing getting out for a short walk can me, you may be inclined to create a helps to slow it down and deepen work wonders for relieving stress plan, put it on the fridge and ignore it. After initially observing your and fatigue. Fresh air and movement it. breath, begin to practice some do wonders for your body, mind and Continued on page 26 balanced breathing by inhaling
