Practice Yoga during Christmas

Discover some tips to keep the practice of Yoga active during Christmas.

During the Christmas holidays it can be difficult to follow the practice of Yoga regularly. Family gatherings, meals with friends, or the simple fact that everyone is at home can make this healthy habit difficult.

When a person leaves their routine, sometimes it may seem difficult to do what they have well incorporated and established in their day to day . What is this fact due to? To the functioning of the ego. The ego is a great teacher in the art of creating habits: and that on the one hand is very good. However, when the holidays appear, it is as if all the work done during the year suddenly vanished. That's not bad, as long as you keep your healthy habits intact.

Learning to disconnect from the monotonous flow of routine is very important: it helps us understand how life really works . The practice of Yoga should not be considered as one more task to be done during everyday life.

The practice of Yoga teaches us the opposite: that each moment is a miracle, unique and magical . When one undertakes his sadhana (spiritual practice undertaken by the sadhaka; the latter is what is called a spiritual seeker), he should not consider it as a daily routine. The sadhana, by itself, is designed to break with the automatism of the mind and awaken its capacity for spontaneity and permeability. What does this mean? That the practice of Yoga teaches us to consider each moment as a moment of incomparable beauty. To see in each, day, magic and life.

A yogi does not engage in the practice to look more beautiful or feel better; a yogi commits himself to his sadhana in order to live his existence as if every second would end . To understand its true nature. To reconnect with your essence. Therefore, when one follows a Yoga practice, vacations should not be an obstacle to continue with his evolution, since he does not differentiate work days from leisure days. For him every day is a treasure .

This worldview can take a while; That is why we offer you some tips to keep your Yoga practice active during Christmas .

• Keep getting up early: there are many people who during the holidays take the opportunity to sleep for many hours and recover all the energy spent during their day to day. This is not bad: but it deprives you of a precious moment to serve you and get to know you. One of the effects of Yoga is to increase vitality : through the conscious practice of asanas, pranic energies are rebalanced, thus reducing fatigue. Therefore, waking up early to practice does not cause energy waste; quite the opposite. Apparently one feels exhausted, but when you start practicing everything balances again and the energy circulates again. That means that the practice has a more revitalizing effect than sleeping without an alarm clock . If, on the contrary, it is impossible for you to do it at dawn, nothing happens. Choose any other time of the day and adapt your sadhana to the time available: 10 minutes of Yoga or conscious breathing are enough.
• Visualize the sensations that a good practice produces in you : another very useful tool to combat the laziness that usually appears during the holidays, is to visualize all those sensations that one has when the practice has finished . The lightness of the body, the clarity of the mind. Contentment and satisfaction. The feeling of being present, connected and aligned. It is human to avoid getting up early; but it is wise to do it to evolve. Going beyond the natural laziness of one's own body, which prefers the warmth of the duvet to the movement of its limbs, shows that one is more than that. That one has the power to choose ; that one can transform what repels him into an indelible memory.

• Do not follow an established routine: take advantage of the holidays to improvise in your practice . That will help you not to repeat during those memorable days, what you usually do in your routine. That will avoid taking away the feeling that Christmas is a time to disconnect. Disconnect from the outside bustle and connect with your heart. Go from one place to another, to share moments with the other. Christmas is a very beautiful time, where gifts are given, shared, laughed at and sung. If you also keep your practice alive and spontaneous, all those sensations can increase. And your joviality and vitality can raise the energy of others. In this way, you will not only practice for yourself, but to be happy and content with your loved ones . You will not only practice for self-love; you will do it for the love of the other. The practice of Yoga awakens and sharpens compassion, expands the limits of the mind and connects the individual with the present moment. Avoid routine, practice with spontaneity and joy, and enjoy life.
• Substitute intention for obligation : the last point lies in the dialogue you have with yourself . How do you encompass your practice? Do you feel like an obligation? If so, don't worry; You simply have to replace the thought: "I feel compelled to practice" with the intention "I am the owner of my moments and I am the one who consciously chooses to practice Yoga during the holidays" . It sounds silly, but this can completely transform any routine. Having the feeling that one does things because one chooses and does not self-impose makes any task easier; empowers her.

These are some little tricks to keep the practice of Yoga alive during the winter holidays. Cultivating the body refines the mind; refining the mind makes you feel present. And being present during Christmas, together with your loved ones and your little whims, is an invaluable gift. The best gift of any Wizard King.

Mae Knapnougel

Photos: @its.lavama