It’s important to find some inner peace during the holiday season, and yoga is the perfect way to incorporate mindfulness into your day. This practice includes different postures, breathing techniques, and meditation to invite mindfulness into your life.
Yoga doesn’t have to be extreme, either. A gentle, meditative practice is perfect for keeping yourself grounded. Even 15 minutes of stillness can make small improvements to your day. It can relieve stress, improve sleep, relieve neck pain and headaches, and ease anxiety and depression symptoms.
Here are six yoga poses to practice this holiday season:
- Child’s Pose
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Child’s pose is a restorative pose that slows down your parasympathetic nervous system. It helps relax your body so you can focus on your breath and gently stretches tight areas, especially your back, neck, shoulders, and ankles.
To perform this simple stretch, kneel on the floor, a yoga mat, or a blanket and sit back on your heels. Bend forward so your stomach touches your thighs, and stretch your arms before you, placing your palms on the floor, mat, or blanket. Let your head hang heavy and focus on breathing.
For a more intense hip stretch, move your knees outwards to the edges of your mat. For a more restorative version, keep your knees together and fold your arms so they are placed on the mat by your legs.
- Downward Dog
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Downward dog works the upper body, stretching your arms, chest, legs, and back muscles. This pose improves your posture, flexibility, circulation, and mobility.
To enter this pose, get on all fours in a tabletop position. Tuck your toes so they’re pressing into your mat, floor, or blanket, and push up and back to straighten your legs and create an upside-down ‘V’ with your body. Draw your shoulder blades down and relax your head and neck.
It is normal for your heels to pop up off the ground and your legs to slightly bend. You can “walk the dog,” which means bending one leg and pressing straight into the other heel, then switching to warm up your legs and get a deeper stretch. - Rag Doll Forward Fold
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A forward fold is an active recovery pose in yoga, and a rag doll version allows you to hang heavy. This pose stretches the ankles, calves, hamstrings, and lower back. It also releases neck and shoulder tension, alleviates lower back and neck pain, and relieves stress.
From downward dog, walk your feet forward until they reach your hands. Keep a good bend in your knees and make sure your feet are hip-width distance apart or two fists-length apart. Bend your upper body all the way until your stomach touches your thighs, and let your head and arms hang heavy. Clasp your hands to opposite elbows, keeping your shoulders, head, and neck relaxed all the way so your head is between your arms.
Shift forward side-to-side or back-and-forth, slowly trying to loosen up your legs and straighten them a little more breath-by-breath.
- Pigeon Pose
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Pigeon pose is a hip-opening pose that relieves glutes, hips, and groin tension. It also helps improve range of motion and release stress.
From a downward dog, lift your right leg straight for a three-legged dog. Bend your leg and bring it through your arms before placing your right knee on the ground next to your right elbow. The goal is to eventually get your leg to a 90-degree angle. Keep your left leg behind you straight and slowly hinge forward to put your head on the mat (but don’t worry if you’re not there yet). Place a block or blanket under your right hip if it doesn’t meet the ground. Repeat this with your left leg forward after.
- Reclined Butterfly
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Reclined butterfly is a good restorative pose to do right before the end of your practice. It is another hip-opening pose that’s less intense than pigeon pose. Reclined butterfly stretches the groin, adductors, hamstrings, chest, shoulders, and triceps. It also can alleviate back pain and relieve stress.
First, lay down on your back. Bend your knees and place the soles of your feet on the mat, floor, or blanket before opening your knees wide and bringing the soles together. Your knees should create a diamond shape with your legs. You can also stretch your arms above your head, clasping onto opposite elbows.
This pose can be held for as long as you need before settling into your final yoga pose.
- Savasana
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Savasana, or corpse pose, is the final pose in many yoga practices. It can be held for as long as necessary to calm the mind, ground yourself in the present moment, boost concentration, and relax.
Laying down on your back, allow your legs to stretch down, and your arms fall gently by your sides. Close your eyes and focus on your breath, slowing your inhales and exhales. Begin noticing where your body is holding tension. Relax your toes, ankles, hips, wrists, fingers, ribs, shoulders, and face muscles.
Make sure to take time for yourself this holiday season and try these yoga poses!
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