From the perspective of holistic health systems like yoga’s sister science of Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Winter is the season to slow down and turn inward. You may also feel a yearning for peace and quiet, less on your ‘to-do’ list and more time spent in a state of mindful relaxation. Despite all our efforts to carve out time for TLC however, the festive season is coming up fast, and it doesn’t usually offer many silent nights….
Christmas can bring up a lot of emotions for many of us; perhaps you have strong memories attached to the festive season, or maybe spending extra time with the family is a challenge; after all, as the wise Ram Dass said; “if you think you’re enlightened, spend a week with your family”. Indeed, even though Christmas is a magical time, it’s also a period when, despite our good intentions to be mindful, it can sometimes seem like a chaotic and overly-busy several days, with added tinsel and mounds of shiny un-recyclable wrapping paper. (At least we’ve got you covered when it comes to sustainable wrapping paper – use the Organic Company Cotton Gift Wrapping Set,, and you’ll never have to throw your gift wrap away again!)
To help you navigate the festivities with more calm this year, we’ve gathered 7 effective ways to have a more mindful Christmas, which really could help you get to the new year with less stress and more serenity. Read on and pick your favourite!
Release Expectations
Research in the UK shows that around a quarter of us feel ‘stressed’ to ‘very stressed’ at Christmas, with women feeling the strain the most. Much of the stress is often caused by our expectations, and trying to make everything ‘perfect’. Almost half of people with a mental health challenge such as depression or anxiety also say they feel especially pressured to create a perfect Christmas, to the point of being unable to cope.
Expectations can create stress at the best of times, but they also prevent us from being truly present and stop us enjoying time with loved ones. One of the best ways to manage expectations is with clear communication, and being open about what’s possible, what isn’t, and what may require a team effort. You can practice this communication exercise by gathering together the people you’ll be spending Christmas with. Ask everyone to write down what Christmas means to them, then discuss how you can all work together to cultivate a day that is meaningful to everyone. Use the Once Upon A Tuesday Daily Planner Pad to write down and keep track of key words to use for your festive inspiration. You may realise that what everyone wants is much simpler than you expected! Many people enjoy simple activities that bring everyone together, such as jigsaw puzzles. You’ll also find mindful Christmas ideas in the School of Life Inspiration Cards.
Take a Mindful Nature Walk
Seeking out pockets of time to get out into nature is even more important in Winter. More time spent indoors can make us feel overwhelmed if we’re surrounded by lots of people, so whether you choose to head out for some alone time or you’re accompanied by a friend, turn your walk into a mindfulness session. Mindfulness practices involve using your senses to become completely present in the moment, as well as observing thoughts and emotions that arise without judgement or attachment. The Mindfulness Dice set is a wonderful gift to give someone who would benefit from more mindfulness, using 36 soothing practices and thousands of combinations.
To begin your mindful nature walk, wrap up in the Varley Baldwin Puffer Coat, and begin walking a little slower than usual. Be aware of your feet connected to the ground, perhaps the crunch of frosty leaves underfoot, or the soft squelch of damp earth. As you continue walking, be aware of the sounds you can hear closest to you; birds and rustling trees, or even traffic sounds. Expand your awareness to the sounds you can hear furthest away from you, then return to those in your surroundings. Next, notice the colours on your walk, the shapes and shadows, the Winter sunlight and the sky. If your mind begins to wander, notice the thoughts that come up, and practice letting them float past like clouds. Mindfulness practices like this help reduce cortisol (the stress hormone), shifting us towards the parasympathetic side of the nervous system (rest and digest), and encourage more self-compassion. You’ll find our mindful Christmas meditation guide at the end of this blog to practice too.
Be inspired by more mindfulness gifts:
- Bring awareness and calm to everyday with the Mindfulness Cards
- Read A Monk’s Guide To Happiness by Gelong Thubten
- Introduce your children to the gift of mindfulness with the Mindful Kids Card Deck
Give your presence, not just presents
With so much time spent on screens, scrolling social media, and living life at lightspeed, being truly present with each other is pretty rare these days. Pause for a moment and think; when was the last time you had a face-to-face conversation with a loved one without any distractions, without any phones in sight, and without the television on in the background? If the answer is ‘I can’t remember’, this Christmas is your opportunity to give your presence as presents.
According to researchers at Harvard University, almost half of our waking hours are spent NOT being present. When we’re distant and disconnected, we tend to enjoy life less, and feel less connected to our loved ones. To practice being more present this Christmas, use tips from Paul Greenberg’s Goodbye Phone, Hello World, with 60 ways to disconnect from tech and reconnect to joy. Throughout the busy festive season, check in regularly with your breath – this is one of the quickest ways to become present; are you holding your breath? Are you breathing up in your chest? Practices from How To Breathe: 25 Simple Practices For Calm, Joy & Resilience by Ashley Neese can help you find ways to breathe better and become more present. Finally, be inspired by Do Pause by Robert Poynton, which looks at the power of improving communication, relationships and creativity by pausing more often in life – can you take tiny moments to pause throughout Christmas and bring yourself back to the present moment?
Mindful Eating At Christmas
This tip definitely isn’t about restricting yourself at Christmas; enjoy all the flavours and feasts on offer, but be in a state of mindfulness when you do! Many of our festive meals will be special occasions, or treats someone has spent hours creating for this one single occasion. Ayurveda For Life by Monica Bloom explains how our agni or ‘digestive fire’ is improved when we take time to eat slowly and mindfully, instead of rushing and snacking. When you sit to eat, perhaps take a mindful moment; become aware of the chair you’re sitting on; notice your breathing; enjoy the scent of your meal; notice the food on the plate, and give thought to all that has gone into preparing this meal so you can enjoy it in that moment. When we practice mindfulness before a meal, we’re much more likely to enjoy it, digest it well, and be satisfied at the end of it.
A Christmas Mindfulness Meditation
Give yourself the gift of mindfulness, and set yourself up for a calmer, less stressed Christmas. Yogamatters has a special collection of mindful gifts in the Christmas shop, such as the organic cotton zafu meditation cushion, the Festive Magic Soy Wax Candle, organic cotton chambray yoga blanket, and the insightful Why Meditate? Because It Works by Jillian Lavender, to help you build mindfulness into your life for greater wellbeing. Set yourself up with your meditation props and settle into this meditation:
Sit or lie down comfortably
Become aware of the ground underneath you, supporting your body
Let your body rest and be held by the ground, knowing that in this moment, there’s nothing else you need to do, and nowhere else you need to be
Feel your body soften and relax into the earth
Feel the parts of your body connected to the earth; the back of your head, shoulders, upper back, arms, hands, your pelvis, back of your legs, calves and heels.
Now, become aware of your breathing
Notice how your body moves as you breathe; does the breath seem to stay in your chest? Does it move towards your stomach? No judgement, just noticing.
Perhaps allow your breath to expand downward towards your stomach, feeling your stomach rise as you inhale and soften as you exhale
Next, bring your awareness to the space around you; notice what you can hear closest to you. What can you hear furthest away?
Bring your attention back into the room around you. Notice what you can see; which colours are around you? What shapes are in the room? Is it dark or bright around you?
Become aware of any scents around you; can you smell a festive meal cooking, do you notice the scent of a candle?
Finally, bring your awareness to your mind. Notice the thoughts and emotions that may be present. Let them pass by, and observe them in the same way you have just observed the things around you.
When you are ready, take a slow breath in and out, and finish your meditation.
