“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote”} }”>

The vacations are commonly often known as “The Most Wonderful Time of the 12 months.” But they will also be probably the most difficult time of the 12 months.

Renowned spiritual teacher Ram Dass famously said, “Should you think you’re enlightened, go spend every week together with your family.” I personally cannot count the quantity of holidays I snuck away to the hallway to wrap my legs behind my head so I could stay sane while my family wrapped gifts in the subsequent room.

Once we find ourselves in old situations, our minds are likely to be hijacked by old relationship dynamics and familiar scripts. We lose the clarity of the current moment and our connection to our current self and we start responding as if we were 10 years old again.

As children and teenagers, we may need found it difficult to make sense of our emotions. As adults, now we have skills we will draw on once we’re feeling frustrated or sad (including addressing the situation and summoning compassion for ourself and others). We just sometimes forget them. Our yoga practice helps us pause and remember them.

There may be a spot inside each of us that is solely love, patience, and generosity. That is our true nature. We glimpse this place each time we get on the mat, but we may quickly lose it once we start fighting with our brother over politics or hear our mom’s comments on our weight.

This short yoga practice can allow you to reconnect with yourself. You don’t need much space or time to do that. Whether you commandeer a toilet or sequester yourself within the basement, practicing even just a few minutes of yoga can allow you to stay grounded in connection. It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving.

5 yoga poses for family holiday stress

Emilie Bers at Soulstice Mind & Body

Sukhasana (Easy Pose)

Step one to coming back to the current moment is to get grounded in who we’re. And the perfect solution to try this is to literally come to the bottom. Sukhasana (Easy Pose) is a standard meditation pose and hip-opener. Additionally it is a helpful shape for accessing our root chakra, often known as muladhara, which is situated at the bottom of the pelvic floor. The basis chakra pertains to problems with security, survival, and family. Connecting with this energy center helps us feel safer and assured.

Emilie Bers at Soulstice Mind & Body

Cat Pose (Marjaryasana) and Cow Pose (Bitilasana)

that feeling in your belly like an elevator is dropping? That’s our sympathetic nervous system responding as if we’re in grave danger. Nevertheless, this method cannot tell the difference between a lion and your little sister. Once we feel threatened, our instinct is to reply in considered one of 3 ways: fight, flight, or freeze. Unfortunately, we get stressed and triggered on a regular basis without having the ability to move that energy through our body so it may well dissipate. Due to dynamic nature of Cat and Cow, taking just a few rounds of those may be helpful in moving energy through the body via the breath. Inhale in Cow. Exhale in Cat. Repeat at the least several times or for so long as you’ll be able to.

Emilie Bers at Soulstice Mind & Body

Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

Certainly one of the first muscles related to the body’s fear response is the psoas, which is considered one of our hip flexors. A important function of the psoasis to flex the hips, meaning bringing the thigh toward the chest, which is an important motion to guard vital organs. Once we are in fear or under high stress, the psoas can turn into overactive. A chronically tight psoas has been linked to a number of challenges, equivalent to digestive issues and anxiety. The position of the back leg in Low Lunge helps release the the psoas from its constant tensing. Don’t forget to practice it on each side.

Emilie Bers at Soulstice Mind & Body

Apanasana (Apanasana)

Now that you’re feeling grounded, the nervous system has settled, and the psoas is released, we will begin to shift our energy toward reconnection and self-love. Apanasana is just not only an amazing solution to release the lower back, it looks like an lively hug in your whole being. What makes the vacations healing is that they’re a possibility to re-pattern our normal responses. They’ll remind us that irrespective of what is occurring around us, we’re at all times connected to ourselves and universal love inside.

Emilie Bers at Soulstice Mind & Body

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Ending this transient sequence with a Savasana could appear frivolous, but one could say that the previous poses were really just preparation for this moment, just as your entire memories and experiences have prepared you for who you are actually. The interpretation of Savasana is Corpse Pose. It’s a possibility to shed the parts of yourself that not serve you, and to open yourself for the subsequent iteration of who you’re to turn into. The very shape of Savasana—palms up, front body exposed—is considered one of receptivity. Before you come back to affix the family, observe how you’re feeling after your practice and keep in mind that this sense of peace is just not something that we just lose once we roll up our mat. This peace is at all times there.

This text has been updated. Originally published December 15, 2019.

About our contributor

Sarah Ezrin is an writer, world-renowned yoga educator, popular Instagram influencer, and mama based within the San Francisco Bay Area. Her willingness to be unabashedly honest and vulnerable along together with her innate wisdom make her writing, yoga classes, and social media great sources of healing and inner peace for many individuals. Sarah is changing the world, teaching self-love one person at a time. She can also be the writer of The Yoga of Parenting. You’ll be able to follow her on Instagram at @sarahezrinyoga and TikTok at @sarahezrin.