The Power of Yoga: A Holiday Guide to Stress Relief
The holiday season, while filled with joy and cheer, can often be a source of stress and anxiety. The social commitments can leave our battery on empty and our self care often goes out the window with a change in regular routines. The hustle and bustle of shopping, parties, and family gatherings can take a toll on our physical and mental health. Fortunately, yoga offers a powerful tool to help us navigate the holiday stress and emerge feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
The Physical Benefits of Holiday Yoga
Improved Flexibility: Regular yoga practice can increase flexibility, making everyday tasks easier and reducing the risk of injuries.
Increased Strength: Many yoga poses require you to engage your muscles, leading to increased strength and improved posture.
Boosted Immunity: Yoga can stimulate the lymphatic system, which helps to remove toxins from the body and boost immunity.
The Mental Benefits of Holiday Yoga
Stress Reduction: Studies have shown that yoga can significantly reduce stress and anxiety. Regular practice can help lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone.
Improved Mental Health: Yoga can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can also improve focus, concentration, and memory.
Emotional Healing: Yoga can help you connect with your emotions and develop a greater sense of self-awareness. It can also help you cultivate compassion and gratitude.
Yoga for Body Recomposition
While yoga might not be the sweatiest form of exercise, it can contribute to body recomposition. Yoga can help:
Build Muscle: Certain yoga poses, such as Warrior I and Warrior II, can help build muscle mass, especially in the legs and core. Did we mention stress reduction yet? Yoga brings your body into a state of relaxation. A much needed break from the fight or flight response activated by holiday adrenaline. Our bodies can only build muscle in a state of relaxation. Constant stress leads to injury, body fat accumulation and disease.
Increase Flexibility: Improved flexibility can enhance your performance in other forms of exercise, leading to better results.
Mind-Body Connection: Yoga helps you connect your mind and body, improving your overall fitness and wellness.
Incorporating Yoga into Your Holiday Routine
Here are a few tips to incorporate yoga into your holiday routine:
Start Small: Begin with a few minutes of yoga or deep breaths each day and gradually increase the duration as you become more comfortable.
Drop into a Schedule: Our flexible Yoga and Mobility 5 class pack allows you to pop into classes during a busy holiday season. These passes never expire.
Practice Mindfully: Pay attention to your breath and body sensations during your practice. Check out of the chaos and into your self care.
Use Yoga Props: First time? Yoga props can help you modify poses and deepen your practice.
Beginner tips to Starting a Yoga Practice (a personal note from Siggy):
It’s called a “Yoga Practice” for a reason. The first few sessions of yoga can feel overwhelming. A session can include a combination of new poses and a foreign language that you may have never heard before. The first few times can feel like you’re spending more time watching the instructor wide eyed and whispering “wtf” under your breath then actually relaxing.
However, practice makes progress and yoga terms and poses will become more familiar over time allowing for greater relaxation and more benefits each class. The strongest I have ever been at push-ups was when I was incorporating the most amount of yoga in my programming. The more consistent you can be with your yoga practice, the more you will enjoy, crave and benefit from your routine.
Our yoga instructor will offer movement modifications for more challenging poses, so be sure to take movement options. There’s no competition or winning in yoga, so check your ego at the door. There’s no perfect pose, every body is different, so each Yogi will have a unique practice - no need to force a square peg into a round hole.
Lastly, focus on your own breath and the space between the corners of your own mat. Yoga is an individual practice, so don’t worry about what other participants in the room are doing or not doing. Do your best to use this time to turn inwards.
Holiday Yoga Gift Guide
Looking for the perfect gift for the yoga lover in your life? Check out our holiday yoga gift guide for some inspiration.
A Calming Breathing Technique for Holiday Stress: Box Breathing
Box breathing is a simple yet effective technique to calm the mind and reduce stress. Imagine yourself breathing the walls of a box or square. Here's how to do it:
Inhale: Slowly inhale through your nose for a count of four.
Hold: Hold your breath for a count of four.
Exhale: Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of four.
Hold: Hold your breath for a count of four
By incorporating yoga into your holiday routine, you can not only reduce stress and anxiety but also improve your overall health and well-being. So, roll out your mat, take a deep breath, and let yoga be your holiday haven.
Ready to slow down the holiday hustle and bustle?
Unwind, unplug, and Namaste with Jolt this holiday season. Calm the Christmas chaos with our special yoga and mobility membership, offering access to our upgraded holiday schedule. We've added two extra nights of yoga this month, so you can slow down the holiday rush.
Join us for Yoga:
Monday at 7:30 PM
Wednesday at 6:30 PM
Friday at 6:10 AM
Join us for Mobility:
Wednesday 7:15am
Saturday 9:10am
For just $79+tax, your membership includes 5 Yoga or Mobility sessions that never expire and can be used beyond the holiday period.
