As beautiful as this time of year can be with the holiday lights, catching up with family & friends, and all of the deserts in the near future, :) it can also be easy to feel overwhelmed, scattered and exhausted. The holidays are going to happen, there is nothing we can do to stop them and so it is important for our well being to enter into them in a mindful way so that we can enjoy them rather than just be try to “keep up”.  As our level of stress rises as it likely will, so must our level of self-care so that we can do our best to feel the holiday cheer in an authentic way and not want to strangle our fellow shoppers.

Here are a few simple ways to stay warm, happy & grounded during this time of year.

Keep your insides warm with hot Apple Cider Vinegar. This is one of my favorite drinks for winter. It’s a cure for everything, I swear.  It smells awful but tastes delicious.  I recommend drinking this once/day in the winter or as much as you like.  It will make you feel warm and energized.

2Tbls Apple Cider Vinegar
1Tbls organic local honey
Hot water in your favorite mug
a dash of love…

Take time for yourself.  We are so busy taking care of others especially during the holiday season, that sometimes we forget about ourselves.  Take a break and treat yourself to “Intro to Yin Yoga” workshop at Ironwood with my dear friend Isabelle Clarke.  A slow moving deep stretching class, this is a lovely way to slow the mind down as well as create more space and energy in the body.  Learn more here.

Meditate first thing in the morning.  Wake up, sit up in bed, close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths in thru the nose and out thru the mouth.  Then simply bring your attention to your breath.

Your mind will start to wander, this is part of the meditation and not something to judge or beat yourself up about.

As your mind wanders, your “job” is to effortlessly bring your attention back to your breath… again and again…Repeat this for 3-5 minutes or as long as you can. You may even doze off if you are really tired, this is okay, bring your attention back to the breath… nice and easy.  When you feel like you are ready to stop. Take one big deep breath in thru the nose and out thru the mouth, slowly open your eyes, pause and then move softly into your day.  Notice how this little bit of connection can help get your day started in a more grounded, calm and effective way.

PS you can do this again in the afternoon too. (just saying) :)