Over the past couple of weeks, I have shared a few of my favourite self-care tips to help you navigate the festivities with grace & ease. Tips that I hope will help you thrive instead of merely surviving the celebrations, time with family & all the stresses & strains that accompany the holidays.
Despite the best laid plans, life has a habit of getting in the way & things can inevitably go, well, pear shaped.
Today I’d like to share one of my favourite yoga poses: child’s pose & the concept of surrendering to whatever may be. This little trick has been with me through thick & thin, good times & bad ever since I moved back to the UK.
I used it through a toxic divorce, (often several times a day!) & when my menopause symptoms were at their worst I turned to it again, taking myself off & dropping into child’s pose & repeating the mantra over & over until I felt ready to move on with my day.
I still do it almost daily because when we practice something, even when we don’t need it, this forges the neuron pathways in our brain to make it more likely we will return to this practice when we do need it.
Child’s pose:
Sitting with your bum on your heels.
Can’t get your bum on your heels?
Why not roll up a blanket & stick it between your heels & bum so you can relax into the pose?
Extend your arms onto the mat, resting your forehead on the floor (without squishing your nose).
Can’t reach the floor with your forehead, pop a DVD box set or a decent sides book under your forehead – improvise with whatever you have to hand!
Breathe smoothly & repeat this mantra:
I surrender to all that is as it is now & so it is.
Keep repeating this phrase until you feel a shift, then you’re ready to go!
Surrender is a powerful energy.
It’s not giving up or a giving in.
It’s giving over.
Letting go.
Releasing.
Surrendering to what is is a powerful little tool to help us navigate the festivities, after all this time of year isn’t easy & fun for everyone all the time.
If you would like to find out more self-care tips to thrive in the festivities check out Alex’s FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfulnessyoga4selfcare
Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexbannard/
Short yoga sequences including yoga for stress are available on her YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlKZJ7MeyYc6lqkv6seISw
Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a more mindful way of living & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices for a happier & healthier way of being.