The festive decor is out, holiday music is playing everywhere and the pressure to buy the perfect gift is on. While the holiday season is often called one of the best times of the year, it can also be one of the most difficult and jarring times of the year as well. If you’re feeling the force of holiday season snags, here are a few types of yoga poses that can give you more ease as you move through this time of year.
Try Some Twists to Help You Digest All of Those Extra Treats
Yoga poses that require twisting your body help your digestive system to function optimally. And, with the amount of additional food that is consumed at this time of year, you’ll most likely be needing your digestion to be in tip-top shape. When you do some gentle twists (like the Triangle Pose), blood flow to your digestive organs improves. This aids your body as it works to break down your food in the most efficient way. Twisting Yoga poses also help your body to absorb key nutrients from your meals more effectively. So, if you’re feeling bloated these days, you can expect to get some relief once you include some twists in your yoga practice.
Do Hip Openers to Release Stress
It’s no secret that this season can be both the most exciting and the most stressful time of the year. Between additional parties on the schedule, family gatherings, and the need to find just the right gift, you may feel like you’re twisted up in knots at the end of the day. What many people don’t know is that tension and anxiety are often carried in the hip area, which contributes to the tight feeling in your body. Try some hip opening poses (like Pigeon Pose) to gently release the constrictions in your muscles when you’re feeling especially stiff. You may find that getting rid of physical tension helps you to get rid of emotional tension as well.
Use Restorative Yoga to Get Better Sleep
While stress, anxiety, and extra food helpings are separate issues, these problems can also significantly worsen your sleep during the holiday season. Loss of sleep can, in turn, contribute to more stress and it can weaken your immune system as well. To keep your sleep habits rock solid, try a brief restorative yoga sequence before you get into bed for the night. Restorative yoga involves holding static yoga poses for long periods (sometimes for 5 minutes or more per pose). These long poses help you to focus on your breathing and on releasing tension from your body. With these poses physically slowing you down, you’ll find it easier to sleep wonderfully and wake up feeling amazing again.
The holiday season is something that we look forward to the whole year. These yoga poses will not only keep you healthy but will also alleviate the symptoms you might feel after taking extra helpings of the delicious food.