December already! Another year has passed, and another Holiday Season is just around the corner. And we know what’s around that corner, don’t we? Sugarplums and hot cocoa while relaxing by the fireside…. Wait…no… that’s not quite right is it? Oh right à shopping, cooking, planning, traveling, parties, snowstorms, and in general running around like a chicken with its head cut off (sorry vegetarians – this simile is too strong to remove).

No worries here right. I am a yogi! I practice meditation and breathwork and am oh so knowledgeable in the art of chill… Plus I work with kids so naturally I have a superlative amount of patience. I got this in the bag… right?

Flashback to Thanksgiving Weekend – family time (yay?) The kickoff weekend to the holiday season marked by merriment and caloric overindulgence. Somewhere in the midst of all this fun it happens….  Maybe it was set off by a simple request, a fairly benign comment, or (more likely) a thinly veiled passive aggressive remark… any way you slice it someone found a way to harsh my mellow. And then I react – a sharp intake of breath, followed by holding my breath, and topping it all off with an exasperated exhaled paired with a gloriously overexaggerated rolling of the eyes (a move that takes years of practice by the way).

I’ll start off with the obligatory “family is great”: I LOVE my family, I’d never change it, I’m blessed with the time we have together – yada yada yada. Now let’s skip to the undeniable fact that family or not – these people you love the most have the most power to drive you crazy. Even the sweetest most well intending aunt (asking about when you might start a family) or your super helpful cousin (who mentions how underpaid your profession is) or your sibling who – well – no explanation needed. Whatever and whoever it may be – the holidays and family time can trigger stress. For me – the first noticeable indicator of this stress is my breath. So, let’s start there.

Let’s help ourselves out and Breathe our way through the Holidays! Once a week or so – I’ll introduce a breathwork technique that can help keep you on that even yogi keel as we tick down to the new year.

Starting with exactly what I described above: noticing the breath. As I mentioned in my lovely Thanksgiving story, as soon as I was triggered, I noticed how my breath changed… and it wasn’t in a good way. A sharp inhale, held breath, and an infuriated exhale. Not good. Time to switch it back to an intentional breath. . . even for a minute. This breath is something you can practice anytime anywhere. Mall Madness? Take a time out in a dressing room. In-laws on your last nerve at dinner? Take a break on the way to the bathroom. The key here is noticing how your breath changed and then bringing yourself back.

Intentional Breaths

• Notice Your Breath (try closing your eyes and observe the movement)
• Inhale through your nose (counting helps! Inhale counting 4-6 seconds)
• Exhale through your nose (match your exhale count to your inhale count)
• Give it a Minute (at least 5 rounds of breath should get you where you want to be)
• Resume Holiday Joy