![]() ![]() Instead, I'll be harnessing the positive energy and good vibrations that I cultivated during my solstice flow to appreciate the longest night of the year and welcome the changes arising in the world around me.Surrounded by the buzzing city, managing my own creative business, I find that yoga helps me to stay in this moment. I'm no longer anxiously awaiting the first sign of the winter sunset to wrap myself in a blanket burrito and go straight to sleep, so that's a win in my book. I practice yoga every single day, but today, I felt genuinely ready and able to accept that I was feeling a bit "blah." I realized I didn't have to let that lethargy dictate how my entire day would turn out. Melting into Savasana (corpse pose) after my physical practice and relaxing every part of my body, from head to toe, was incredibly restorative and relaxing - definitely my favorite part of this winter flow.Īt the end of my practice today, I thought about how crappy I'd felt when I first got on my mat. I no longer felt that air of indifference and disinterest that usually envelops me at the start of the winter solstice. After a few rounds of cat-cow, I found strength within an empowering plank pose and slowly transitioned into my first downward-facing dog.Īs I finished my winter solstice yoga sequence, I realized that I had a new sense of appreciation for my body, and all of the incredible things it's capable of. The fluidity and movement felt great against the stiffness of my body, a physical struggle that many of us face with the arrival of the winter solstice and its unforgivingly cold weather. When my meditation time was up, I gently opened my eyes and began to warm up my spine with some cat and cow motions. I refused to label my thoughts as good or bad I was merely a witness to them. I knew that it was important not to judge any thoughts that came up during my meditation, and instead, to simply observe them as they came and went, holding no attachment to them. I challenged myself to make the mindful decision to relax these muscles with care and kindness.Ĭlosing my eyes and straightening my spine, I prepared to meditate and breathe deeply for five minutes before beginning my physical asana practice. Then I adjusted myself so that I was in a comfortable, seated position on my mat, and scanned my body from head to toe, observing the areas where I was holding more tension than necessary. The floral scent began to diffuse in the air surrounding me, prompting me to take fuller inhales and longer exhales. I started off my practice by rubbing a bit of lavender oil on my temples to instill a sense of inner calm and tranquility throughout my whole body. To say the least, this was just what I needed to slow down, let go of attachments that weren't serving me, and create the space to breathe. ![]() I also incorporated deep breathing exercises, some rejuvenating essential oils, and a bit of meditation into my sequence. I included a delicate balance of asanas that allow you to surrender and let go, as well as poses that create more heart space, opening the chest and shoulders in gratitude. ![]() ![]() (the official beginning of the solstice) in the hopes of lifting my spirits and flooding my body with feel-good endorphins.Īs a yoga teacher, I crafted this flow to allow my heart to open up more easily during a time of increased darkness, to welcome all of the external changes happening in nature, and to gently turn inward, with intention, to adapt both my mind and body to this sacred time of year. This year, I decided to partake in a winter solstice yoga sequence at exactly 11:28 a.m. I don't know if it has to do with the lack of sunlight or the fact that the cold weather is bringing me down, but what I do know is that I need to use mindful techniques to lift my sprits and get me out of my funk. Every year, at the start of the winter solstice, I feel kind of off, a little fatigued, and a bit unbalanced. ![]()
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