Unwrap Peace This Season: Managing Holiday Stress with Yoga Therapy
The holiday season often brings joy and togetherness, but it can also trigger stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. From endless to-do lists to family obligations, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Thankfully, yoga therapy offers powerful tools to help you breathe deeply, move kindly, and rest intentionally—while giving yourself permission to start fresh as often as you need.
The Impact of Holiday Stress
Holiday stress can impact your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. It may show up as restless nights, tight shoulders, racing thoughts, or feelings of burnout. But the good news is that with yoga therapy, you have the power to shift from overwhelm to peace (or at least toward peace), simply by connecting with your breath, body, and inner awareness.
The Practice: Breathe, Move, Rest and Begin Again
Yoga therapy encourages us to continually return to the present moment, no matter how often we get distracted. If the holidays pull you off balance, remember: You can always begin again. Whether through breath, movement, or rest, each moment is a new opportunity to reset and reclaim your calm.
1. Grounding Breath Practices: Nadi Shodhana
Breath is the anchor to our nervous system, and one of the most calming breath techniques in yoga therapy is Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing). This practice helps harmonize the left and right hemispheres of the brain, reducing stress and creating a sense of balance and clarity.
Here’s how to practice Nadi Shodhana:
- Sit in a comfortable position with your spine tall (if upright is not comfortable, recline).
- Place your left hand on your lap and bring your right hand to your face. Close your right nostril with your thumb.
- Inhale deeply through the left nostril. (If air cannot travel through your nose, just visualize it).
- Close the left nostril with your ring finger, and exhale slowly through the right nostril.
- Inhale through the right nostril, then close it with your thumb, and exhale through the left nostril.
Continue alternating for 5-10 rounds. If your mind wanders during the practice, simply return to the flow of your breath and allow yourself to begin again, no matter how many times it takes. If you are familiar with Nadi Shodhana, play with elongating the pause after the exhale. Enjoy the additional pause before beginning again with the next inhale. Please note, this is not meant as a hold (kumbhaka). There should be no hitching or gasping to recover from the pause.
2. Mindful Movement
When we move kindly, we reconnect with our body’s natural wisdom and compassion. Simple yoga postures like Tadasana (Mountain) can ground you and bring relief. Even if you only have a few minutes in the morning, take time to move your body with intention, focusing on how it feels to stretch, lengthen, and release. Every movement is an invitation to tune into the present moment—and if you find yourself distracted, it’s okay. Just begin again with compassion.
If you’re up for a bit of a commitment, join me every morning this month for my Fall 30-Day Challenge (scratch that, let’s call it an invitation) to Daily Practice! Join me live and in real time, or any time. Recordings available immediately for your convenient access in our app!
Then every night, pause for a few minutes of rest in stillness before settling into bed. You’ll be amazed at how this little practice enhances your sleep by first settling your nervous system.
3. Restorative Yoga for Deep Rest
Amidst the holiday hustle, it’s essential to carve out time for rest. Restorative yoga postures like Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall (or chair or pile of pillows)Pose) or Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) or my favorite, Constructive Rest (reclined with knees bent and leaning towards center), offer profound relaxation. These poses allow the body to reset and recover from the day’s stressors. As you settle into these restful shapes, focus on your breath and let go of any tension. And if your mind begins to race, that’s perfectly fine. Acknowledge the thoughts and gently guide yourself back to rest—beginning again as many times as you need.
Make Space for Yourself
Holidays can often feel like a marathon, with constant activity and little time for rest. Yoga therapy reminds us that rest is not a luxury—it’s essential. Each time you pause, breathe, or move, you create space to restore yourself. When things get overwhelming, give yourself permission to rest and renew. Even if you feel the need to restart your practice several times throughout the day, that’s perfectly natural. Every moment is a chance to begin again.
As you move through this holiday season, remember that it’s not about perfection. Yoga therapy teaches us to embrace the rhythm of life—to breathe when things feel tight, to move when we feel stuck, and to rest when we feel drained. Above all, it encourages us to be gentle with ourselves and to start over as often as necessary.
By integrating these simple practices—grounding breath like Nadi Shodhana, mindful kind movement, and restorative rest—you’ll find that you can move through holiday stress with more grace and ease. And when things get off track (because they will!), you always have the opportunity to pause, reconnect, and begin again.
Holiday stress doesn’t have to overwhelm you. With yoga therapy, you can stay grounded, breathe deeply, move freely, labor lovingly and live vibrantly. In this busy, often stressful or even lonely season, give yourself the rest you deserve. Most importantly, remember: No matter how often you feel derailed, you can always begin again. Each moment is a new chance to center yourself and embrace the calm within.
So, this holiday season, prioritize your well-being. Breathe. Move. Rest. And begin again, as many times as you need.
