Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and hold space for ourselves, our loved ones and the entire world

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and hold space for ourselves, our loved ones, and the entire world. The past few years have been a wild ride, causing stress, anxiety, division, and fear. Let’s hold space this season for all that we have and all the beauty in each other and the world. At the end of the day, we are all human and we all just want to be recognized and loved. See yourself in the other, be the change you want to see in the world. Let go of fear, doubt, and anger and replace it with love and gratitude. Choose love in every situation over the next few weeks and see how it feels. No matter the situation, no matter if you are right or wrong. People are hurting and love will soothe that pain and raise the vibration of us all.

Two Tips for making Thanksgiving a beautiful, stress-free day.

One:

Take a pause this holiday season and think about 5 things in your life you are thankful for. It can be anything…Say it over and over in your mind all day today and tomorrow.

I am thankful for my husband, my wife, my partner

I am thankful for my son, my daughter

I am thankful for my parents, my Uncle, my Aunt, my Grandma, my Grandpa

I am thankful for my beautiful house

I am thankful for my life

I am thankful for my shoes

I am thankful for my health

I am thankful for my kind heart

I am thankful for gluten-free muffins

I am thankful for cheeseburgers

I am thankful for yoga

I am thankful for my family

Whatever resonates with you. Take a moment to just repeat those 5 things you are thankful for in your mind several times a day for the next week or so. Take it a step further and close your eyes and place your hands over your heart and really breathe into what you are thankful for. It will change a bad thought into a good one, it will help you breathe better and help you find peace, if just for a moment.

Two:

? Now let’s address the overeating part of Thanksgiving. Typically, most of us will indulge more than usual and eat things we would normally say no to.

You can take activated charcoal to help with digestion or a digestive aid such as Enzymedica Digest Spectrum.

You can also help your digestion and stress with these two yoga poses that I love – Child’s Pose and Seated Twist. Do these poses before bed and again when you first wake up. They are excellent for reducing stress and promoting better digestion.

I have also added a deep breathing heart meditation for you to try. When you feel overwhelmed and stressed, try the heart meditation listed below to calm your nerves and reset your emotions. Just by breathing, we bring our mind to a neutral place where we can let go and reset.

So let’s get started with my favorite post-feast poses for the holiday season! Child’s pose relaxes the gut, opens the back, and helps move the bowels. Seated Twist will compress the organs to release toxins and also help get all the gas out from that yummy food you ate.

Child’s Pose

Cues:

1. Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees as wide as your hips or wider if you need to.
2. Exhale and lay your upper body between your thighs as in figure 1. Open across the back of your pelvis and lengthen your tailbone and gently place your forehead on the floor and relax your arms at your sides.
3. Hold this pose for 5 breaths or a few minutes.

Modifications:

1. Place your head on a block or towel to support the neck.
2. Place the arms overhead, as in the figure 2, to lengthen the torso. I place my arms overhead and it feels better on my neck.

Benefits:

1. Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression.

2. Gently stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles.

3. Relieves back and neck pain when done with head and torso supported.

4. Aids in digestion.

Seated Twist

Cues:

1. Sit with your legs crossed hands at the heart center as in figure 3.
2. Keep eyes on the horizon, chest lifted, and pull the bent leg toward the body.
3. Inhale and rotate to the left placing the right hand on the left knee and the left hand behind you as in figure 4.
4. As you inhale, lift the chest and as you exhale deepen the stretch and look left. Continue for 5-10 breaths.
5. Switch sides.

Benefits:    

1. Opens the hips and releases emotions and stress.
2. Aids in digestion.

This can be modified by sitting in a chair if it is too hard to sit on the floor cross legged.

Heart Meditation

Cues:

1. Sit comfortably in a chair or seated on the floor, legs crossed, Crisscross applesauce. Place your left hand over your heart then your right.
2. Breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds and slowly exhale for 5 seconds.
3. Repeat 5 times, holding space in your heart for anyone who needs love, for everyone and everything you are thankful for, for all the gifts in your life.

From my heart to yours, Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones,

Holli