Yoga And Mindfulness Techniques To Help You Get Through Christmas Shopping

Don’t you just love Christmas? It’s definitely my favourite time of the year! I love walking through London gazing up at all the beautiful Christmas lights and taking in the splendor of the stunning window displays. I love the smell of roasted chestnuts coming from the roasted chestnut stalls and don’t get me started on Winter Wonderland and all those lovely Christmas markets …

When it comes to Christmas shopping however, whether you brave the crowds by going out to the shops or decide to do your shopping online Christmas shopping can prove to be a very stressful experience.

Here are some yoga poses and mindfulness techniques that can help you get through this ‘most wonderful time of the year’

1. Balasana (Child’s Pose)

• Sitting on the heels of your feet, fold your torso over your thighs and rest your forehead on the floor in front of you.
• Stretch your arms out in front of you or by your sides (wherever you feel comfortable) and stay here for a few breaths.

2. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

• Standing in Mountain Pose, lift your arms up and dive forward into a Forward Bend, keeping your back flat and your hands on the floor or wooden block.
• You can keep your legs straight or bend your knees slightly depending on your flexibility and comfort.

3. Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall)

• Start by sitting on the floor facing the wall
• Bend your knees and lie back on the floor
• Put your feet up against the wall and move your torso forward until your lower spine touches the back of the wall.
• Ensure that your legs are extended and the backs of your legs are against the wall.
• Let your arms rest next to you, palms facing upwards.

4. Savasana (Corpse Pose)

• Lie flat on your back with your feet pointing out to the sides and your palms facing up. You can put a bolster under your knees if lying flat on the floor/mat isn’t comfortable for you.
• Nestle your shoulder blades down your back and across the mat, releasing all the tension in your body.
• Close your eyes. Breathing normally, rest here and feel the tension wash away.

5. Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing)

• Sitting in a comfortable position, place the thumb of your right hand on your right nostril and your ring finger on your left nostril, resting your index and middle finger between your eyebrows.
• Slowly inhale through the left nostril closing the right with the thumb.
• Close the left nostril with your ring finger and release the thumb from your right nostril.
• Exhale through your right nostril.
• Repeat 3 times to begin with then gradually increase to 9/10 times as you become more comfortable with the technique.

6. Deep Breathing

• Sitting comfortably with your back straight or lying down on your back put one hand on your stomach.
• Breathe in through your nose and the hand on your stomach should rise.
• Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles. The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale.
• Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• At first you may only be able to take a few deep breaths but this will improve.
• Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls.
• As you get used to taking deep breaths you can introduce counting your breath. So you may count to three on the inhale and then breath out for three.
• Don’t force your breath, only do what feels comfortable for you.