Be Good to Yourself

As we get caught up in the swirl of the coming holidays, and inundated from all sides with images of holiday cheer and good will, happiness and family togetherness, it’s really hard not to be cynical. We sense, beneath the boughs and merriment and twinkling music, the aggressive thrust of consumerism egging us on. Even in Yoga Journal, we are confronted with antidotes for holiday stress that involve— wait for it—purchasing that perfect something to bring us comfort and calm. 

So, I hesitate here to encourage you to come to yoga class to maintain your sense of self during this busy time, because when you take a class you are certainly a “consumer” of sorts. I will say that the studio is a haven, a place where everything you don’t need in that moment can be left outside the door. No holiday music, no Christmas decorations. 

But, in reality, yoga can be a 20 minute break anywhere, anytime. If you find yourself irritable and spinning, go into a room where you can close the door. Unroll your yoga mat, turn the light down. Start in a pose that doesn’t require anything but that you put yourself in it, like child’s pose. And then, see what happens. 

Maybe you only have 10 minutes. Maybe it’s a 10-minute Savasana. Maybe it’s 10 minutes of slow sun salutations to wring the tension from your limbs. Truthfully? It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you take some time for yourself, away from demands and tasks and the unrelenting prompt to buy stuff. Trust me, it is very unlikely that you will walk away saying to yourself “well, that was a waste of 10 minutes” and more likely that your head will be clearer, your heart happier, and an unforced smile on your face.