We welcome December and the start of one of the busiest times of the year: holidays, Christmas, office parties, get-togethers with friends, lavish family meals, shopping, lights, and quick trips. Intensity is the order of the day, so how are you taking care of yourself? Today at Sincronia Yoga, we'll explain how to nurture your energy in December: 7 yoga practices to end the year in balance.
From contemplation to celebration
It's natural to assume that December and the days leading up to Christmas are a time for reflection and the closing of the season. The days grow shorter, the cold begins to creep into the streets, and so on. It's time to take stock and start a new year with dreams and projects, but for that we need to dedicate some time to inner listening.
The danger of this time of year is that we can enter a spiral of overstimulation in every sense (emotional, with numerous relationships and commitments; economic, with compulsive shopping and unmet needs; dietary, with overindulgence in food and other excesses, etc.), which distances us from our true selves. of contemplation and inner listening.
Taking care of yourself through the practice of yoga
That's why we like to remind you that yoga offers you many tools for inner listening and mental peace. All of them will be very useful in December for taking care of your energy.
Yoga is a path of inner exploration, whose purpose is mental calm, the cessation of the mind's fluctuations. So it will be a great ally during this time, helping us return again and again to that inner peace. desired center, from which decisions are paused, emotions are processed and Calm is restored.
Below, we detail a series of yoga practices that you can use these days that will help you focus, have more energy, find spaces of calm and silence, regenerate from within and enjoy the good side of this time of year.
7 yoga practices to end the year in balance
Meditation for inner peace
Meditation practices are the highest form of yoga, whether active in movement or passive in silence. They are techniques that bring us closer to a meditative state, where, even if only for a single instant, we merge with the world and space and time disappear.
Inner peace meditation is one of them. Find your ideal meditation posture today, whether it's sitting cross-legged, leaning against a wall, sitting in a chair, or even lying down. Begin by settle into the serenity of your body. Mentally scan your body part by part, feeling each one, and taking time to find serenity and calm along the way.
Listen to your calm, effortless breathing. The air flows in and out of your body. Feel yourself experiencing increasing stillness. The meditation consists of mentally repeating the mantra: “The body is at peace, the mind remains at peace.” Repeat the mantra every half minute and allow the silence to quiet your chattering mind and allow your observing mind to emerge. Enjoy this sensation for several minutes before leaving.
Tratak by candlelight
This practice of internalizing the senses is one of the practices prior to the meditative state that serves both as purification and cleansing, as well as to center the mind.
Choose a corner Enjoy the peace and quiet of your home Find a quiet place, sitting in a meditative posture with a candle nearby whose flame is roughly at eye level. Gaze steadily at the candle flame without blinking. all your thoughts and attention on her. When your eyes become moist, close them and continue with the contemplation, but with your eyes closed.
Welcome to winter: get up early and greet the sun
On the winter solstice, around December 21st or 22nd, the sun's tilt results in the shortest day of the year and the arrival of astronomical winter. It's a great day to celebrate the sun, as from that moment on, the days will gradually lengthen until the summer solstice.
This ancient European (Celtic and Mediterranean) celebration, which celebrates the moment of to go from darkness to light, It blends with the Indian tradition of celebrating the sun. So take this opportunity, rise at dawn and practice the sun salutation facing east with gratitude to the sun, the source of life, and also to yourself for your entire year up to this day.
Day of silence
Organize a day in December just for yourself dedicated to silence. The technique of being silent consists of: not speaking or communicating (neither with mime nor with notes), dedicating the day to contemplation, not doing activities or watching movies or reading books, but enjoying the The magic of doing nothing, In silence. Rest, stroll, contemplate, and meditate.
You can do it alone, or with other practitioners at spirituality centers or yoga retreats. If you do it at home, prepare the food in advance. If you want to encourage a meditative state, ideally it should be light and vegetarian Ideally, you should start eating this way a few days beforehand. Let someone know you'll be quiet so they don't interrupt you and make things easier for you.
A day of silence includes 24 hours without screens. Do you dare?
Gratitude practice and meditation
Gratitude is an attitude toward life that makes us aware of all that we have, all that we are, all that we have experienced, and all that is yet to come. Practicing gratitude helps us in our daily lives, allowing us to see and feel, break free from mental loops, and face each day in a different way.
Using the meditative technique of visualization and the practice of gratitude, I propose this meditation: Thank you for all the encounters of our day.. It can be practiced before going to sleep or first thing in the morning, recalling the encounters of the previous day.
Assume your chosen meditation posture and scan your body and/or observe your breath until you are in a state of calm. Once in this state, bring to mind all the people you have encountered today and thank them for the opportunity to meet. Include those closest to your heart as well as those whose encounters were less pleasant, both acquaintances and strangers. Think about each person, visualize them, send them your gratitude, and wish them well in their life before moving on to the next person you encountered each day. To conclude, thank yourself for having been able to enjoy all these encounters and for being the person you are.
Kriya for difficult digestion
According to yoga, after each meal, especially large ones, you should walk at least 100 steps. Walking and gentle movements will aid digestion.
We've also left you a kriya (or purifying action) of two parts to aid in digestion or more difficult congestion. It is not a matter of finishing eating and starting immediately, but rather doing it a few hours after eating to stimulate peristalsis.
The first part of kriya It serves to open the pylorus and stimulate the descent of food from the stomach to the intestines. Stand with your legs hip-width apart:
- Perform 8 movements of tadasana On tiptoes: as you inhale, raise your arms and lift your heels; as you exhale, lower your heels to the ground and lower your arms.
- Perform 8 lateral extension movements on each side: interlace your hands, inhale and raise your arms to the sky, exhale and lean to the right to stretch your left side; inhale in the center and exhale and lean to the left.
- Perform 8 twisting movements to each side with your arms outstretched: as you inhale, open your arms out in a cross in the center; as you exhale, twist your torso to the right, bending your right elbow to place your hand in front of your heart; as you inhale, return to the center with your arms outstretched, and as you exhale, twist to the left, bending your left elbow.
The second part further stimulates the lower intestine and its exit, which helps in cases of constipation. Lying face down on the floor:
- Perform 8 cobra twisting movements on each side: hands on the floor slightly above the head, as you inhale push with your hands raising your torso to the pubis, neck and head to the right, as you exhale return to the center and lower your body to the floor, as you inhale repeat twisting to the left.
- Do 8 squatting movements bringing the knee towards the belly on each side: squatting or sitting in a chair if there is a lot of knee pain; when inhaling bring the breath to the navel, when exhaling bring the left knee towards the chest with the right hand turning the torso a little towards the knee; inhale return to the center, when exhaling bring the right knee towards the chest with the left hand.
- To end up in the position of apanasa, lying on the floor on their backs, hugging their knees to their chests.
The kriya The complete exercise is originally used during fasting as a way to facilitate cleansing of the stomach and intestines. But we'll talk about that in the spring.
Mandala and ritual to close the year
This ritual requires a few days of preparation and can be written throughout the month of December to have it ready to close out the year.
You'll need to write down everything that's happened to you this year, either on paper or in a notebook. Include all aspects of your life: work, relationships, family, home, travel, etc. You can go month by month, noting the most important things, and even use photos from your phone to help you relive your memories. Summarize your year by answering questions like: What happened? How did I feel? What would I change? What do I want to focus on?
Once you have your year-end summary, find one word that defines your year and a series of complementary words to this within the things that have happened. For example, for me this year has been "Creation" and as complementary words "Happiness, music, joy, sounds, voice, discoveries.".
I invite you to find a positive aspect of your year, but if that's not possible, transform it directly before creating the mandala. For example, if your word of the year is "Sadness," try to transform it into its brightest side: expansion, freedom, letting go, transformation, and even completely change it to attract its new energy: joy, overcoming challenges, a jewel, happiness, contentment.
The ritual is performed on the day you close out the year. This could be December 31st, the solstice, Christmas Eve, or early January. Close out your year. creating a mandala For the previous year, use the word of the year as the center. Create a mandala in your own way, with colors, watercolors, or whatever you like, that includes your central word and all those complementary words around it.
Feel gratitude as you place your entire year within the mandala—all that you have been, all that could have been, and all that transpired through your words and your creations. Once created, look at it, tear it up, and burn it in a small container, allowing yourself to release the past year and begin a new one.
I hope these yoga practices inspire you to end the year with the balance and tranquility you deserve. All that remains is to invite you to... Discover or enjoy yoga with our beloved teachers at Sincronia Yoga.
