Mindful Tips for Dealing with Holiday Stress
You close your eyes and breathe in the smell of stuffing, mashed potatoes, and freshly baked cookies .
For people celebrating during the holiday season it can be a time of mixed emotions. With this in mind, Yoga District has compiled some mindfulness tips for dealing with holiday stress.
We hope that the following suggestions will guide you through peaceful holidays. You can practice them anytime, anywhere.
Breathing Through it: The Benefits of Breathwork
On your mat, you close your eyes taking a deep breath in and out. If you are familiar with yoga, you have probably heard an instructor guide you to focus on your breathing (1). Breathing seems to be an intricate part of practicing yoga but breathwork can also be powerful on its own as well.
Yoga District instructor Emily defines breath-work, its different types, and what to expect in breathwork sessions.
Find Your New Edge – Discover the Benefits of Yin Yoga
Most yoga that you practice is likely yang in nature like a Vinyasa Flow. A dynamic class that is active to a certain degree working your muscles, building strength, stamina and flexibility.
In contrast Yin Yoga (1) is a stable and passive practice where grounded poses are held for about 3 to 5 minutes with gravity deepening the pose. When holding a yin pose it tends to feel almost meditative to me and pushes me to a new edge. I usually leave class feeling rejuvenated and a bit taller like my body has been stretched straight.
Read on as Michelle, a Yoga District teacher, talks about her experience with Yin Yoga and maybe try a Yin class or her Yin workshop for yourself.
Mindfulness in Relationships with Marci
Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of one’s feelings, thoughts, and actions in the present moment.
If you are ever swept up by emotions during communicating with others or struggle to know your role in relationships, then being more mindful can help.
Mindfulness is a strategy for being more present in your conversations resulting in a more positive and healthy outcome. Marci, a Yoga District teacher, intuitive coach, and healer, shares her insights about how to cultivate mindful, loving relationships. Feel free to attend her May 12th workshop to learn more.
Introduction to Holistic Wellness
Sally- Yoga District Teacher
Sally, a Yoga District teacher, has been struggling with severe migraine attacks since age of 15. For years she dealt with pain multiple times during the month. She would take strong pain killers while spending days in the dark and quiet.
She finally found s natural way to reduce the frequency of the attacks as well as duration of them. She is living toxic free, using all natural remedies for the past 17 months. She no longer needs to take any medication or pain killers whatsoever!
Read on to learn from Sally about holistic medicine philosophy and wellness practices.
Restorative Yoga
Salamba Bharadvajasana (Supported Spinal Twist)
Embrace the Calm
Deep breath in. Slow sigh out. Body sinks to floor. Mind becomes decluttered.
I attended my first restorative yoga class during a high stress week. This passive practice has become a beautiful counter to my hectic life. Plus in this hot summer it is an excellent way to cool the body down. While it’s not always easy to relax one’s mind and body, the benefits are abundant.
Read on as Christine, a Yoga District teacher, highlights the principles and practices of Restorative Yoga.
If you’re wondering about Restorative Yoga then don’t be afraid to try it. Feel free to attend one of our Restorative Yoga classes and Christine’s upcoming workshop (listed in post).
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A Mindful You
Sometimes a horrible day is made a bit better with self-care: a little time by yourself to recharge or maybe change your perspective.
A good way to start off your week is to be intuned with your thoughts, feelings and how you move throughout the world.
Read on for a few strategies we find helpful to turn a horrid day around.
New Year, Same You But Better: Reflection and the Detox Workshop
The start of the new year brings a lot of reflection.
Some people are a fan of new year’s resolutions. Others find that instead of focusing on one goal it is more helpful to think of a word that serves as the theme for the new year. Still others take a more relaxed and “go with the flow” approach to it all.
Helpful Tips for Self-Care During the Holidays
While this time of year is focused on giving to others, it is also important to give yourself what your body and mind needs as well.
Amidst December gatherings, holiday prep, and travel, spare some time whether that be 5 minutes or 30 minutes to bring a little routine and self-care back into your life. No matter what this holiday season entails for you, read on for Yoga District’s helpful tips for self-care.
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The Teachers
The diverse family of DC yoga teachers at Yoga District are dedicated to making yoga accessible to everyone through a huge variety of yoga class types, from vinyasa flow to restorative and beyond. Most Yoga District teachers are graduates of Yoga District’s nationally-attended 200 hour teacher training program. All Yoga District classes focus on coordinating breath with body movement to promote flexibility, strength, and peace of mind. We strongly believe in yoga as therapy, so catch one of our classes whenever you need a healthy dose of self-care.
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The Next Step
The Yoga District 200 and 500 hour teacher training certification programs, registered by the Yoga Alliance are unique in their emphasis on diversity of teaching styles studied, personal attention, and trauma sensitive yoga. It's no coincidence that Yoga District is regularly voted the leading studio in the nation's capital, and that most of its classes are taught by graduates of its training program. As a full time yoga school, small group trainings are led up to eight times a year by a dedicated faculty including Jasmine Chehrazi, contributor to the Harvard Karma Yoga Project teacher training, teacher training faculty at George Washington University, Yoga Alliance Standards Committee Advisory Board Member, Yoga Activist Founder, and Yoga Service Council Advisory Board Member. So take your practice and community involvement to the next level by joining a training. There's a reason why our graduates call the training "transformative."
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