Meditation for Stress: Holiday Edition

We get it. We all feel it this time of the year. November and December are a whirlwind of rushing, spending too much money, eating too much, sleeping too little, and being around a lot of people trying to catch up on your life. How is work? Who are you dating? What is your future plan? When are you moving back home? My palms are sweating just thinking about it!

This breath practice saves me all the time when I feel stressed out. You can think of it as a reset button for your mind and body. It is so important to take time for yourself each day for a little self-care, even if it’s just 5 minutes. This will help slow things down, and give you the extra edge that you need to make it through the rest of the day. I have done this breath practice sitting on the couch, or on my meditation pillow on the floor. I also have done it lying down in bed as I am about to go to sleep.

Now you might be thinking “ok yoga teacher, I don’t have time to sit and do nothing for hours each day, let alone 5 minutes!” or maybe you’re thinking “I’m stressed about all of the things, and also about the things I don’t even know I need to be stressed about yet, ahhhh! This will have to wait.” But don’t put it off! When we feel like this, this is exactly when we need a moment to rest and reset.

4-7-8 breathing for stress reduction:

·      Find a comfortable and quiet (if possible) place to sit, or lie down in your bed.

·      Place left palm to heart, right palm to belly, and close your eyes.

·      Exhale all of your air out through the mouth. Take a few breaths like this, squeezing all of the air out. Inhale through the nose and feel the belly expand, low ribs flare, and upper chest lift with each breath. Repeat slowly for 5-10 breaths.

·      Begin inhaling through the nose for a count of 4, hold the breath for a count of 7, and then exhale through the mouth for a count of 8. This does not have to be 4, 7, and 8 seconds, but rather a ratio of 4:7:8.

·      You can speed up or slow down as you need to, but always keep the ratio the same. Try to practice this for at least 5 minutes, but any amount of time is helpful.

·      Slowly open your eyes when you are done, and notice if you feel any different from when you started. Take your time getting up, or lie down to go to sleep.