Meditation is not a withdrawal from life. Meditation is a process of understanding oneself.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
What is meditation?
Meditation is a practice of focussing the mind.
It is not forcing yourself not to have any thoughts, or to rigidly force the mind to be quiet.
Instead, you are the observer of your thoughts. Be curious about what arises when you give yourself the space, try not to get involved with them by making stories or adding judgement. Acknowledge the thought when it comes and then let it go.
Above all, it is a practice.
That’s why it is called a practice. We have to practice a practice if it is to be of value.
Peace Pilgrim
What are the benefits of meditation?
Meditation can help to lower stress and reduce anxiety by slowing down any racing thoughts and encouraging longer, slower breaths. Over time it can help you grow your self-awareness and self-compassion, and allow you to develop new strategies when reacting to certain situations.
By allowing ourselves time away from exterior influences (such as other people, work, social media or the news), and be alone with our thoughts, we can get to know ourselves better and connect with the present moment.
Studies have shown that practising meditation can have a positive effect on the brain. It can help increase the grey matter density in the hippocampus and other front regions of the brain; this can help improve learning, cognition and memory. Studies have also shown increases in anterior insula and cortical thickness; this benefits cognitive function, attention and self-awareness.
The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.
Thich Nhat Hanh
How to meditate
Meditation can be done seated, lying down, standing, walking, moving, cleaning. Anywhere and anytime you feel you are in a safe space, and you can become the observer of your thoughts.
If seated or lying down, make sure you are comfortable – sit with your back against a wall or on a comfy cushion, so that you can really physically settle without having to fidget. If you’re walking, be sure to be somewhere safe, away from cars, somewhere you can tune into the nature around you.
Take some deep breaths to settle. If your mind feels like it is buzzing with thoughts, try bringing your awareness to your breath. Notice it coming in through your nose on the inhale, how does the air feels on your top lip and in your nostrils? Notice it make its way down to your chest, your lungs, all the way to your belly. Notice the rise of your chest with the inhale and how it falls with the exhale. How does the breath feel as it makes its journey out of the body? Notice the pauses, the space between breaths, how each breath is totally unique.
If watching the breath doesn’t work for you, maybe find an online meditation recording or visualisation guide. Maybe try some music or chanting. You don’t have to sit in silence.
Meditation, like so many things in life, is completely personal to you, and your way of doing it may be very different to others. You can do it for five minutes, ten minutes, or an hour: it’s all good for the mind and body. If at any point you notice your mind has wandered off, just bring it back to being the observer. It doesn’t mean you have failed.
The path that one person follows is not the correct path for any other person.
Each of us must walk his own path to enlightenment.
Feeling a bit blue or in need of a foodie boost this January? This soup will help you feel awesome! The punchy ginger and sweet carrot work so well together and, with the beans blended in, it makes for a filling meal packed with protein.
Recipe:
400g fresh carrots
Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, skinned and roughly chopped
400g tin cannellini beans
600ml vegetable stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a soup maker and set to the smooth mode
Or place all the ingredients in a pan and cook for 20 minutes, or until the carrot is fully cooked, then blend
Grind some fresh black pepper on top before serving
If the soup is a little thick, add water until it reaches the desired consistency. The recipe makes around four portions (or three generous ones).
As always, please be mindful of any allergies and your own preferences in terms of what ingredients you use. Let me know if you make it and what you think!
There’s an image out there on the internet that really encapsulates why journaling is so good: on the left of the image is a bundle of different coloured threads all knotted and tangled up together and, on the right, the threads have been separated out into single colours and labelled. Journaling does just that. It helps us untangle the knotty, messy thoughts that jumble about in our heads, and helps get them out. It might not immediately sort them into lines of thought, but it’s where the magic of untangling can start to happen.
Journaling is the act of writing down how you are feeling at that very moment. It is said to be good for your mental health, help you reduce stress and develop your sense of self-awareness and understanding.
I’ve found that if I am experiencing a particularly strong emotion (if I’m upset or angry, for example, or feeling defeated or ashamed), or if I have a buzzy thought trapped in my head, writing it down does help give me a sense of release. The thought or the emotion starts to work its way out of my head and on to the page; sometimes it goes quickly and sometimes it takes a little longer, but it does always help to write it down.
Some argue that by seeing your problems, worries or concerns on paper, the brain can start to look at them analytically, removing some of the emotion to help form a response:
Instead of simply letting negative thoughts run rampant in your mind, journaling for anxiety allows you to engage with your thoughts and determine whether they are true or false.
It was also found that people who journal develop a “coherent narrative” about themselves which, in turn, encourages them to take better care of themselves, this could include healthier eating or taking up regular exercise. As a result, they also started to see physical benefits such as decreased blood pressure and an improved immune system.
Journaling also promotes happiness and gratitude. Some people keep gratitude journals, writing down things that have happened that day or connections with people who have made them feel grateful. I think this is such a wonderful idea to do before bed, closing your day with a moment of love and gratitude.
How to journal:
Grab a notebook (any notebook, don’t worry about what it looks like), and start writing
If you don’t know where to begin, start with the question: ‘how am I feeling right now?’ and write what comes up for you
You can write in full paragraphs, bullet points, doodles, spider diagrams, anything: there are no rules
Try not to self-edit: write what comes and acknowledge those feelings for what they are without any judgement
Occasionally, take time to look back on what you have written and start to notice if there are any patterns: does a particular thing in your life elicit a certain response every time you do or see it
Find the time of day that works for you – do you want to start your day off with a quick journal session, or is it better to do it last thing at night? Would it benefit you to come back to it multiple times during the day? Find what fits in with your life with no pressure and minimal effort
Keep doing it to see the benefits
Will you be starting journaling this year? Let me know in the comments!
I started out with online classes: my mat fitting snugly between the sofa and the fireplace in my front room, being careful not to hit any furniture with my limbs as I moved through the sequence. I subscribed to an online site called Ekhart Yoga which opened my eyes to the power of yoga and the sheer vastness of it. I started to learn the names of poses (cat, cow, downward dog) and I really enjoyed learning to sync my movement with breath. It opened my eyes (and lungs) and got me curious about yoga and everything to do with it.
However, it wasn’t until I went to a studio class led by an experienced teacher that I realised what I had been missing by only practising at home.
Here are three of my top reasons why you should give going to a studio a try:
Adjustments – helping you to improve and avoid injury
If you really want to improve your asana technique, have a teacher look at what you are doing. A good teacher can see where you might be going out of alignment and run the risk of a future injury. When I first started online classes, I was putting a lot of pressure through my shoulders in my downward-facing dog, which sometimes left me feeling a bit sore the next day. When I started going to in-person classes, just a couple of physical adjustments from the teacher showed me that I wasn’t putting weight through the whole of my hands or rotating my shoulders quite right – I rarely feel any soreness now! Even in zoom classes it can be difficult for the teacher to see what is truly going on with a student – and we’ve all been there when we can’t quite get the camera angle right!
I like a physical adjustment (believe me when I say that sometimes there is no greater feeling in your calf muscles than when a teacher presses on your hips in downward dog), but I know that being touched by a stranger isn’t for everyone. You can absolutely say to the teacher that you would only like verbal cues in class and they will not be offended.
For those familiar with the Ashtanga primary sequence, a Mysore class is a fabulous opportunity to experience a class that goes at your own pace, similar to a workshop in style, but also feels like a one-to-one session. In Mysore, you move through the Primary sequence at your own pace as the teacher observes; they then come over to adjust or help you breakdown a pose to make it more accessible. From going to Mysore classes, I have realised that my pelvis doesn’t always want to stay level in prasarita padottanasana, which I now know to look out for.
Studios also tend to be well-equipped with props such as blocks, bolsters and straps, all of which can make your practice safer, but can be a little on the pricey-side to buy your own.
Finding your community and teachers
It might sound cheesy to say, but we really do live so much of our lives online these days; sometimes it’s refreshing to take a step away from the screen and be somewhere IRL. Depending on the setting, the teacher, and the other students, each class has it’s own energy.
There are some classes I go to where I know there will be lots of friendly chatting before and after, and people will up for coffee dates or walks, or other social activities outside of the class. But I also know there are classes which are a bit more meditative, and students tend to arrive quietly to their mats to settle in with their breath. So, there really is a class and a teacher for everyone, it is all about trying them out and seeing what fits for you.
Teachers work hard to create a sense of community, whatever the vibe of the class. They will (try) to remember you, to notice injuries, learn what works for you and what doesn’t. They are also fountains of knowledge, and will be encouraging you on from the side-lines as progress in your yoga journey.
And, somehow, they always seem to know just what you need that day…
Confidence outside the studio
When I first started in-person classes I was constantly looking around, trying to see if another student watching me but, whenever I checked, no one was ever looking my way.
I repeat: no one is looking at you in the studio.
Honestly.
No one cares what you look like with your bum stuck up in the air in downward facing dog, everyone is in the same boat. No one is looking at what you’re wearing, or counting how often you need to rest. Yoga, even in a full studio, is an intensely personal thing. It isn’t a competition. Plus, when you’re concentrating on not falling out of crow pose, you really can’t be staring round at anyone else.
I am a big believer that yoga is as much about what you take off the mat as what you do on it. By going to classes, and by realising that no one is judging me, I found a freedom that I have been able to take into other areas of my life. Whereas at one time I might have felt self-conscious even just walking from one end of the office to the other in case someone saw me and thought I was walking weird, I know now that everyone is in their own little bubble with their own lives to deal with. It’s been very liberating and given me a new found confidence.
As a wise person once said, you are only ever one yoga class away from a good mood. If being on your mat in your front room is your happy-place for yoga then keep practising there. But I invite you to start looking into your local yoga studios and gyms and seeing what is out there.
Have you ever heard of Jolabokaflod? It’s the Icelandic tradition of giving your loved ones new books on Christmas Eve and then spending the evening reading them together. It translates as “Christmas Book Flood” and sounds like such a cosy tradition.
I love giving books to people for Christmas and below are some of my yoga favourites for anyone looking for ideas; then you can enjoy your own Jolabokaflod!
Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, by Darren Main
For anyone who is curious about yoga philosophy and looking for a place to start, this book is perfect. It explains yoga terms in a simple and easy to understand way, there’s even a glossary at the back of the book so you can quickly look up the differences between prana, pranayama and pratyahara should you wish.
Darren also describes his life and how he came to practise yoga, become a teacher, and some of the things he has learnt along the way.
In order to use our relationships in a new way, we need to shift control over to the Sadguru or inner teacher so that our relationships are based on love, shared abundance and the desire to express our innate wholeness. In doing this we are able to turn every encounter with another being into a yoga pose of sorts, and relating to each other becomes as much a part of our spiritual practice as sitting to meditate.
Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, by Darren Main
Radha: Diary of a Woman’s Search, Swami Sivananda Radha
I bought this book before my trip to Varanasi in September to get myself in the mood for India. It is the diary that Sylvia Hellman kept as she travelled from Canada to India to learn about yoga, and then back again when she was told to return and take what she had learnt to the West. In the diary, she describes her life in the ashram, her spiritual journey to becoming Swami Sivananda Radha, as well as her travels through India. For anyone who loves travel and yoga this book was fascinating to read, she had such an incredible life and wrote with honesty and transparency about her encounters.
Scientists tell us that our globe is but a speck among millions of other specks in the universe, so we should be under no illusion as to our importance. But even our limited faculties are given to us for some purpose. We as individuals must have some value. Every single cell of my body exists without being consciously experienced at every moment and yet it belongs to the whole. Without the body it has no existence of its own. And this body is only a cell of something bigger – we are a part of something important.
Radha: Diary of a Woman’s Search, Swami Sivananda Radha
The Yoga Manifesto: How Yoga Helped Me and Why It Needs to Save Itself, by Nadia Gilani
In this book, Nadia talks about how, at the lowest points of her life, she rolled out her yoga mat and practised. Since becoming a teacher, she has witnessed the growth of the yoga industry and asks if it has stepped too far away from the original spiritual practice. I found it very interesting and engaging to read with lots of things to pause and think about. The book explores all kinds of scientific and philosophical points but in an easy to approach style.
Also, it makes you excited to get up early and get on the mat.
I felt it best to keep them moving as much as possible, so I taught an hour of Ashtanga Yoga – a dynamic form of doing postures that I have practised for many years. What makes this approach distinct is synching the breath with the movement. With practice the breath starts to initiate the movement and that’s when the magic begins to happen. Neuro-scientific research also shows that people who have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can benefit from physical practices to help process trauma and improve the resilience of their nervous system.
The Yoga Manifesto: How Yoga Helped Me and Why It Needs to Save Itself, by Nadia Gilani
The Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Handbook for Living Yoga Philosophy, by Stuart Ray Sarbacker and Kevin Kimple
I bought this book to help develop my own knowledge of yoga philosophy after I heard a teacher referring to the Eight Limbs in a class. This short-and-sweet book is an excellent introduction to the Eight Limbs, breaking them down into understandable explanations and chapters, and how yoga philosophy can be brought into everyday life.
The practice of yoga is for imperfect people, especially those who are earnestly dedicated to transforming themselves and their moral and spiritual legacy in this world. As human beings we share a common experience of moral failings and regrets in our lives. Rather than conceiving of this as somehow a reason not to practice yoga, we can view these failings as a great motivating force for doing so… We can work to uproot the sources of our anger, greed, and so on, and in their place plant the seeds of future happiness for ourselves and those around us. From a Buddhist perspective, we should take up practice with zeal…
The Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Handbook for Living Yoga Philosophy, by Stuart Ray Sarbacker and Kevin Kimple
Light on Life: the Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace and Ultimate Freedom, B. K. S. Iyengar
This book is so full of wisdom and knowledge about yoga and how it can bring a sense of wholeness to your life. It shows us how we can take yoga off the mat and out into the world, to make us better people for others, but also improve our lives for ourselves.
By learning to appreciate breath, we learn to appreciate life itself. The gift of breath is the gift of life. When we receive a gift, we feel gratitude. Through pranayama we learn gratitude for life and gratitude toward the unknown divine source of life.
Light on Life: the Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace and Ultimate Freedom, B. K. S. Iyengar
Hatha Yoga: the Hidden Language, Swami Sivananda Radha
This book explores the symbolism of the asanas (physical postures), through which we can discover layers of meaning and connections within ourselves. The asanas are split into groups: animals, birds, plants and structures (such as the mountain, the triangle, the eagle, the scorpion), and the reader is invited to hold an asana for a longer period of time and be curious about what it may bring up.
The book prompts you with questions you might like to ask yourself as you hold the asana, encouraging you to make reflections and take your time within each posture. If you want to start practising on your own, this book is a wonderful guide and encourages curiosity and self-exploration. I have found it to be very inspirational.
The name of the asana is the place to begin to look for its symbolic meaning. For example: Mountain. The words we often associate with a mountain are strong, massive, immovable, insurmountable, high. What have mountains meant to peoples of different cultures? You can ask yourself: “What does mountain mean to me? My inner strength, my immovability or stubbornness, my strivings, my insurmountable obstacles, my lofty ideals?” as you stand in this posture and view it as a symbol, think of your struggles to reach the top, the stretching of your body and the effort of the muscles helping you to see different aspects of yourself and gain new insights.
Hatha Yoga: the Hidden Language, Swami Sivananda Radha
Yoga School Dropout, by Lucy Edge
After a decade in advertising and enjoying a wine or two, Lucy quits everything and goes to India to travel round the different yoga schools and find her way to happiness. Not quite a beginner, and not an advanced student, she tries to find a daily routine in the different schools and ashrams that she stays at, but nothing really feels as right as she expected. This book made me laugh out loud and roll my eyes as she describes her journeys round India and the people she meets in the schools along the way. Also, great for anyone who loves reading about travel.
Train number 6525, the 21.00 Kanyakumari Express from Bangalore to Trivandrum, sat at the platform for a good hour after it was due to depart. The note on the timetable was proven right – passengers were warned that the published time of departure was the earliest the train would leave.
Leaving Mysore I had felt like a prisoner newly released from jail – seeing the world as if for the first time. Now, as I stood in the train doorway, sounds seemed amplified – the hiss of departing trains, the shouts of the chai vendors, the excited screams of children. I took in the broad spectrum of Eastern colours and textures with wide-eyed wonder. How come I hadn’t noticed these things before? Living in Mysore had felt very insular, the students were almost entirely Western and there had been little exploration of the world beyond the yoga schools. The small details of Indian daily life that I now saw before me held me transfixed. The platform was crowded with the friends and families of the departing. Young women in parrot-green and flamingo pink saris tried to control uncontrollable children, older ladies looking stern – adjusting their spectacles and tut-tutting at the lack of discipline, important men with important business looked on impatiently.
Yoga School Dropout, by Lucy Edge
Teaching Yoga: Adjusting Asana, by Melanie Cooper
This book was a god-send during my teacher training, and I still regularly refer to it now when creating my sequences. Adjusting can be a tricky thing and requires confidence – this book takes you step-by-step through the Ashtanga primary sequence in an informative and easily digestible way.
Teaching is an ongoing process. In the beginning you teach what you know. As time goes on, your understanding deepens, your knowledge expands and your teaching develops. Your practice is a major resource for your teaching. As you go along, your practice helps your teaching and in turn your teaching will help your practice.
Teaching Yoga: Adjusting Asana, by Melanie Cooper
The Confidence Solution: Seven Steps to Confidence, by Chloe Brotheridge
Not a yoga book, but I think this is a must read for any teacher (or any student) looking for that extra little boost of confidence. I read this as part of my YTT and can honestly say it helped me so much with understanding confidence and how to build it.
Hint: try it, at the very least you won’t expire on the spot.
Being human is messy. We are by our nature imperfect beings. Trying to be perfect actually goes against our nature! It’s unnatural! What needs to come first is acceptance. Weirdly, that’s when things start to feel perfect, when you accept that you, as you are, are pretty awesome. Accepting your imperfections doesn’t mean stagnating. It’s going to make your life so much richer to think of yourself as ever evolving, ever learning and growing, and always making progress, no matter what.
The Confidence Solution: Seven Steps to Confidence, by Chloe Brotheridge
Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert
Again, not technically a yoga book, this is about creativity. I think it is a common trait amongst yoga students and teachers to appreciate creativity. I love this book, I love Elizabeth Gilbert. Quick side note, if you haven’t read Eat, Pray, Love, (I know, who hasn’t), I recommend it, for the descriptions of pizza alone, but also her experiences of going to an ashram in India and her discussion of the world around her.
Both are wonderfully written books by a truly inspiring author.
Are you considering becoming a creative person? Too late, you already are one. To even call somebody “ a creative person” is almost laughably redundant; creativity is the hallmark of our species. We have the sense for it; we have the curiosity for it; we have the opposable thumbs for it; we have the rhythm for it; we have the language and the excitement and the innate connection to divinity for it.
Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert
What yoga books do you recommend? Let me know in the comments!
Happy National Cookie Day! This may be an American thing, but I am jumping on the bandwagon and sharing my favourite cookie (well, biscuit) recipe.
These soft and chewy little delights (or huge delights, depending on how much they spread in the oven), are a wonderful teatime treat. Easy to make, they are addictively good.
I’ve called them festive, but these lovelies are enjoyable all year round.
Ingredients:
120g unsalted butter
1 & ½ tablespoon black treacle
170g soft light brown sugar
1 egg
200g plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Generous teaspoon of ginger
Generous teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon of nutmeg (for extra festivity)
Method:
Beat together the butter, treacle, brown sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl
Add in the egg and mix (add a teaspoon of the flour if mixture goes a bit funny)
Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices
Chill the mixture in the fridge for an hour
After it has been chilled, heat the oven to 180°C
Using a teaspoon, scoop out the mixture into around 20 blobs. (two baking sheets worth). Roll the mixture blobs into balls and place on a greaseproof-papered baking tray, then gently press down with your thumb to make an indentation (not pushing all the way through to the tray). Try to leave as much as space as possible between them as they do spread far and wide in the oven.
Bake for 10-12 minutes and not a moment more
Place on a wire rack to cool
Best enjoyed fresh but will keep for a few days in a tuppaware or biscuit tin (I’m guessing, they’ve never lasted that long in my house).
I’m very sorry to say I don’t remember where this recipe originally came from (knowing me, I probably saw it on Twitter or Instagram), but we started making them in the first lockdown and have been enjoying them ever since.
Please, as always, be mindful of any allergies or your own preferences in terms of what ingredients you use. But, let me know if you make them and what you think!
We’ve all been there… it’s been a good class with plenty of poses that have challenged, stretched and engaged us, and then teacher instructs to get comfy for savasana. To let our bodies sink into the mat, to relax. And then all the thoughts start rolling in…
“What am I having for tea…”
“I mustn’t forget to email that person…”
“Did anyone else hear the noise my tummy just made?!”
Savasana (or corpse pose) can be the hardest pose because there’s nothing to do but be there in it.
As a society, we are normally so busy, going from one thing to the next, and savasana is just the opposite. It is an opportunity to be still, without distraction. This can be so hard! Our brains can be our own worst enemy when it comes to relaxation, trying to get us lost in thoughts and stories, instead of letting us be.
So are you really supposed to lie there? Yes, enjoy the stillness! If thoughts do bubble up to the surface, acknowledge them, but then release them. Don’t start attaching judgement or reasoning, simply let them go. A yoga teacher once told me that it’s like being in a traffic jam, where the cars are thoughts, but then you lift up and out of them in a hot air balloon. You can still see the cars but you’re not stuck amongst them anymore.
Try to enjoy those last few precious minutes of class where no one needs anything from you and you don’t have to do anything. Give yourself permission to relax – even if it is the middle of the day and you didn’t get a chance to press send on that message before you started your practice. It will still be waiting for you after the class. Give yourself permission to take that time to rest here and now.
Savasana comes with practise, and you need to be somewhere that you feel safe to relax. If you’re in a class and feeling anxious then maybe have a word with the teacher to see what can be done to help you feel safer in that environment.
If you really struggle to switch off and relax, maybe try finding an affirmation that you can repeat to yourself that resonates with you. Something like:
I am safe, I am warm, I am loved.
I am safe, I am calm, I am relaxed.
You will find the right words for you.
But, over time, you can feel yourself relax and even enjoy savasana. Enjoy not attaching on to the thoughts that bubble up, enjoy witnessing what arises and then letting them go.
Try it this evening. Find a place where you feel safe and cosy and lie down for ten minutes. Corpse pose is how it sounds: lie on your back and let your body completely relax – let your legs and feet lie how they wish, let the arms and body sink into the mat. Embrace the stillness. If this doesn’t feel good for your lower back you could try bending the knees and taking the feet as wide as the mat, allowing the knees to knock in towards each other and hold each other up (also known as active rest pose). Without distraction or self-judgement, take some time for you to relax.
I saw this recipe on Twitter many, many years ago and so unfortunately I don’t know who to credit for bringing this dish into my life. All I can say is, whoever you are, thank you! This is one of my all-time favourite recipes, when it’s dark and cold, when I don’t know what I’m doing with my life, when I need a bowl of cheerfulness and flavour – this is my Go To dish.
It’s also an incredibly easy one-pan wonder. The recipe below serves two.
Ingredients:
1 400g tin chickpeas
1 400ml tin coconut milk (the full fat milk is better, but it can be made with reduced fat)
2 chopped up garlic cloves
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon turmeric
Dried chillies – according to taste
200ml vegetable stock
Green veg and pitta breads (suggestions to serve with)
Method:
In a casserole dish, fry the chopped garlic in hot oil for a few minutes
Add the turmeric and chillies and fry for a few more minutes
Add the chickpeas and fresh ginger, and fry for five minutes. Then, using the back of a wooden spoon, gently press the chickpeas so they start to breakdown a little (this will help the stew to thicken later). Fry for another five minutes.
Then add the stock and the coconut milk, and stir
Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 40 minutes
If it still looks a little thin, put the dish back in the oven without a lid for a further 15 minutes (or until it thickens up)
Serve with a portion of cooked green veg like broccoli, kale or spinach. I also like to have a warm pitta bread on the side to mop up all the bright yellow goodness.
Please, as always, be mindful of any allergies or your own preferences in terms of what ingredients you use. But, let me know if you make it and what you think!
The shops are playing Christmas songs, adverts for party food are on TV every night, and diaries are filling up with exciting festive engagements: the run up to Christmas is a magical time with lots of merriment, but it can also be mentally draining, physically exhausting and, at times, just outright anxiety inducing.
Here are a couple of things to try over include in, or get you started with, your morning routine to help with The Christmas Countdown.
Bonus points if you can do them before checking your phone!
Get up and move your body – stretch it out
When the mornings are colder and darker, it can be hard to get out of bed (believe me, I know). However, I’m a firm believer that some stretchy movement first thing in the morning is really helpful for the rest of the day. (Also, movement naturally gets you warm so even if you get cold getting up, you won’t be for long!).
It doesn’t have to be a full-on workout, or leaving the house in the cold darkness, it could just be some simple stretches or mobility exercises. For example, moving through child’s pose, some cat/cows, downdogs or seated twists, can be great for both mind and body.
Movement helps the body release cortisol, serotonin, and endorphins, this helps to lower stress levels and encourage you to feel good and more energetic for the rest of the day. Brill! There is also research to show that by achieving something as small as getting out of bed and completing a short movement routine, works wonders for helping us feel like we’ve already achieved something before the day has properly started. Winner.
Finally, moving, stretching, strengthening, releasing can only be good (provided we are safe and avoid injury). Your body will thank you later.
Pranayama – breathwork to bring yourself to the present moment
By focussing on the breath, we can bring ourselves to the present moment – an excellent place to start the day. By allowing ourselves time to not worrying about to-do lists, shopping lists, what we ate last night… we can just be here, now. Repeat to yourself: I am here, now, in this body.
Also, increasing the amount of oxygen in your lungs and blood is a great way to refresh after a night’s sleep.
Try a few rounds of Box Breathing. Breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, pause for four. Then repeat the cycle for a few rounds.
Journaling – How am I feeling this morning?
Start the day by asking yourself that question: how am I feeling?
Write down what comes up without judgement or getting lost in stories (or making it into a to-do list). Instead, notice how you are feeling mentally and physically. Are you tired or energetic, for example? Are you feeling purposeful or tense? Are you achy, sad, excited, or is your mind full of chatter you can’t switch off. Getting it on the page does help to free the mind.
Read back over what you have written and notice any patterns or triggers. Notice if you write things like ‘I must do’ or ‘I need to’ and see if you can change the language to something less black and white, ‘I would like to…’ or ‘it would be good if I could…’ We put so much pressure on ourselves over Christmas to get things done! You can’t fill from an empty cup and so taking time in the mornings to really notice how we are feeling, and our energy levels, can be useful.
Meal planning – Life is too short to say no to roast potatoes
This might seem a little controversial, but I write about food because I can really make myself feel awful over what I eat and drink in the run up to Christmas. During this time of year, I’m lucky that I get to go out and see friends and eat in lovely restaurants with family quite a lot. I don’t want to seem miserable and turn down the invites, (or tearfully look through a menu… I’ve been there!) so instead, I think about the meals I can control that day and what I can make for myself that is fresh and healthy.
Then I don’t get lost in self-blame for enjoying a roast potato or two. Or seven.
This time of year is meant to be fun, so accept there will be times of over-indulgence without feeling guilty.
Find a yoga class and get booked on
Finally, there’s something really special about taking part in a yoga class in winter. It can be online from the comfort of your own home, or finding a local class. There’s something very cosy about sharing a class with others – feeling their energy surround you and lift you up, and the teacher (hopefully) saying something soothing. Release and relax, stretch and re-set; yoga is all about helping the body and mind feel good. Go and get that yoga buzz!
Because winter is coming… and who doesn’t love a bowl of homemade soup.
I love this recipe because I think roasting the tomatoes first, and adding the balsamic vinegar, really brings out the flavour. It makes it a bit more time consuming but it’s worth it!
This recipe makes three generous portions.
Ingredients:
6 vine tomatoes (the riper the better)
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Chilli flakes (optional)
500ml Chicken/vegetable stock
Pinch of sugar
Handful of fresh basil leaves (I sometimes used dried when I can’t get hold of fresh and, it’s not quite as good, but it works)
Method
Start by chopping the tomatoes in half and placing them cut-side down on a roasting tin
Add the red onion (roughly chopped) and the two cloves of garlic
Drizzle with olive oil (being as generous as you like), the balsamic vinegar, and season. I like to add a pinch of chilli flakes at this point for an extra bit of heat, but that is entirely optional
Place the tin in the oven (200°C) for 25-30 minutes, or until the tomato skin is starting to char slightly
Either place the tomatoes and all the remaining ingredients in a soup maker and switch on ‘smooth’ setting, or place them all in a large pan and simmer for around 30 minutes and then blend.
Add more water to thin out the soup if it is looking too thick. I like to serve with an olive bread roll (with lashings of butter).
Please, as always, be mindful of any allergies or your own preferences in terms of what ingredients you use. But, let me know if you make it and what you think!
Yoga & Scribble 