Mindfully Meet Holiday Stress With These Meditation Practices
The holidays are upon us, and let's face it, it can feel a little overwhelming. If you are seeking some mindfulness support through the holidays we've gathered four of our go-to-guided meditations that will keep us "present" this holiday season. After all, being present is the best present we can give ourselves and our loved ones this holiday season.
- Body Awareness - Ideal when we are tempted by over indulgence of holiday delicacies or in heightened moments of stress or frustration. When we engage our senses and physical sensations, we naturally come back to the present-moment where we can enjoy what we are experiencing.
- Heart-Centered Awareness- Ideal for those moments when we are feeling emotional and in a cycle of sadness or grief. Anytime we focus on the area around our heart, we naturally enliven the properties inherent to the heart space including compassion, love, peace and harmony. This invites us to express vs. suppress when big emotions show up.
- Breath Awareness - Ideal when holiday togetherness is feeling a bit too much and we need a momentary pause. By focusing on our breath, we naturally access our parasympathetic nervous system which reminds us we are safe and it is ok to feel at peace (even in the midst of chaos):-)
- Mantra - Ideal when our holiday to-do list is getting the best of us. By focusing on the simple repetition of a word or phrase we are creating new neural pathways in our brain that help us stay calm and ultimately more resilient.