Creating a Well-Being Routine for the Holidays
The holiday season can bring with it combinations like giving and receiving, stress and relaxation, peaceful seclusion and social interactions. Despite the polarities, the one thing that you can always count on is your breath. When you have a practice that supports your commitment to your breath, it can make handling the ups and downs a whole lot easier. As your schedule starts to fill up with parties, family get-togethers and shopping dates, it’s wise to recommit to your mind and body with an updated wellness routine.
People can spread themselves pretty thin towards the end of the year; as such, many feel stressed and ungrounded during what’s supposed to be a peaceful season. This time around, consider carving out some time in the morning to settle into yourself before giving to others. You can’t pour from an empty cup, even if that cup has a holiday bow on it. Throughout the season, maybe wake up a few minutes earlier or cut out some time from your morning Instagram scroll and sit on a yoga mat. Find a guided meditation on Insight Timer or Spotify (we like Yogi Bryan’s) and wake up slowly.
Instead of moving straight into stress mode when you wake up, you can find your center with deep breathing and other relaxation techniques. Even if you don’t feel all that different after a few days of meditation and deep breathing, keep going. You’ll likely realize the difference it’s making when you don’t feel quite as triggered when things don’t go as planned. Plus, even just a few moments in the morning can drop you into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) instead of fight or flight. Rather than going through your day in this stressed out state, you’ll breathe deeper, feel less reactive and be able to enjoy all the fun that the holidays have to offer.
Of course, sweating it out will make a difference in your headspace as well. The infrared heat at the studios helps lower inflammation caused by stress while supporting your immune response. A healthy way to go with the flow, a hot yoga class can be just what you need to shake off the tension.
But, not everything has to be wellness related. This year, give yourself permission to decline invitations to events that make you feel less than or uncomfortable. If you feel overwhelmed at a gathering that you agreed to go to, leave early. When your schedule gets too packed, start being selective with where you place your energy. The point of the season is to slow down and enjoy the blessings you have in your life. You can’t do that when you’re constantly moving from place to place without taking time for yourself.
Breathe new life into the holidays this year with an updated routine that empowers you and, in turn, empowers everyone around you to feel good too. Yoga is a practice that takes place off of your mat as well; use it to honor yourself wherever you’re at this year.
Empower Blog Written by Paige Pichler
Deep Breathing and Health
When your yoga instructor guides you to inhale and exhale with certain poses, they aren’t just using filler words—these cues actually make a massive difference in the depth of your yoga practice. When you come to your mat each class, you’ve likely been moving from task to task throughout the day. By dropping into a child’s pose and bringing your awareness to the rise and fall of your chest, you immediately signal to your body that it’s time to relax. Without this moment, many people struggle to fully shift out of the sympathetic nervous system—also known as fight or flight.
At Empower, teachers often encourage ujjayi breathing—a breath that sounds like waves moving at sea with inhales and exhales flowing out of your nose. Not only does this rhythm generate heat within your body, but it also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system—also known as rest-and-digest mode.
In this state, your system relaxes, digestion increases, the stress hormone drops and your heart rate slows. In other words, it’s a really good place to be. Unfortunately, few people regularly reach the relaxed flow state that the parasympathetic nervous system is associated with. Luckily, deep, conscious breathing is one of the fastest ways to down-regulate into this state.
Breathing through your nose helps bring the oxygen deeper into your lungs. It’s this area that houses parasympathetic nerve receptors, meaning that refocusing your attention on your deep breaths through the nose automatically stimulates this relaxed response. On the other hand, shallow chest breaths only reach the upper chambers of the lungs, which are connected to the sympathetic nervous system. Throughout the day, especially for people working stressful jobs or who are dealing with other intense demands, many of us revert to chest breathing. Consistent chest breathing keeps people feeling out of sorts, frazzled and exhausted.
When you step onto a yoga mat to breathe deeply for an hour, that changes.
Life can get incredibly stressful, and it’s at those times that our breath is most likely to be compromised. Shallow breath limits the expansion of the diaphragm, leaving the lower half of your lungs without an adequate supply of oxygen—which often contributes to the problem by increasing anxiety. By consciously elongating your inhales and exhales, the increase in oxygen turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering your blood pressure, slowing your heart rate and making you feel better!
Practicing yoga is one of the best ways to increase your lung capacity. Reminding you to breathe even during the harder parts of class, yoga often helps people create a new relationship with their breathing patterns. Rather than taking their breath for granted, many yoga practitioners notice a greater awareness of this incredible tool that they carry with them at every moment of every day. Thankfully, you have access to this healing power too.
Written by Paige Pichler
The holiday season can bring with it combinations like giving and receiving, stress and relaxation, peaceful seclusion and social interactions. Despite the polarities, the one thing that you can always count on is your breath. When you have a practice that supports your commitment to your breath, it can make handling the ups and downs a whole lot easier. As your schedule starts to fill up with parties, family get-togethers and shopping dates, it’s wise to recommit to your mind and body with an updated wellness routine.
People can spread themselves pretty thin towards the end of the year; as such, many feel stressed and ungrounded during what’s supposed to be a peaceful season. This time around, consider carving out some time in the morning to settle into yourself before giving to others. You can’t pour from an empty cup, even if that cup has a holiday bow on it. Throughout the season, maybe wake up a few minutes earlier or cut out some time from your morning Instagram scroll and sit on a yoga mat. Find a guided meditation on Insight Timer or Spotify (we like Yogi Bryan’s) and wake up slowly.
Instead of moving straight into stress mode when you wake up, you can find your center with deep breathing and other relaxation techniques. Even if you don’t feel all that different after a few days of meditation and deep breathing, keep going. You’ll likely realize the difference it’s making when you don’t feel quite as triggered when things don’t go as planned. Plus, even just a few moments in the morning can drop you into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) instead of fight or flight. Rather than going through your day in this stressed out state, you’ll breathe deeper, feel less reactive and be able to enjoy all the fun that the holidays have to offer.
Of course, sweating it out will make a difference in your headspace as well. The infrared heat at the studios helps lower inflammation caused by stress while supporting your immune response. A healthy way to go with the flow, a hot yoga class can be just what you need to shake off the tension.
But, not everything has to be wellness related. This year, give yourself permission to decline invitations to events that make you feel less than or uncomfortable. If you feel overwhelmed at a gathering that you agreed to go to, leave early. When your schedule gets too packed, start being selective with where you place your energy. The point of the season is to slow down and enjoy the blessings you have in your life. You can’t do that when you’re constantly moving from place to place without taking time for yourself.
Breathe new life into the holidays this year with an updated routine that empowers you and, in turn, empowers everyone around you to feel good too. Yoga is a practice that takes place off of your mat as well; use it to honor yourself wherever you’re at this year.
Empower Blog Written by Paige Pichler
Deep Breathing and Health
When your yoga instructor guides you to inhale and exhale with certain poses, they aren’t just using filler words—these cues actually make a massive difference in the depth of your yoga practice. When you come to your mat each class, you’ve likely been moving from task to task throughout the day. By dropping into a child’s pose and bringing your awareness to the rise and fall of your chest, you immediately signal to your body that it’s time to relax. Without this moment, many people struggle to fully shift out of the sympathetic nervous system—also known as fight or flight.
At Empower, teachers often encourage ujjayi breathing—a breath that sounds like waves moving at sea with inhales and exhales flowing out of your nose. Not only does this rhythm generate heat within your body, but it also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system—also known as rest-and-digest mode.
In this state, your system relaxes, digestion increases, the stress hormone drops and your heart rate slows. In other words, it’s a really good place to be. Unfortunately, few people regularly reach the relaxed flow state that the parasympathetic nervous system is associated with. Luckily, deep, conscious breathing is one of the fastest ways to down-regulate into this state.
Breathing through your nose helps bring the oxygen deeper into your lungs. It’s this area that houses parasympathetic nerve receptors, meaning that refocusing your attention on your deep breaths through the nose automatically stimulates this relaxed response. On the other hand, shallow chest breaths only reach the upper chambers of the lungs, which are connected to the sympathetic nervous system. Throughout the day, especially for people working stressful jobs or who are dealing with other intense demands, many of us revert to chest breathing. Consistent chest breathing keeps people feeling out of sorts, frazzled and exhausted.
When you step onto a yoga mat to breathe deeply for an hour, that changes.
Life can get incredibly stressful, and it’s at those times that our breath is most likely to be compromised. Shallow breath limits the expansion of the diaphragm, leaving the lower half of your lungs without an adequate supply of oxygen—which often contributes to the problem by increasing anxiety. By consciously elongating your inhales and exhales, the increase in oxygen turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering your blood pressure, slowing your heart rate and making you feel better!
Practicing yoga is one of the best ways to increase your lung capacity. Reminding you to breathe even during the harder parts of class, yoga often helps people create a new relationship with their breathing patterns. Rather than taking their breath for granted, many yoga practitioners notice a greater awareness of this incredible tool that they carry with them at every moment of every day. Thankfully, you have access to this healing power too.
Written by Paige Pichler
Tips for Getting Back Into Your Yoga Practice After Time Off
Just as life ebbs and flows, so too does your yoga practice. Whether you practiced regularly for 20 years or once a week for a few months, we all have times in our lives when our movement routines change or fall by the wayside. Especially as we move through the pandemic, your yoga practice may have shifted or decreased in frequency. Just as the yogic principles teach us, it’s helpful to accept whatever happened in the past and focus on how you want to feel in the present.
To help ease yourself back into the flow, start by reconnecting with why you fell in love with yoga in the first place. Was it the peace you experienced after Shavasana? Did you enjoy feeling strong but still relaxed as you moved through the warrior sequences? Spend some time thinking back to those feelings and the excitement you anticipated as you walked through the studio doors. Then, remember that you deserve to feel that good again.
Of course, expectations can make or break your return to the mat. After a year off, you may not be able to hop into a Warrior III as easily as you once did. Know that the feeling of ease will likely come again, but reframe your goals for the time being. For your first few classes, make having fun and feeling good your primary goal rather than attempting to nail every pose. That way, you’ll be able to move through class without unnecessary pressure, which can make even the most gentle flows feel uncomfortable.
Furthermore, your intention can be a huge factor in your return to the studio as well. With a strong commitment to your intention for feeling good and moving your body as it's able, you’ll stay connected to your reason for showing up to class—letting that be your guide rather than outside noise. Even as you move through the practice getting back into the flow—or taking more time to do so than usual—your intention will keep you grounded, remembering that yoga’s purpose revolves around much more than perfection.
Lastly, give yourself the gift of time. By welcoming yourself back to the mat instead of beating yourself up for taking time off, your experience will be much more enjoyable and rooted in self-care. Easing back into the swing of things may take a few weeks or months, and that’s okay! Start by taking a class or two each week and gradually increasing the frequency if that’s your goal. Consider going slow at the beginning, avoiding pushing your body beyond its limits to fit into poses you may have done before you took time off. When you give yourself space in this way, you’ll be practicing yoga well beyond your mat.
Life is full of ups and downs. As such, your yoga practice will change over time. By giving yourself space, time and a lot of grace, both your mind and body can reap the healing benefits of yoga once again—no matter what it looks like on the outside.
Written by Paige Pichler
Just as life ebbs and flows, so too does your yoga practice. Whether you practiced regularly for 20 years or once a week for a few months, we all have times in our lives when our movement routines change or fall by the wayside. Especially as we move through the pandemic, your yoga practice may have shifted or decreased in frequency. Just as the yogic principles teach us, it’s helpful to accept whatever happened in the past and focus on how you want to feel in the present.
To help ease yourself back into the flow, start by reconnecting with why you fell in love with yoga in the first place. Was it the peace you experienced after Shavasana? Did you enjoy feeling strong but still relaxed as you moved through the warrior sequences? Spend some time thinking back to those feelings and the excitement you anticipated as you walked through the studio doors. Then, remember that you deserve to feel that good again.
Of course, expectations can make or break your return to the mat. After a year off, you may not be able to hop into a Warrior III as easily as you once did. Know that the feeling of ease will likely come again, but reframe your goals for the time being. For your first few classes, make having fun and feeling good your primary goal rather than attempting to nail every pose. That way, you’ll be able to move through class without unnecessary pressure, which can make even the most gentle flows feel uncomfortable.
Furthermore, your intention can be a huge factor in your return to the studio as well. With a strong commitment to your intention for feeling good and moving your body as it's able, you’ll stay connected to your reason for showing up to class—letting that be your guide rather than outside noise. Even as you move through the practice getting back into the flow—or taking more time to do so than usual—your intention will keep you grounded, remembering that yoga’s purpose revolves around much more than perfection.
Lastly, give yourself the gift of time. By welcoming yourself back to the mat instead of beating yourself up for taking time off, your experience will be much more enjoyable and rooted in self-care. Easing back into the swing of things may take a few weeks or months, and that’s okay! Start by taking a class or two each week and gradually increasing the frequency if that’s your goal. Consider going slow at the beginning, avoiding pushing your body beyond its limits to fit into poses you may have done before you took time off. When you give yourself space in this way, you’ll be practicing yoga well beyond your mat.
Life is full of ups and downs. As such, your yoga practice will change over time. By giving yourself space, time and a lot of grace, both your mind and body can reap the healing benefits of yoga once again—no matter what it looks like on the outside.
Written by Paige Pichler