The festive season is a beautiful time. ’Tis the season to be jolly; and indulgent, and bloated and possibly also have a little heart burn and back ache from powering through that 3.5 hour long Fiddler-On-The-Roof-fest on Christmas day. Whatever you’re up to this holiday season, there’s a few simple yoga poses and sequences that may be your Holy Grail of support (Indiana Jones style) across the marathon of eating and reclining that awaits.
Christmas Eve - 20 minute pre-bed sequence
You’ve made it through the office party, the 324th xmas drinks social with your mates, and somehow managed to get yourself through the post-apocalyptic wilderness of last minute Christmas shopping. At this point you may be the mental equivalent of that Christmas cracker that doesn’t quite explode so you instead pull at the string repeatedly in desperation until it breaks. If this is you, now’s your chance to decompress before the big day:
This sequence is designed to release shoulder tension from carrying all that shopping and to calm the mind after successfully surviving the month long Hunger Games gauntlet that is pre-xmas.
Christmas Day - 10 minute post-lunch sequence
Let’s be honest. This is the big one. After Christmas lunch nothing is happening except lying crumpled and myopic in a brandy-butter haze while relentless Doris Day films lilt through your stupor. There will be a crucial point after a few hours when your inability to move is eclipsed by the necessity to use the bathroom and decompress from the sofa. Now’s your chance, slide yourself from the sofa and crawl to a secluded area.
Boxing Day - 10 minute morning sequence
Time to ramp it up. Whether you’re staying in for round two or braving the sales its time to get some strength back and put all those macros to good use. By this point the body is lamenting the time it once used to move around, and your gut, wide-eyed and hopeful, is longing for some mechanical assistance to move things a long a bit. It’s a good day for a couple of standing poses digestion-promoting twists.
Onward and upwards:
You’re on you own now. You can reapply these short sequences each day - particularly th post-lunch sequence 2-3 hours after eating to help digestion and to decompress the spine. A little movement is better than none at all, even just 5-10 minutes. Underpromise, overdeliver; and come January may your transition back to regular life be as smooth and soft as a reindeer’s antler.
This article was written by James Rafael, Warrior Addict Brand Warrior, Yoga teacher & writer www.jamesrafael.com
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