Elvis sang about having a Blue Christmas, but his twangy tune is a far cry from the Christmas Blues.
There isn’t a single cause for the Christmas Blues, or the feeling of sadness that can accompany the end-of-the-year holidays. We’re constantly slammed with reminders to be merry, grateful, joyful, and other positive sentiments. The reality is that 1 in 6 people does not, in fact, feel merry, grateful, joyous, etc for various reasons laid out by Harley Therapy:
- Comparison shopping: this isn’t always literal shopping. It’s using the “comparison as the thief of joy” trope. We’re comparing our current situation with those we see online, that we see our friends and coworkers upholding, and of course, the nostalgia we have for the Christmases of the past. Holidays spent with people who aren’t in our lives anymore for some reason or another.
- Stress increase: there’s just more to do, period, around the holidays. Shopping lists, longer lines wherever we go, and we’re spending more than we might have expected. Add to that the fact that we tend to indulge more in less nutritious food and in alcohol. Both have major effects on cortisol and stress hormone levels.
- End-of-the-year anxiety: the impact that a retrospective can have is on a spectrum. We tend to focus on what’s missing… What we didn’t accomplish, what we didn’t get around to, or what we lost.
Suddenly, the Christmas Blues make a lot more sense, don’t they? It’s with this sense of awareness that I’m super excited to present this workshop at YogaFresh on December 18.
Christmas Blues Workshop
In this workshop, enjoy a gentle + restorative practice paired with guided meditation designed to support, validate and ease the Christmas Blues. If the holiday season is leaving you feeling depleted, these 75 minutes will help replenish your resiliency reservoir. Throughout the holiday season, we’re peppered with reminders that we ought to feel a certain way. It’s a season steeped in traditions. But as we grow and things change, these traditions–often rooted in nostalgia–can become painful. We never step in the same river twice, though we unconsciously expect to retain the same feelings of excitement, anticipation, and joy around the season that we’ve felt previously. Take a break from your stressors, from comparison, and nourish yourself. Restorative yoga lowers the body temperature; dressing in layers, with socks, is recommended. All levels welcome.
YogaFresh
This practice will pull from two distinct teaching disciplines. First, from Judith Lasater’s restorative yoga teachings, and also Richard Miller’s iRest yoga nidra method. We’ll settle into our bodies with a 45 minute restorative practice. The final 30 minutes will use yoga nidra to identify our inner resource and build a sankalpa. This will help our body remember what it is to let go.
Upcoming Workshops at YogaFresh
Teaching at YogaFresh is a unique experience as an instructor. Feeling empowered to bring my personality and education into every class is surprisingly rare in the studio world. Which is why I’m really excited to provide this workshop and more in the future. In January, for example, watch for a sankalpa workshop!
Minnesconsin Yoga 