Never in our lifetime have we shared so much together as a global community, yet experienced more solitude. 2020 has been a year of contrasts and for many a year of profound challenge and change––whether you planned on it or not. Whether you were able to spend the holidays with family and friends or were unable to travel, you may have had a tougher time maintaining a sense of balance.
Around the holidays, emotions amplify and rise to the surface for many of us. It’s tougher to find that sense of equanimity and as a result this time of year your healthy habits and positive practices may disappear. Instead of stepping onto the yoga mat, you nibble on another cookie or sip more Irish whiskey and suddenly find yourself parked on the couch feeling sluggish. Of course, there’s no reason not to indulge and spoil yourself, but if you feel you’ve overdone it, re-energize with some movement. Self-care is a form of spoiling yourself, right? Go for a brisk walk, turn on some music and dance around your living room, roll out your yoga mat and flow for a few minutes.
To find a sense of equilibrium in these final days of the year, remind yourself that life, like yoga, is all about balance. Yoga Sutra 2.46, Sthira Sukham asanam, is commonly translated to mean the posture should be steady and comfortable. By finding a balance between effort and ease on your yoga mat, you can carry that feeling into the rest of your life. Too much effort or indulgence can leave you feeling depleted. Too much ease can leave you feeling lethargic. Life is a dance to find that middle ground of contentment. Even taking twenty or thirty minutes a day to move and breathe will keep you feeling vibrant and at your best.
This week, we’ve got four energizing and challenging classes to boost your energy and your mood. Spent eight hours on the couch bingeing the latest show on Netflix? No problem, get up and take half an hour and sweat it out. If you polished off the cookies your grandmother baked––all three dozen––don’t worry about it. Press play and take one of these quick revitalizing new classes or one of your favorites. It’s all about the balance.
You can have it all!
1. Ben Davis - Fitness 'n' Yoga: Flow on the Go
2. Elise Fabricant - Pre-Workout Warm-Up
3. Becca Riopelle - Hardcore Yoga with Weights: Booty Camp
4. Pradeep Teotia - Sweat, Sweat, Sweat