Category: holidays

ADHD · advice · fitness · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · mindfulness · self care

Making Space 2024: December 28

Christine Hennebury

Hi Space Makers!

Before we get to today’s suggested practices, I’m inviting you to give some thought to future you. *

And the future you I’d like you to consider is the person who will be trying to get things done next December.

What does that person need to know?

What have you figured out in the process this year that you want to make note of for the future?

What expectations (yours and others’) can you work to change now, so that future version of yourself can have things a little easier?

What reminders can you set for future you?

A few years ago, I got into the habit of putting reminders into my calendar for this time next year and it has made a huge difference.

One year I set a reminder for myself to buy new Christmas lights at the end of November the following year.

Another time, I put a reminder in my phone telling me where I was storing the Christmas tablecloths so that future me wouldn’t have to scramble to find them.

And I have also included reminders to help somebody with something earlier in December then I did this year, reminders of when to do specific holiday related tasks, and reminders of tips for gift shopping.

Even though I often have trouble envisioning a future time, this time of year seems to be an exception.

There’s something about being in the thick of it right now that makes it really clear to me what I will need next time December rolls around. Right now, it’s much easier to imagine a future version of what I’m doing at the moment, especially a version that I could shape to make things more straightforward for future me.

Every time I have done this, it has both come in handy and I have been surprised by the information. I always completely forget that I’ve set these reminders and then I’m really grateful to past me when they pop up.

And on top of the straight-up utility of this process, it feels really good to take good care of myself this way. I can only assume that it would be the same for you. And, obviously, I’m all for things that help us feel better in the moment and in the future.

As for feeling better in the moment, I have included a movement practice and a meditation practice below. You are free to choose either or both of these or to choose something else of your liking to create space for yourself today

No matter what you choose to do, please take good care of yourself and be kind. May you have ease today, and always.

Our movement practice for today is A Quick Individual Medley Workout from Ella’s Wheelchair Workouts

Still image is of the instructor, wearing exercise clothes and sitting in her wheelchair, leaning to one side as she ‘swims’ one arm forward. She is smiling and looks like she is enjoying herself.

And our mindfulness practice for today is Guided Breathing Meditation To Relax And Be Calm from Mindful Peace

Still image is of a ring of light with a dark centre with beams emanating from it and the words ‘Just Breathe (Calm and Relaxed)’ overlaid in white.

*If today isn’t the right day for this, consider doing this type of thinking sometime soon instead. And, of course, be kind to yourself when and if you do this type of thinking. The goal is to make next year easier while this year’s events and activities are fresh in your mind, this is not about adding complications for future you.

fitness · holidays · traveling · walking

En marchant à Paris (walking in Paris)

fieldpoppy

A lot of what we capture on this blog is the counting of fitness — number of workouts in a year, kilometres ridden or run, personal best in a race, time in a heart rate zone, steps in a day. All useful in their own categories of marking accomplishments, meeting goals.

But some steps are more transcendent than others. Susan and I gave ourselves the gift of a short trip to Paris for the beginning of the holidays. It was grey and rainy and every step had a story.

Friday, 6598 steps. Arrive, fall fast asleep, wander out to find a vegan feast whose colours mock the early darkness.

One of the many meditations on death in the catacombs.

Saturday, 20,275 steps. Death and ancestors. We voyage through the catacombs and then make a pilgrimage to the church next to the Salpêtrière. This building started out as a gunpowder factory and then became a place for “poor” women of Paris — meaning beggars, orphans, mentally ill, sex workers and, later, criminals. Now it’s a sprawling hospital, but I wanted to visit it because it’s also the place where many of the Filles du Roi — the single women sent to marry the colonists of New France around 1670 — were recruited. Like all people of French Canadian origin, I have several of these women in my family tree — and I wanted to acknowledge their strength and resilience. The church they would have worshipped is still standing, a shabby contrast to the miraculous restoration of Notre Dame – and I pictured the shivering young girls of the mid 17th century, hoping for a better life. I wrote my ancestors a letter of thanks. It came out in French.

Sunday, 18407 steps. A windy and rainy encounter with the excesses of empire and colonization in Versailles, which sends us into rabbit holes of the causes of revolution and during which Treaties the Europeans actually divided up the Middle East (Sevres) and Africa (Versailles). I spend a lot of time talking smack about Napoleon.

The wind whips us back to Paris instead of wandering the gardens of Versailles, which are mostly covered for the winter in any case. We cleanse our palates with a wander through the Picasso museum and the cutest shop of paper products I’ve ever seen. We find a serendipitous charming tiny, crowded italian resto where the owner unexpectedly calls for everyone’s attention and then serenades us with Con Te Partiro.

Yes I did take a photo of Athena. After I looked at her and decided I wanted to take her with me. And I wasn’t in anyone’s way.

Monday, 20,116 steps. Simultaneously sublime and enraging, it’s the Louvre. Sublime because, well, the Louvre. All the art. Truly transcendent moments. More opportunities to talk smack about Napoleon. Enraging because of the rivers of humanity holding their phones above their heads with video on while not actually looking at the art. We fantasize about paying extra for a No Phones around the Art day. I ask Athena for some rageful wisdom.

We eat more pain au chocolat and bouche de Noel and take a ride on the Roue de Paris just as night falls and all of the lights come on. Dinner is at a random, teeny vaguely Mediterranean vegetarian place festooned with vines that might be the most charming wee spot I’ve ever eaten, though the kitchen and its burning oil are basically right in front of us and we both have to use our inhalers before bed. We have a cocktail in a Hungarian restaurant and then wander out to the dampened nightlife of our Le Pigalle neighbourhood, admire the spritely sleaze of the Moulin Rouge.

Tuesday, 16,795 steps. Christmas eve. We march off to the Eiffel Tower, which neither of us has ever been up, with our tickets that include a glass of champagne at the top. Just as we arrive, it shuts down because of a fire on the top floor. No one is hurt, but more than 1000 people are evacuated and we get to watch the pompiers at work. We eat more pain au chocolat while deciding what to do, head for the Musée d’Orsay. More art, more cursing of the people with phones, though they are a little less voracious here. I look at Mary Cassatt’s Jeune fille au jardin and want to photoshop a phone into her hand.

We both do some serious stretching before dinner, feet worn down by all the tromping, my plantar fasciitis held at bay by my hideous cushy Hokas. But I trade the comfy shoes for Fluevog boots for our final adventure, dinner in Montmartre and then midnight mass at Sacré-Coeur.

Mass is another pilgrimage for me, one of the only things I can do in my weird 21st century life that my ancestors would recognize. I connect with my mother, with all of my grandmothers, whose fortitude and shortness twirl through my DNA. Susan is patient. I’m grateful for everything.

Christmas Day: We fly home lying flat, blessedly upgraded, astronauts compared to my ancestors and their 17th century ships. I’m filled with gratitude and thoughts of revolution.

**

Fieldpoppy is Cate Creede-Desmarais, who is descended from four Filles du Roi — Jeanne Petit, Catherine Paulo, Anne Rivet, Marguerite Girard — and from Marie Margarie, Jeanne de St. Pere and Gillette Banne, three “Filles à Marier” who arrived between 1634-1662, decades earlier than the Filles du Roi. Gillette has the distinction of being the first woman executed for murder in New France — she killed her daughter’s abusive husband.(Those links are little video bios of each woman made by genealogist Lisa Elvin-Staltari).

Cate is pretty sure that her grit and penchant for riding her bike alone across new countries is written in her DNA from these women.

advice · fitness · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · mindfulness · motivation

Making Space 2024: December 27

Christine Hennebury

Hello Space Makers,

Today is a good day to practice checking in with yourself.

It’s all too easy to just let yourself get carried along with whatever is going on, to carry on with you to do list, to get caught up in someone else’s plan.

This is especially true at this time of year when there is a lot going on, a lot of traditions, a lot of expectations, and a hearty dose of ambient stress.

If we don’t check in with ourselves, if we don’t make a little space, we can build up a feeling of being out of sorts, jangled, or distressed and not even realize it until we are overwhelmed.

Checking in with ourselves from time to time can help us to feel steadier, more at ease, and less likely to get tossed about by an unexpected storm of emotions.

Please note: This is as much of a ‘note to self’ as a note to you. I do NOT remember to do check-ins all the time but when I do plan some throughout the day then it really helps.

You don’t have to create an elaborate check-in ritual (but you can if that’s helpful!), all you need to do is pick a few times to pause (I use a timer or an alarm on my wrist spy) and ask yourself: How am I feeling? Is there anything I need?

Maybe all is well and you can carry on with what you were doing.

Maybe you need a few deep breaths or a few minutes to yourself.

Perhaps you need to stretch or get moving a little (or a lot).

Maybe you need a glass of water, a cup of tea, or a snack.

Maybe you need to get away from that friend or relative who is taking up your physical or mental space at the moment.

Maybe you need a nap.

Whatever your check-in reveals, start by giving yourself a gold star for checking in -⭐️-then do your best to give yourself what you need in the moment.

And, yes, I know that it won‘t always be possible to give yourself what you need but I have often found that identifying what I need helps even if I can’t have it right now.

For example, if my check-in reveals that I need some exercise but I can’t take the time to really dig into an exercise session right now, I’ll do a few stretches and maybe dance around a bit. AND I’ll be aware that I am a bit out of sorts because I need exercise so I should be extra patient with myself (and with others) until I can really meet that need. I don’t always succeed with my planned patience, of course, but it works often enough to be worth it.

Whatever you do today, I hope you can make space for yourself and that you can find some ease.

And if your space making includes movement or mindfulness, here are your suggested videos for today:

For our movement practice suggestion, here’s Loosen Hips and Remove Low Back Pain from Kaleigh Cohen Strength

Still image shows the instructor in exercise clothes sitting on a mat with one leg extended and the other folded as it would be if she were sitting cross-legged and she has one hand pressing gently on her knee and the other pressing gently on her calf.

And for our mindfulness practice, here’s Tara Brach with Arriving in Mindful Presence

Still image is a photo of a filed of grass lit by the rising sun.

Wishing you ease, fun, and peace of mind, today and always. 💚

ADHD · advice · fitness · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · self care

Making Space 2024: December 26

Christine Hennebury

Hi Space Makers!

I’m in comfy mode today.

My family dinners and gift exchanges happened yesterday and I am slowly getting out of a ‘doing’ mindset and into a ‘being’ mindset…

Or, that’s the switch I am aiming for so I dressed accordingly and I am hoping for the best.

Whether your celebrations are behind you, in front of you, or you are somewhere in the middle, I am sending you some of my ‘comfy mode’ energy.

If you have sidestepped the holidays and are just following your regular routine, I’m also sending you comfy mode energy.

In fact, I wonder what it would be like if we could actually hold on to this kind of energy and give ourselves a little bit whenever we need it?

What would have to happen for us to be able to pause in the middle of a hectic time and breathe in that sense of rest and ease?

What would we have to know/thing/believe in order to make that work?

I wonder if it is one of those things that just takes practice?

It’s worth a try, hey?

So, space making friends, whatever you have going on today, I invite you to pause long enough to imagine yourself in your comfiest mode and to let your body and brain remember what that feels like.

Even if you can only spend 5 minutes calling up those images, ideas, and sensations in as vivid detail as you can, I’m sure it would feel really good.

And feeling good is really our big picture plan, isn’t it?

Let me know if you give this comfy mode imagination exercise a try!

In the meantime, here are our suggested practices today. Whether you try these, try the comfy mode practice above or whether you do something entirely different, I wish you ease today and always.

For our movement practice today, here’s a Morning Standing Stretch from Senior Shape Fitness. Since I am in comfy mode this standing stretch video with the instructor in a bathrobe had a lot of appeal!

And here’s our mindfulness practice for today A 10 Minute Guided Meditation For Your Overactive Mind from Great Meditation. (Even when I’m in comfy mode, my ADHD brain likes to keep whirring so I’ll take all the help I can get!)

advice · fitness · holiday fitness · holidays · self care

Making Space 2024: December 25

Christine Hennebury

Hello Space Makers,

Happy Holidays! Happy Christmas! Happy (slightly early) Hanukkah! Happy Yule! Happy (early) Kwanzaa! Happy Wednesday!

No matter what you are celebrating/getting ready to celebrate/ not celebrating today, I hope this post finds you with at least a little space for yourself.

And if today is difficult for you in any way, I hope you can find comfort, ease, and rest. Please give yourself room for your feelings and go easy on yourself, you are doing the best you can.

For many of us, this will be a busy day but try to create some space by taking little breaks when you can and by focusing on the purpose of the activity rather than on the details of it.

I’m really hoping that creating those spaces will help today feel more fun and relaxing (and less like a bit list of tasks.)

Since I couldn’t include a practice for every possible celebration that is happening right now, I’ve chosen to focus on the feelings I wish for you right:

Even amidst the busy-ness, I would like for you to be able to feel good today and here’s a cardio workout from PS Fit to support that:

I hope your day includes some coziness, like in this practice from Yoga with Adriene:

Since so many celebrations at this time of year are about bringing light, I thought this candle meditation from Sattva House would help bring a little extra light to your day.

And, as always, I hope you can feel at ease and restful throughout the day.

However, given that celebrations usually involve a lot of moving parts and a lot of socializing, it’s pretty easy to get a bit jangled and feel a bit out of sorts.

So here are a few videos to help you find your equilibrium, get unjangled, and feel more like your favourite self again:

A self-soothing meditation from the Calm app’s YouTube channel:

And a sensory soothing video from Hey Bear

And, finally, some brain soothing music from Jorge Henderson Collazo – this one is best enjoyed with headphones.

Whatever you are doing today, I wish you ease, joy, fun, and self-kindness.

May you have peace in your heart.

advice · holiday fitness · holidays · mindfulness · self care

Making Space 2024: December 24

Christine Hennebury

Hiya Space Makers,

I was trying to decide between two different approaches for the first part of today’s post but then I remembered that I am the boss of me so I decided to put both of them in here.

Approach #1 – Add Some Fun

Today, I’d like to invite you to make your tasks a bit more fun.

Yeah, I know you probably have some things to do that are no fun at all and there might not even be a way of making them fun. You may just have to power through those – set a timer, curse the whole time, do whatever you need to do to get to the finish line. Here’s hoping those ones go quick.

But there are other tasks that are kind of routine, maybe even tedious, that you could have a bit of fun with.

With those tasks, you could play some music, or put on comfy clothes, or put a movie on in the background, or listen to a podcast, or challenge yourself to do them within a certain amount of time, or ‘race’ a friend to the end of a set of tasks you are both trying to finish. Maybe some good snacks or a fancy cup of tea or coffee would make a difference. Or perhaps you can set a timer and get up and move around whenever it goes off – a different movement each time or weirder versions of the same one. Or, you might make a chart on a piece of paper and cross off your tasks, or make a big star on the paper for each one you complete.

Really, anything that adds a bit of fun can make your list feel easier and will make your day flow more smoothly. And I vote yes on both of those ideas!

Approach #2: Give Yourself What You Need

Ok, this isn’t drastically different than Approach #1 but the purpose is a little different.

This one is about making yourself more comfortable (without guilt!) while getting things done.

Lots of times, I try to power through my tasks even when I need a break, need some water, or I’m sitting in an uncomfortable way. It just seems like too much trouble to stop/get water/shift or do whatever needs to be adjusted. Unfortunately, the task then often goes on longer than I was expecting and I end up kind of cranky and disheartened.

So, space making friends, please, please, please, give yourself what you need and go easy on yourself.

Need a big list? Make one!

Need the music blaring? Turn it up!

Need constant snacks? Start pouring food into bowls!

Need company? Ask someone to join you in person, on the phone, or virtually.

Need a break every 5 minutes? Take one! Then take another!

Need to stomp and growl while you work? Put on your big boots and get that growl rumbling.

Need a cozy blanket around your shoulders or a fancy hat*? Dig ’em out and put ’em on.

Give yourself the things you need (or the closest version you can manage) whenever you can.

You may have a long to do list but you don’t have to suffer (even in small ways) while you make your way through it.

*****

Please note: Taking things off of your list is ALWAYS an option. Keep an eye out for things you can drop. Once again, you have my permission and if anyone gives you grief, send them to me.

There! See why I couldn’t decide which to post?

Anyway, whatever you are up to today, I hope you can find a way to give yourself some space.

I wish you ease and self-kindness, as always!

Here are our practices for today:

Our movement practice today is a 10-minute Dance Exercise to Release Stress & Anxiety from Tamara Nazon. I like how she talks about creating space within ourselves with these movements.

Our mindfulness practice for today is Guided Meditation | Creating Mental Space | Mindfulness Exercises from Mindfulness Exercises.

* I have a floppy white summer hat that I sometimes put on when I feel stressed and then I say in a haughty voice, “Fancy ladies never get stressed.” The combination and the idea is so ridiculous that it makes me laugh every time. I may just be easily entertained. 😉

advice · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · mindfulness · self care

Making Space 2024: December 23

Christine Hennebury

Hi Space Makers,

My initial plans for today’s post were lost in the hubbub of pre-holiday traffic (a.k.a. my errands took so long that I ran out of time to follow my initial plan.)

Sooooooo…

I’m back to being a good example.

Well, ok, let’s just say that I am definitely an example of some sort and forge ahead.

Once I realized that I couldn’t do my initial plan and since I have promised myself that I will minimize feeling rushed whenever I can, I switched to my backup plan – figure out 3 things.

In practice, that works like this: I can’t follow my plan so what three things will let me call this post done?

Thing one: A self-kindness reminder

Thing two: A movement practice

Thing three: A mindfulness practice.

So, I decided to use my three things plan as my self-kindness reminder. Scaling back this post, accepting that I couldn’t follow my plan, and recognizing that imperfect but done is much better than perfect but unfinished are all part and parcel of me being kind to myself.

Then I searched for videos of practices that appealed to me at the moment, popped them in this post and added all the connecting bits. And I’m done with a few minutes to spare!

So, space making friends, if your day is getting a little out of hand and your time is tightening around your tasks (and probably around your brain), then I invite you to consider a similar procedure for your plans for today.

Acknowledge the need to change the plan, scale back to 3 (or so) things that will get the thing done, be annoyed at having to be imperfect but do it anyway, and be kind to yourself about the whole process and feel good about having done what you set out to do.

Wishing you ease and space today, no matter what procedures, processes, or plans you follow!

Sidenote: If the thing you were working on turns out to not be all the important, you also have the option to ditch it completely! Tell ’em I said you could!

Today’s movement practice is the happy result of a YouTube search for ‘fun dance workout’ This is Lift and Bloom‘s 10 Minute Christmas Dance Workout.

Still image is of a woman in exercise clothes and a pair of headband antlers, she is smiling at the camera. The name of the video is on a card overlaid on the left side of the image.

And for something a little different today, here’s a Movement Meditation from Living Bliss Yoga.

Still image is of a woman in exercise clothes standing on a yoga mat in between two windows in a studio. She is in motion with her arms raised to shoulder height and her hands in front of her.
advice · fitness · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · meditation · mindfulness · self care

Making Space 2024: December 22

Christine Hennebury

Hi there, Space Makers!

Today is a good day to ask yourself three questions as you envision the days ahead:

How do I want to feel?

In an ideal world, what would need to happen for me to feel that way?

And, finally, since we don’t live in an ideal world…

What is the shortcut to feeling the way I want to feel?

While I know that I can’t necessarily control how I feel at a given moment, I always find it helpful to ask these questions when I am busy, stressed, or have a lot to do.

Focusing on how I want to feel (and how to create my best chances to feel that way) helps me to figure out my priorities. It helps me to identify key tasks and to make decisions about the other items on my list.

For example, on Friday, I had a get-together for a group of close friends and I had envisioned serving a few special snacks and making something really cool for our gift exchange.

Alas, my Friday went a bit sideways, as days sometimes do, and I found myself at 3:30 with a lot of tasks and not nearly enough time to do them.

So, I asked myself how I wanted to feel that evening and I settled on ‘relaxed.’

And I knew I wouldn’t feel relaxed if I tried to rush through my too-long list.

In fact, having lots of experience with trying to push through too many tasks in too little time (I don’t always remember to ask myself the important questions above), I knew that that would result in me feeling flustered, bedraggled and kinda cranky as the party started. And that is not a recipe for a good time – it is no fun having to ‘catch up’ to everyone else’s relaxation levels!

So, I thought about what I needed to feel relaxed and settled on the shortest possible list to create those conditions. I did a bit of tidying up, took the dog for a walk while I brainstormed a quick but fun thing for the gift exchange, decided on a quick supper and a shortened version of the special snacks.

And I got dressed for the party as soon as it was feasible instead of leaving it until the last minute. That way, no matter what else got done, I was already ready for the fun part of the evening.

It ended up being a really fun night that was made even better by the fact that I was relaxed right from the start.

Now, I recognize that my party example is pretty low stakes compared to some of the other things you or I might be trying to get done between now and the end of the year but I think that using ‘How do I want to feel?’ as a guideline could be beneficial now matter how complicated the situation might be.

You may not be able to generate the perfect conditions to feel the way you want to feel but I think you’ll be able to give yourself a little more space and to reduce your stress a bit.

Whether you start with the questions above or try something completely different, I wish you ease and lots of space for yourself today. 💚

Now, onto our suggested practices:

For our movement today, here’s Dr. Andrea Furlan with Senior Fitness Made Simple: 10 Minute Chair Routine

Still image description: the instructor, who is wearing exercise clothes, is seated in a chair and leaning over to one side to stretch the side of her body. There is an end table next to her and the exercise space has a wooden floor and beige walls.

Our mindfulness practice for today is a 5 Minute Meditation for Relaxation and Positive Energy from Lavendaire

Still image description: The instructor is sitting cross legged on a couch with her eyes closed, her face relaxed, and her arms position do that the backs of her hands are resting on her knees and one of her gingers is curled to meet her thumb. Everything in the photo is in a restful shade – grey, green, or white.

ADHD · advice · habits · holiday fitness · holidays · mindfulness · season transitions · self care

Making Space 2024: December 21

Christine Hennebury

Hello Space Makers!

It’s the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and, as a result, I’m thinking about themes of rest, renewal, and stillness. Well, I’ve been thinking about those things for ages, really, but they are especially relevant today.

I was told this morning that the word solstice is the combination of the Latin words ‘sol’ (sun) and ‘sistere’ (cause to stand – i.e. stop/be still) and that it is connected to the fact that, to us, the sun seems to stay in the same spot (in its seasonal path) for these few days of winter before it appears to start moving in the opposite direction.

If the sun can take a little rest right now, surely we are justified in seeking the same thing, right?

I’m kind of making a joke there, making light of the fact that because of the ambient pressure for us all to work, work, work all the time, we end up feeling like we have to explain why we are resting. And using the sun’s rest as an explanation feels pretty justified, right?

I wish we didn’t feel that way since rest is actually part of the cycle of our lives, not something we have to earn.

We don’t actually owe ANYONE every minute of our days, even if the world at large tries to convince us that we do.

Yet, even though we know that rest is part of our lives and we don’t need to earn it, it’s still hard to actually rest in the midst of this busy time of year in our perpetually busy culture. Our to do lists are set, our plans are generally in place, and we have made commitments.

If you want to read and think more about rest and the social forces that benefit from pressuring us to work then Tricia Hersey‘s The Nap Ministry is a good place to start.

So, if we can’t just take the day off today, what can we do?

My suggestion is to start slow, to finish slow, or to slow down in the middle – a.k.a. scheduling a break that involves a low-key activity so my rest doesn’t feel like I am ‘sitting around doing nothing.’

Because that feeling of ‘doing nothing’ gets my brain churning about all the things I *should* (shudder – I hate that word) be doing instead. If I can tell myself ‘this is my reading time’ then I can usually shush my brain and take that rest.

For me, this might look like planning to spend the first 15 minutes (or more!) after breakfast just reading and drinking tea instead of jumping into my to do list right away.

Or it might look like choosing to do some yoga, to chat with my sister, or to do some drawing in the middle of my day instead of scurrying to the next thing.

Or it might look like getting ready for bed a little bit earlier so I have time to listen to some music and putter around before reading, drawing, or listening to a podcast to settle down before sleep, instead of trying to ‘just finishing this one thing.’

Making these spaces for myself, taking things slowly at a few points in the day makes all the difference in how flustered I feel. And when I feel less flustered, I can find more fun and satisfaction in the things I have to do and the things I choose to do.

Those spaces help me feel like I am living a life, not just trying to get stuff done.

I invite you to find your own way to take a break, to start slow, to ease your way into your day. Perhaps not calling it a break will make your brain more willing to cooperate.

Well, with that said, and with the hope that you can find some ease today, here are our suggested practices.

I have two Solstice-themed suggestions in each category because I couldn’t decide between them but feel free to also choose your own type of movement and your own approach to mindfulness. After all, you are the boss of you and you get to decide!

First, we have Seasonal Chair Yoga Winter Solstice 10 mins from Yoga with Sarah/Seasonal Flow

Still image shows the instructor sitting on a chair in a corner studio with her arms raised out to the sides and her eyes closed.

And here’s a longer practice Day 21: Winter Solstice Reflection Flow/ Merry & Mindful from YogaInMe

Still image shows the instructor in a corner studio lying on her back with one leg outstretched and she is holding her other leg folded toward her chest with both hands.

Our first mindfulness practice is a short Winter Solstice Mediation from Meta Moon Yoga

still image shows a drone view of a winter road surrounded by evergreens with soft snow on all the surfaces and the light is that soft blue that happens during a snowfall.

And here’s a longer Winter Solstice Yoga Nidra meditation from Ally Boothroyd.

still image shows a woman lying in the snow looking peaceful with her eyes closed, she is wearing a winter coat and she has grey/black hair that is resting on the snow around her face.
advice · holiday fitness · holidays · mindfulness · self care

Making Space 2024: December 20

Christine Hennebury

Hi Space Makers,

There are countdowns for all kinds of things going on right now and those countdowns can amplify our stress.

Please be kind to yourself and remember that those countdowns are largely arbitrary.

Yes, there are some things in our lives that have fixed times and dates but a lot of things can be far more flexible if we need them to be.

If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed about your plans and tasks right now, please take a look at them and see which ones have fixed deadlines (i.e. a government application that must be submitted by December 31) and which ones are actually more flexible (the timing of a meeting or a meal).

Personally, I have shifted a couple of projects into the new year and moved some plans with friends from this weekend to next.

These changes were prompted, in part, by my therapist’s question, “What happens if these things *don’t* get done before the end of the year?” which led me to realize that I could actually let go of the feeling of urgency around many of my tasks.

So, Space-Making-Friends, I invite you to do the same thing.

Look for flexibility in the nooks and crannies of your to do lists and free up some of that energy for the tasks, plans, and projects that have more strict deadlines.

And yes, I know it is not always possible to be more flexible and if that’s the case for you then I hope you can find flexibility in your expectations instead. You don’t have to seek perfection – there are a lot of layers of really, really good imperfection that are worth exploring.

Wishing you ease, as always. Please be good to yourself.

Here are our suggested practices for today:

This movement practice is a little different but I really enjoyed this Energy Boost Routine from Brain Education TV – I especially love the instructor’s energy. (This video includes tapping techniques which may not be everyone’s thing.)

Still image description: a photo of the instructor, a woman in loose exercise clothes who exudes a welcoming energy, standing on an orange mat in a studio and reaching overhead with her right arm. The right side of the image features the title of the video in large white letters overlaid on the image.

Today’s mindfulness practice is 5 Minute Expanding Awareness Meditation (guided) / Interoception & Proprioception from Nathan Sellers – Heal. Grow. Become – This one is quite woo and I’m not sure if this actually will help with interoception/ proprioception but I enjoyed the practice all the same.

Still image is a photo from the shore of a clear rippling lake that is surrounded by tree-covered mountains on both sides. The video title is overlaid on the image.