During the holiday season it’s fun to create a Christmas yoga class to get your students in the holiday spirit (without having to listen to Christmas music!).
Let’s dive into three of my favorite poses for Christmas!
HO HO HO Breath
This is a great way to incorporate Kaphabhalti breathing into your Christmas yoga class. Kaphabhalti breathing is good for digestion and internally heating. Some traditions practice with the mouth closed exhaling through the nose, but today we are exhaling through the mouth.
Just remember, DO NOT inhale. The inhale will happen automatically. If your students feel light-headed or dizzy, they are probably inhaling and hyperventilating. Never a good thing. 😉
Start with 3 HO-HO-HO’s and increase to 25. Make the exhale forceful and staccato. You can even place one hand on your “Santa Belly” to make sure the movement is coming from the lower abdominals.
Final Tip: Engage Mulabandha before doing this breath to direct energy upward.
Christmas Tree Pose
This pose is a standard for any Christmas yoga class. Encourage your students to dive deeper into their Self by using these cues:
“What kind of Christmas tree are you today? Do you feel like a fresh Christmas tree standing tall, or do you feel wilted and exhausted? How can you give yourself some fresh water today to revive your vitality?”
“Are you decorated brightly with Christmas lights? Are you able to let your inner light shine?”
Humble Warrior
Around this time of year, we could all use humbleness and a chance to slow down. Bow before the inner light within you and practice surrendering to the busy-ness of the holiday season.
If you want to bring in the “reason for the season,” talk about bowing before the “New Born King.” How humble the wise men must have felt as they knelt down and offered him their three gifts. Where do you find humbleness in your life? Have you been humbled by an event this Christmas season?
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✳️ Develop more cues and language around asana
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