Finding balance during the holidays

While the festive season is typically a time of celebration amongst loved ones, it can also come with certain expectations and a pressure to meet those expectations. Whether it’s the pressure to make it a memorable experience for your kids or the pressure of facing complicated family dynamics; the holiday can be just as stressful as it is celebratory. 
 
To meet whatever might come up this holiday season, I’ve gathered a few of our guided meditations to help you cultivate balance and equanimity during the holiday rush.

1. Find your centre, even during crisis-mode. When life feels disordered, mindfulness can provide a safe space within ourselves for us to feel at home in. To help you find order amongst chaos, try this loving kindness practice to feel more grounded and at ease, no matter what your external circumstances are. 
2. Practice your resilience. If you’re anything like me, family politics and drama can be a trigger for negative emotions to easily surface. But when we can create space between ourselves and the whirlwind of emotions we’re experiencing, we can experience grounding and cultivate resilience. Try this practice on grounding yourself to find stability and strengthen your mind. 
3. Find joy and happiness with gratitude. Life can be rather unpredictable and usually will not pan out how we expect it to. And that too goes for our expectations of festivities. Instead of getting caught up with disappointment when things do not go to plan, look instead to find the joy within each moment. Use this practice of gratitude to be present and open to appreciation. 

 
And remember to take time out for yourself as much as you need to. There are only the obligations with give ourselves, and we are the only ones who can make our choices for us. Use your free will to step back and make time for self-care. Have a very merry, mindful Christmas and a happy New Year. 
 
Sending loving kindness, 
Jess