Seven days until Christmas.
I have more shopping to do
More baking
Wrapping
and
Moments to celebrate with family and friends.
Every year I slide into Christmas with my hair on fire.
I've tried to be more organized about the whole affair
until I realized
I like the chaos I create around Christmas.
I am simply not motivated to do anything for Christmas before December.
I marvel at friends who complete their shopping, wrapping and decorating in November.
That doesn't feel like Christmas to me.
My desire is to move through my Christmas chaos with a healthy body, mind and spirit.
The truth is I do have a defined method of taking care of myself during my Christmas chaos.
I have five daily practices:
1. Reflective, prayerful and meditative time in the wee hours of the morning.
2. Daily writing to declutter my brain and make space for creativity. If you're familiar with Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way, the practice is called "Morning Pages."
3. Water, water and more water…all day long. Water hydrates every function of your physical body. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated which means your body is functioning in deprevation. Never underestimate the power of fresh water to awaken your senses, enliven your body and shift your energy.
4. I do at least one thing to support my physical body. My practices of choice for this season include yoga, Dailey Method or Jin Shin Jyutsu. This morning I only spent five minutes on #4.
5. I intentionally return to my breath regularly and ask myself, "Is my breath deep, regular, quiet and rhythmic?" I make adjustments to my breath as needed. These four adjectives are the atributes of a healthy daily breath.
These simple practices are easily implemented in as few or as many moments available.
They center
ground
and balance
me
in the midst of
my Christmas chaos.
This morning while holding my safety energy lock #1, I was nudged to share with the readers of my blog (who are possibly parched from my lack of posts) daily suggestions for coping with Christmas chaos starting today until December 25.
Today's tip is to hold Safety Energy Lock #1 (SEL 1), Jin Shin Jyutsu practice.
SEL #1 is called The Prime Mover. SEL 1 is located on the inside of each knee, right at the bulge, where the thigh and shinbone connect. It unifies the descending energy (which travels down the front of the body) with the ascending energy (which flows up the back) and harmonizes us from head to toe. The Prime Mover connects extreme heights with extreme lows. Sounds a bit like the holidays, eh? SEL helps abdominal stress (hoilday eating and drinking?) and headaches. It also promotes deeper and easier breathing. Simply place your palms on your respective knees in the area indicated above. Breath deeply and relax into the gentle hold of SEL #1 for as many minutes until you feel completely relaxed. You may feel a shift in your breathing pattern. This morning holding SEL #1 I felt a sweeping calm move through my body.
What do the days leading up to Christmas feel and look like in your life?
Please do share your tips for coping with Christmas chaos.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, I inhale the peace you offer in the midst of chaos. Penetrate my heart, body and thoughts with the light of your love and tenderness.
Jesus: lover of people, pursuer of justice, caretaker of the underdog.
