Usually around this time of year, I’m gearing up for the holiday season: making plans to travel or see family, scribbling ideas for gifts or baking projects, winterizing the house. This year is a bit different, to be sure, as not only will I be away from the US for the triumverate of holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day), but my baking will be done with the metric system, and there’s really no such thing as winterizing, unless you count throwing on a sweatshirt in the mornings as “winterizing.”
One thing I will miss this year is the annual Turkey Trot. For the past 25 years, it has been in Gladstone, MI, first down by the park, and most recently starting and finishing at the Senior Center. Fun fact: even though I only lived ~7 miles away, I still had to Google how to get to the Senior Center every year.
But back to the story. Leading up to the Turkey Trot, I would always chat with my friends Joanna and Jess, as it was one of our running traditions to meet each other at the event and share a cup of hot chocolate and a donut post-run. “What’s our pace going to be this year?” “Wait, we’re not actually running this, are we?” “Which hat are you wearing?” all questions that needed answers pre-run. Inevitably the talk would move to everyone’s plans for the rest of the day: where each of us was heading for the holiday meal, who would be there, and what was on the menu.
And without fail, Jess would talk about how excited she was about the gathering with her family later that day. Yes, she was looking forward to spending time with her parents, children, etc., but what really excited Jess was the food, and how once again she would be attempting to take the menu and get a bit of everything on her fork, creating The Best Bite. Instead of allowing herself to get overwhelmed with the details of the day (the turkey, stuffing, who’s making dessert? gosh I hope ___ doesn’t bring up ___ again), she looks at one thing she can control about the day and focuses her attention on that.
Often times we go into known situations with preconceived notions of what is going to happen, often times we allow ourselves to get overwhelmed, often times we end up disappointed or angry or sad…but what if instead of worrying ourselves sick with all of the “knowns” (after all, we’ve been here before) we focus instead on the giddy anticipation that is The Best Bite? If we are practicing mindfulness, we can train our brain to expect the best rather than the worst.
What does all this have to do with yoga, and seasonal transitions? EVERYTHING.
With yoga and mindfulness, our attention transitions to noticing the positive things, which in turn our goal setting becomes integrated into our daily lives, which in turn the days can become easier and more fluid, which in turn means that we can focus on more pleasurable things instead of worrying about holiday tension and life frustrations or shitty weather. What’s that beautiful quote?
“You are the sky. Everything else- it’s just the weather.” -Pema Chodron
So think about what’s to come, friends. Bring your mind to where you’re going to be (at the end of this season, at the next holiday gathering, at work, in your important relationships), and while I don’t expect you to be able to ignore the challenges, maybe just for a few moments you can focus on the things that are good and allow them to happen with ease and a smile.
Until next time, friends.