Yoga Journal USA — December 2017

Any advice for sticking to

your yoga practice during the

hectic holiday season?

Inhale, exhale,

pause. We receive

about 20,000 breath

cycles a day. If only

for a single cycle,

I am conscious of

this great gift that

infuses me with life,

and all of the weight

of the holidays is—

poof—gone for the

moment. Take refuge

in the completion of

the exhale, in that

magical silence of

emptiness during

the natural pause.

Remember, this is

yours: nothing to buy,

no tricks to learn.

Rodney Yee

Co-founder of Yoga Shanti

in New York City and our

pranayama Master Class

teacher on page 79

I always have a travel

mat with me, and I

try to grab any 5- to

15-minute window

of time that presents

itself throughout the

day and do whatever

practice feels best at

that moment: medita-

tion, asana, study, etc.

Often, my family mem-

bers want to join in,

and it becomes a great

way to be together

and connect.

Noah Mazé

Yoga teacher, co-founder

of Yogamazé, and inspired

baker—try his crave-worthy

scones on page 36

Be flexible. Instead of doing a 90-minute asana session,

your practice may be shoulder stretches and ankle circles

or walking slower and tuning in to the feeling of each foot-

step. Touching into the quality of practice energy can keep

your mind, breath, and body on an even keel.

Cyndi Lee

Yoga teacher and author of the memoir May I Be Happy

Years ago, I rede-

fined my relationship

with the holidays

and created the

intention that they

should be a time

of rest, connection,

and ease. Making

this perspective shift

has allowed me to

stay aligned with my

personal practice. If

I ever lose sight of

this intention, I shift

my practice to come

back to the basics.

Coby Kozlowski

Kripalu School of Yoga

faculty

I find it helps to

set daily intentions

rather than looking

at the entire holiday

season. So I wake up

and set an intention

every day to fit yoga

in, and then I’ll even

put it in my calendar

as a reminder. Get-

ting to the mat is the

hardest part; once

you’re there, you’re

like, “Oh, thank God

I made this decision!”

Sesa O’Connor

Yoga teacher, surfer, and

creator of our balance-

bringing Home Practice

on page 69

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PAUL MILLER; JAKE LAUB; COURTESY OF KRIPALU CENTER FOR YOGA & HEALTH; JEFF NELSON; COURTESY OF CYNDI L

EE

YOGAJOURNAL.COM / 12 / DECEMBER 2017

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