For months, we have all experienced holiday stress, but what about now that the holidays are over?

Sometimes I get a rush of relief the first day after Christmas. There’s no more shopping to do or cooking, though there is a massive pile of wrapping paper making a mess on my living floor. For the most part, all of the big family stuff if over with and we can all take a collective deep breath.

Hallelujah!

So, whether we’re home with the kids or we still have some relatives staying with us, here are some yoga poses we can do with the whole family to ease out of this stressful holiday season.

Down Dog:

While we can always do a regular Down Dog, with our hands and feet pressing down into the floor or mat, one can always get a chair for some extra support!

I was showing my grandma some yoga poses and I brought a chair out for her to use while she practiced with me. Take hold of the back of the chair. Then, bend at the hips so the body becomes an L shape, while holding onto the steady chair.

Warrior 1:

From Down Dog, if we have our hands and feet pressing down into the floor or mat, we can step one foot forward between our hands coming into low lunge. Firmly root the back foot down, so the toes are a little in front of the heel, and then inhale up, raising the arms over the head while keeping the shoulders and hips squared.

If we’re using the chair, stand up straight while holding the back of the chair, then step one foot back. Root the foot so the toes are a little in front of the heel, and square off the hips and shoulders. We can always keep holding onto the chair or practice lifting one arm and then the other.

Tree Pose:

Begin standing, with the feet pressing firmly into the floor. Then, we’ll adjust our weight so we’re balancing on one leg. Bring the other foot either up into the thigh or tap the toe down, if there’s a need for more support.

We can always use that chair for more support, if needed. Or we can all hold hands and help each other! Have fun with it!

Handstand:

Handstands are fun to practice as a family, because one person can be going upside-down while the other helps by holding the legs.

We can also play around and do some cartwheels, if handstands don’t sound as fun!

Legs up the Wall:

Lay with the hips right where the floor and the wall meet. Then, extend the legs up the wall and lay with the palms facing up and the eyes closed. This is a restorative inversion! It is also nice to put a blanket or yoga mat under the hips for some extra support.

I hope you and your family had an awesome holiday and that you have fun with these poses.

~

Love elephant and want to go steady?

Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!

~

~

Author: Stacy Porter
Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock
Photo: Lena Bell/Unsplash