Relieve holiday stress with yoga

By Daisy Carrington, amNewYork Deputy Features Editor | daisy.carrington@am-ny.com

December 19, 2007

Elena Brower demonstrates the hands and knees cat or cow yoga position at the East West Yoga studio near Union Square (Amanda Rivkin / December 4, 2007)

In a good year, the holidays can truly be magical: You love all your gifts from the 'rents, the roast beef is succulent, and everyone is flush with familial love. Then you have the bad years, the ones in which siblings gripe, the turkey gets burned, and mom won't stop asking when you're going to find a nice boy and settle down.

Since you can never fully predict which type of holiday you're going to have, why not do some gentle, relaxing yoga moves, just in case. "The right yoga pose can cultivate gratitude, self-recognition and patience," says Elena Brower, founder of Virayoga in SoHo. She has devised the following routine to help you get through the season. If you want to try some extra moves, you can download Brower's workouts at www.iamplify.com.

1. Cat pose
Begin on your hands and knees and breathe in while rounding your back. Fill your lungs with that inhalation and tuck your butt beneath you, bringing your chin toward your chest. As you exhale, gently lift your butt, let your belly descend, open your heart out in front of you and bring your head back, stretching out your neck. Take as many breaths as you like -- as few as five to as many as 25 will help quiet your mind.

2. Full-arm stand
Stand tall at the front of a mat and inhale, filling your upper body with a deep breath. Raise your arms toward the sky and push your feet into the mat. Exhale while brining your shoulders back and lifting your chest, then fold your body downward. If your hands don't reach the floor, place them on your legs. Pull yourself down while tucking your chin in toward your chest. Do this move one to 10 times. This exercise is a patience-builder.

3. Tree pose
Stand tall on the edge of a mat. Lift one knee in toward your chest and hug it with both hands, bringing it close to your body. Take a deep breath. When you're ready, use your hand to bring your lifted foot in toward your inner thigh. Once you've found your balance, reach one arm up and rest your opposite hand on your bent leg. Hold this pose for three to 10 breaths (don't worry if you waver a bit).

4. High lunge
Stand tall at the front of a mat. Step back with your left leg, landing on your toes. Bend your right knee and inhale. As you exhale, gently bend your right leg more deeply. Steer your knee in the direction of your fourth toe. Once aligned, place your hands on your waist and bow forward slightly. Expand your belly as you breathe in, and soften it as you breathe out. Bend your knee more deeply each time you exhale. You may bring your arms up or keep your hands on your waist for more stability. Take three to 10 breaths.

5. Triangle
Stand at the front of a mat. Step your left leg back and angle your left foot about 45 degrees -- your heel should point back while your toes face slightly outward. Point your right foot's toes toward the front of the mat and inhale deeply, while forming a T-shape with your arms. Exhale, place your left hand on your shin and stretch your right hand up toward the sky. Take five to 15 breaths.