Best Yoga Poses To Find Joy This Holiday Season

December is here. This time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is usually equated with happiness. A special time of the year when we can see and celebrate with our family and friends. However, for some people, it can also bring a lot of anxiety and tension. There is the financial and logistical stress of gift-giving and travel. Some celebrations could be more complicated because of loneliness, losing a loved one, or being emotionally affected by current events. Life certainly has its ups and downs. Finding joy is even more important during these times.

The Difference Between Happiness and Joy

I’ve always interchanged happiness and joy with each other. Recently, I’ve been exposed to more and more information about their differences. I love the explanation from this Harvard.edu article.

“Happiness technically refers to the pleasurable feelings (emotions) that result from a situation, experience or objects whereas joy is a state of mind.”

To me, this means that happiness primarily results from reaching a goal. It can be caused by getting a promotion, traveling to your dream destination, breaking your personal record in the gym, or finally nailing that yoga move. On the other hand, joy is something that can be cultivated internally through habits.

Yoga To Cultivate Joy

In yoga, chakras are energy channels in our body, and balancing them can help our physical and emotional well-being. The sacral chakra, Svadhisthana, is linked to pleasure, sexuality, and, most importantly, JOY.

Today, I’m sharing a series of yoga poses that you can practice by yourself or with a loved one. Each pose helps you rebalance your sacral chakra and can be used to cultivate joy this holiday season.

Yoga Poses To Cultivate Joy

Warm Up: Cat Cow

1. Begin on your hands and knees in tabletop position with a neutral spine. Your shoulders are on top of your wrist, and your pelvis is on top of your knees.
2. Inhale, Cow Pose. Lift your sit bones upward and allow your belly to lower while lifting your chest forward.
3. Exhale, Cat Pose. Draw your belly button to your spine while rounding your spine. Draw your sit bones down.
4. Repeat 3-4 times.

Yoga Sequence: Low Lunge > Warrior 2 > Triangle > Goddess > Wide Legged Forward Fold

1. Start from all fours. Take your right foot and place it between your hands to come to a low lunge position. Your right knee is above your right ankle.
2. Inhale, Low Lunge. Lift your arms to the sky. Breathe here. Engage your lower belly and open your chest for a slight bend in your lower back. Inhale.
3. Exhale, Warrior Two. Place the ball of your left foot on the mat to lift your back knee. Drop your left heel on the center of the mat. Open your chest up towards the left side of the room. Stack your shoulders above your hips and extend both arms out to each side so they are parallel to the floor. Inhale.
4. Exhale, Triangle Pose. Bend your right torso towards your right foot, reaching forward over your right leg until you find your edge. Press the knife edge of your left foot towards the mat to engage your left hip. Lower your right hand to your right ankle or the top of your right shin. Stack your left shoulder over your right and extend your left arm towards the sky.
5. Inhale, Goddess Pose. Lift your torso so your shoulders stack on top of your hips. Your toes are pointed on towards the outside corners of the mat. Lower your pelvis so your thighs are parallel to the floor, and your knees are wide apart. Bend your elbows 90 degrees, palms face forward.
6. Repeat this sequence on the opposite side.

Peak Pose: Yogi Squat

1. Stand at the center of the mat facing the long side of the mat. Your feet are wider than hip-width apart, toes pointing towards the corners of the mat. Inhale.
2. Squat down as you exhale, Yogi Squat. Make sure your knees are tracking in the same direction as your toes. Bring your arms in front of you in prayer position between your knees. Spread your shoulder blades and use your elbows to push your knees wider apart. Allow your spine to round and relax your neck.
3. Stay here for 5-7 breath cycles.

Cool Down: Easy Pose with Twist

1. Come to a seated position with your pelvis on the floor. Cross your legs, placing your feet directly below your knees.
2. Exhale, Easy Pose. Let your palms land on your knees.
3. Inhale, lift both your arms, reach to the sky, and on the exhale, twist towards the right side of the room, revolved easy pose. Lower your hands down where your left hand lands on the top of your right knee and your right hand lands behind you. Take two breaths here.
4. On the next inhale, untwist. Lift both arms back up, and suction your belly button to the spine to engage your core. Exhale, revolved easy pose towards the left. Take two breaths here.

End: Reclined Bound Angle Pose

1. Begin seated with your legs extended in front of you. Bend your knees and draw your heels towards your pelvis. Press the soles of your feet together and let your knees drop on both sides. Exhale, Bound Angle Pose. 
2. Inhale. Lean backward and bring your elbows to the floor, then lower your back to the floor. Exhale, Reclined Bound Angle Pose. Gently shift your butt cheeks from side to side, adjusting your position to let your spine lengthen. Place one hand in your heart and one in your belly, and breathe. Take an inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth – option to close your eyes. Let your awareness of your body, mind, and heart come fully. Let your breath occur naturally. Stay here for about a minute.

About the Author

Charlene Dipaola is a yoga teacher, martial artist and dancer. She is proud to be an Austin resident with her husband and 2 young kids. Her passion is using movement to help women have power, control and confidence over their own lives. She is the founder of Hip Shake Fitness, a virtual community focused on empowering women through dancing and movement. They have over 300k followers on youtube.

She teaches locally at Core Power Yoga downtown and Bencao Capoeira. Checkout her weekly class schedule HERE. You can also follow her on instagram @charlene.dipaola.