As I write to you, we’ve passed the Winter Solstice, we are in the middle of Hanukah, and Christmas and Kwanzaa are days away. This time of year is full no matter how you move through it. In a little over a week, we’ll say goodbye to 2022 and all that it has offered us. Between various observances, the race to wrap everything up at work for the year, and travel, it can be a lot. I’m just dropping in to ask you to remember the presence.

Mele Kalikimaka

I'm in a military household, and once I was in Hawaii for Christmas. My spouse was underway throughout the holidays, and all our possessions were en route to San Diego. We were moving. Ugh. I planned on spending the holiday with my dog and cat on loaner furniture in the echoey, spartan accommodations.

Instead, one of our Navy friends picked me up and drove me to the other side of the island. Honolulu traffic is no joke. This was some serious kindness, and I knew it.

This friend decided to have a holiday gathering to collect all the “strays” from the ship still on the island. I didn’t have to spend the whole day moping because I couldn’t fly home. Instead, I spent the day laughing and eating good food with kind human beings. I appreciated it even more because I have done holidays completely alone. It is a practice to engage with solitude during this time, so if that’s what you’re going through this year, I hear you.

On this particular year, though, my friends were nearby. The gift of the day didn’t come wrapped in pretty paper. The gift was the time itself. The people made the day, and it’s something I’ll never forget. Their presence was the gift. No purchase necessary.

It is within the realm of mindfulness to observe and, to the best of our ability, reduce suffering. Remember the ones who may not have anyone close at this time of year. If you can’t get to them in person, pick up the phone. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Small gestures of compassion can produce enormous ripples of goodness. Give them presence.

A time for abiding

Besides being present for others, it’s critical to be present for yourself. Our yogic friend, the pause, is here for us in every situation. If you start to feel frustrated or overwhelmed, that’s a good time to pause. When you find the company you’re keeping magnificent, be sure to pause. When you find them loathsome, also pause. This season may make you cry. Pause. This time may make you joyful. Pause.

Wherever you are, be there. “The Dude abides.” (Any The Big Lebowski fans in the room?)

(*Note: You do not have to abide toxic people. In yoga, we practice sitting with discomfort, but we do not condone being disempowered in a situation in which you have the agency to care for yourself.)

How does one abide? Well, you might find your breath. You can do that anywhere. Sometimes three conscious breaths are all it takes to return to the present.

Maybe the breath thing doesn’t work for you, or you’re like me, and you find the lights, music, and gatherings overstimulating. You can always take a lap around your building. Get yourself out of the overstimulating situation, and take a pause. A mantra is an excellent tool for this. I am in the here and the now.

When the feelings are really big (and this includes big, happy feelings, not just the negative ones), you might have to go have a cup of tea with them. I can see you [insert feeling name here]. I notice that you have come for a visit right now. It sounds a little odd, but it helps me sometimes to deal with these fluctuations of the mind. Maybe it’ll help you too. There are as many ways to appreciate a moment or find stillness as there are ways to practice yoga.

Happy holidays from Union Yoga

Wherever you are and however you are approaching the final weeks of December, we wish you all the goodness a human being can have. Thank you for being a part of Union Yoga. Take care and be well. May you be happy, healthy, and at peace during this season.