Hello everyone!
Especially during this Christmas season, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your being here with me now, reading this. It means the world to me to have you on the other end. Really it does.
Thank you for all that you are and all that you do.
You make all the difference in my life. I wouldn’t be here without all of you!
I appreciate each and every one of you!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays to all of you!! Stay safe. See you in the New Year!
I’ve written a new Christmas blog this year reflecting our current times and am re-sharing a link to a Christmas post I wrote some time ago at the end. It has been my final relaxation reading all this week. I hope you enjoy it and I wish for you and yours a very special season.
“Christmas—that magic blanket that wraps itself about us—something so intangible—like a fragrance. It weaves a spell of nostalgia and of hope.”
~Christmas Decorations, Feasts, Gifts, Traditions by David Baird
We all have been searching for a little hope these past few months. “Christmas makes us tender toward the past, brings us hope for the future, and provides us with the courage to face it.” by David Baird.
I have always believed we all innately know and feel something magical is empowered this time of year—that each act of kindness “entrains with all others building a magical energy we call Christmas.” This year our hope is placed on finding the magic of Christmas amidst a different kind of celebration.
This year our celebrations will have more silence, less food, and more moments to reflect on just how lucky we are to have friends and family in our lives. Perhaps we’ll all find more meaning in a “Silent Night”. Using these moments of silence, we can still bask in the glow of the twinkling lights of our Christmas tree, no matter how big or small. We can still reach out to loved ones near and far whether through traditional Christmas cards in the mail, via a phone call or online. We can still sing our carols, drink mulled wine or cider, bake our favorite recipes, and watch old Christmas movies. We can still light our Christmas candles, smell the scents of Christmas coming from our kitchen or fireplace and do something unexpected for a neighbor or stranger. The Christmas spirit lives on—if we let it.
“Turn your thoughts and deeds to the spirit of goodwill, and Christmas will turn its spirit toward you. The Christmas message goes to those who make time to hear it.” ~ David Baird
It may be hard to “go there” in our hearts and minds because “there” isn’t the same this year. Our new “there” is fighting with some long-standing traditions that resist being broken. As I’ve written in a past Christmas post, the presence of the Christmas spirt “supports you with a sense that no matter what turmoil is in your life, love will accompany you. No matter how ungrounded and frazzled your outer world becomes, your inner Christmas remains unshaken.” Christmas magic always resides within—always.
This year we decorated our hearth and mantle close to the usual way, hanging the wreath and carefully placing the chosen Santa statues in their place. I could hear those that remained in the cupboards protest—yes, I really did hear Santa’s voice, but those that know me know I must have a connection with Santa! (My collection is….quite large.) It’s a year where less must be more.
Christmas usually fills our house each year from top to bottom, from bathrooms to bedrooms and stairwells. Every crevice and corner is filled with Christmas cheer and our doors are open wide for all to celebrate with us in our home and carol into the night. This completes our Christmas. Being with our friends completes our Christmas.
This year we must remember, “Christmas is not in the outer light show, but in our inner glow.” ~ David Baird. Yes—this year we WILL make less be more!
Let’s create some new traditions this year. Let’s close our eyes and bring to mind a memory of Christmas’s past and place ourselves there. Then sing a carol or two as loud as we can so that the neighbors wonder briefly and then join in. Let our hearts lift up in joy as the magic of the season lives on through us.
“Yes, dear friends, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were none of you in it.”
Merry Christmas! Thank you for being here!
Here’s my traditional favorite e-card!
Namasté,
Sandy Krzyzanowski
Better Day Yoga, LLC ~Mail to: 5024 Oxborough Gardens
Brooklyn Park, MN 55443-3990
(612) 708 6900 www.betterdayyoga.com
Zoom, zoom zoom!
I’ve converted all of my private classes onto Zoom during this unusual time and plan to stay that way for the unforeseen future, given social distancing requirements, the age of many of my students, etc. Here are some other Zoom options to consider!
AYURVEDA
As you may have read in my previous emails, I have been studying to be an Ayurveda Practitioner for the past two years! I have recently submitted my application for graduation as I continue to attend internships to learn as much as I can this final semester in this school! (I will, of course, continue my studies as I consider this is a lifelong learning process!) My thanks to all who have contacted me for an Ayurvedic consult!
An Ayurvedic consult is a series of Ayurveda therapy sessions, where we work together to determine your unique mind/body make-up which then helps us to determine where you might be out of balance. We look at diet and lifestyle, including time spent in relaxation, movement, breathwork and meditation/prayer. Then, considering all aspects of your unique mental, spiritual, emotional and physical life, together we will begin an individualized approach to bring you back to center, back to your true nature. Please let me know if you would like to participate in an Ayurveda consult! I would love to work with you!
YOGA NIDRA
Yoga Nidra is often referred to as Yogic Sleep. It is said that a 30-minute yoga nidra practice is equivalent to 2-4 hours of sleep! In yoga nidra, the benefits are immediate, from reduced stress to deep rest.
I have completed over 100 hours of Yoga Nidra training with my mentor, Indu Arora, as well as completed Kaya Mindlin’s in-depth “Nectar of Nidra” training and YogaFit’s Nidra training based on Richard Miller’s iRest Nidra program.
This ancient practice has incredible relevance in the modern world. With an excess of tension and worries, discomforts and uneasiness, fears and phobias, Yoga Nidra is a vehicle to connect deeply to our true nature, to peace, health, and self-awareness. Would something like that interest you? Please let me know! Contact me here.
Needing a little spruce-up but not wanting to leave the comfort of your own home? Try my online:
Facial Exercise, acupressure, self-massage class
Turn back the hands of time and learn some basic facial exercises that add muscle tone and a fresh glow to your complexion—and have a lot of fun in the process! No needles or chemicals involved. Be prepared to touch your own face (deciding whether you want to wear make-up to class is up to you!). We’ll cover specific exercises for your eyes, cheeks, nose, chin/neck, as well as your overall face. I’ll also cover some facial acupressure points, self-massage techniques, skincare tips, essential oil considerations as well as some tools of the trade you can consider. Learn more here.
Have you grabbed your Free
“21 days to optimizing your innate energetic potential”?
Using various segments from my archived newsletters I provide a dedicated 21-days of easy-to-do practices, meditations, diet/food recipes and suggestions plus other fun topics to follow along as you get to know your energetic/chakra system! This piece will explain what your seven basic chakras are, why they’re important, and how to work with them to bring balance. Just scroll down the “start here” page of my website to find the link!
And, here’s the archived post from a favorite Christmas blog. I hope you enjoy it!
Release to the magic of Christmas
