Maintaining your yoga practice during the holiday season can be challenging. Here are a few ways to reap the benefits of yoga all season long…

As busy and hectic as the holiday season can be, yoga can be of great help in keeping us sane and grounded! While it may feel difficult to maintain a regular yoga practice during the holidays, the benefits are more than worth it. Even if you feel impossibly busy with holiday parties, shopping, wrapping gifts, and visiting with friends and family, be sure to take a bit of time out for yourself to reconnect and refresh your energy with some yoga. There are plenty of quick yoga sequences you can do this time of year that only take a few minutes and are easy to fit into your busy schedule. (Check our workout archives for some great holiday-friendly classes.)

Here are 3 simple ways to maintain at least some semblance of a yoga practice during the holidays:

1. Set an Intention. Just as you set an intention for your yoga practice, it’s a great idea to set an intention for the holiday season, too. Gratitude is a great intention for Thanksgiving (Duh. That’s the whole point!), but that doesn’t mean you have to move on when the leftovers are gone. Choose an intention that means something to you and meditate on it throughout the holiday season. Remember it every time you hear holiday music blasting through the speakers at your local retail establishment to keep you grounded. (Take that, Holiday Consumerism!)

2. Renew Your Commitment. Yes, I know you’re busier than usual. There are trees to be trimmed, gifts to be purchased, sweet treats to be made, and a thousand other excuses to skip out on your asana and meditation practice this time of year. Don’t. Sure, a commitment to your yoga practice might keep your belly from shaking like a bowl full of jelly when you laugh (ho ho ho!), but more important, it will help you see that there’s a reason to keep laughing even when things get crazy.

3. Be Mindful. The holidays give you many unique opportunities to practice mindfulness. Be mindful when you eat, speak, shop, and visit with family. If you let your intuition guide you, you won’t have to stress over how many calories you ate or wonder whether you should have said that to your opinionated Aunt Edna.

Find more holiday yoga tips at YogaJournal.com…