A meditation for the holidays
This brief practice can help you embody the good intentions you hope to access during your time with family this season. It’s easy to tell ourselves beforehand that we won’t get catty with our sister or talk politics with Uncle Frank. But then there we are, hovering over the punch bowl, feeling those old habits take hold, and our intentions slip away. Take 5–15 minutes before heading out to center yourself in your intention for the day.
Pin it down. What is it you need to remember? It can be specific or general. I am not my family. My love for my mother allows me to be invincible to her criticism. Write it out or just keep it in your head, repeating as needed. Keep it brief, positive and sincere.
Sit in a comfortable position, with your body completely relaxed around a long and extended spine. Feel your breath. Practice three-fold breathing.
Visualize a bright, warm, golden light shining forth from your solar plexus.
After a few minutes, repeat your intention to yourself several times. Imagine the golden light growing brighter as you repeat your intention. See it spread out from your solar plexus and surround you.
When you feel this light within and around you, sit quietly in that space, allowing your breath to quiet the mind. As doubt and criticism bubble up, acknowledge and release them through the breath. Come back to your intention.
On your next exhale, say “Rammmm” aloud in one long syllable. Repeat this for a few minutes, inhaling deeply and exhaling “Rammmm,” until you feel infused with the indelible power of your intention.

Returning to the family dinner table, especially after being in the world on our own, can come with lots of memories. Those we share DNA with may be one of the best sources of reflection in our life. We made it through the growing pains of our adolescent years. Now we can give back by honoring those same individuals who helped shape us and change our lives. Let's give it up to family. A Bodymind Guide for the Dinner Table This Thanksgiving you’ve got three exercises to work with when you’re sitting across the table from your relatives. Before you withdraw, the moment you start to feel your wings ruffle in that old familiar way, try directing that fiery gaze from out to in. Make this Thanksgiving the most relaxing experience yet. All it takes is a bit of intention and discipline to make all the difference in the world. Change is best found in your pocket. Thanksgiving is a good time to practice accepting people as they are. If you’re with a difficult part of the clan, consider this: This person does not need to change. I can accept them just as they are. If you can look with this gentle mindset, you may begin to see how you can love the parts that may erk you. We are so very human. Let it be. Imagine joy with your clan. Visualization supports manifestation. Of course we’d love to let go of all expectations but holidays are chock full of promise, story, and greeting cards. It’s easy to start to feel anxious just walking to your local market and with signs for Christmas. Just nip it in the bud. Start reprogramming. Imagine what it’ll be like to cook at home, play games together, or tell jokes. Whatever it be, if you can envision happiness over the holidays you’re more likely to get it. Depth of Gratitude. What does it mean to be grateful? How have you been utterly blessed? How have you become a symbol of hope, love and joy. Try and answer these questions. Go for it. If this were your last remaining moment, who would you want to thank and what would you have to say? Coming Home Receiving a massage or bodywork session can be an excellent way to support and integrate your Thanksgiving holiday. If you’ve been stationary, get in for an invigorating treatment to stabilize your body like our one-hour Ground Massage. The body and mind are so intimately connected that should one be affect the other is sure to follow. Stay present. Remain within. Be the happiness you seek.

Here's our suggestion for a blessing to share with friends and family this year:
May we consider this food and the hands that have carried it to us today. Let us honor the bounty the earth has given, by using the nourishment it brings us to feed our own soul’s purpose. As we share this meal together, may we contemplate the beauty of this moment: when what was once separate and scattered throughout becomes a part of each of us. May it remind us of all we have in common. We share this meal in gratitude and with humility, remembering so many who are lacking, in body or spirit, the blessings we now celebrate.

Listen to Miles Davis blow. It’s clear the man has trained. He learned the basics, developed discipline, practiced with many people and performed for many more. Some might say Miles was a genius. Maybe. It's possible. When I listen, what I hear is a man compelled - not to get it right, but to get it out. For me, it is the sound of utter confidence. Think of confidence as a kind of improvisation. It takes courage, trust and playfulness. We do it all the time to some extent. Every day at some level we are improvising. You could say to improvise is to not know and do it anyway. So what gives? Why do so many of us deal with low self-esteem, a feeling of I’m not worth it, a sense of general confusion as to life’s meaning? We must understand that confidence—true confidence—is a kind of faith. It is seeing what is happening right now with absolute certainty. Confidence like this can never be destroyed. Then the question might be, how do we cultivate confidence? You can fake it. Puff your chest out. Overarticulate. Walk fast. Laugh loud. Use big words. Nod and smile. You can certainly fake it. But the way to true confidence is through an active process of surrendering. We must give up our expectations, our dreams, our hopes, even our fears in our life, and enter the reality of our situation. We let go of what we want. By giving up, giving it away, and letting go constantly, we become this open vessel. In this way, we can become familiar with the face of disappointment. This is very important. Why? Because when we fully accept our illusions about ourselves, then confidence naturally arises from what is. Embracing disappointment is a very important tool to cultivating our inner light. So what is confidence, then? Confidence is trust in the wisdom of the body and razor-sharp clarity of the moment. It is a surrender to everything that came before and will come. It is a living expression of openness. You can uncover your true confidence. But first you must give in.

Take 15 minutes to do this writing exercise.

Find a quiet space where you feel safe and comfortable. Take a few moments to quiet your mind and find your breath. Work on locating the part of yourself that can observe your body, mind, and spirit without judgment or criticism. Relax. It’s going to be fun.

Now, allow your mind to wander into the future. Imagine yourself one year from today. This is not a fantasy. This is the future. See yourself. Look at the details. This person, this future you, has completely embodied confidence. Imagine all of the snags that hold you back, the doubt, the self-loathing, the excuses, and all of that which does not serve you, simply evaporating. What does that person look like? How is he holding his head? What does her posture say? Write it down.

At this point, your brain might say, “Pffft, yeah right. YOU could never be that person. This is a dumb exercise. Maybe you should check your e-mail instead.” Just let that come and then let it go. Try it. Write down what this person looks like, and how he or she stands in the room. Then allow yourself to imagine all the things that person has accomplished in one year. All the goals, the intentions, the changes you’re always talking about making, this person has done. Write it down. How would it feel? In your body, how would complete confidence feel? Spend as much time in this space as you’d like, but make sure to write it all down. Don’t write, “I would be peaceful and lighthearted”; instead, say, “I am peaceful and lighthearted.” Own it. That person you see is the real you.