I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but it never hurts to circle back to this topic as our holiday calendars get more and more full. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, you still probably have more social obligations than usual, perhaps some extra time off, and just general disruptions to everyday life right now.
Times like this can throw off even the most entrenched of routines, and to be truly effective and create lasting and meaningful change in our lives, Qigong needs to be practiced daily. Here’s a few suggestions to keep your practice on track this holiday season.
Set a regular practice time and stick to it
Admittedly, this seems pretty obvious on its face, but we often have so much going on that when we consider something else we want to add into our day, we content ourselves to thinking we’ll get to it later, which frequently does not happen despite the best of our intentions. Creating a dedicated practice time puts it in a slot where your brain remembers it, and puts intention behind it because you’ve insisted it has to happen at this time each day. I treat my daily practice with the same regularity and importance as brushing my teeth, something that has to happen every morning.
Create a reminder on your phone with an alarm
We carry these powerful little computers in our pockets with calendars that can remind us of pretty much anything, why not remind us to practice? Turn the alarm function on and no amount of distraction at home will keep you from getting your practice done. Bonus points for putting your phone in airplane mode when you start your practice.
Gift yourself something nice for your practice space
You know that feeling you have when you wear a new piece of clothing out of the house for the first time? You’re excited to put it on, you feel just a little more confident, and it adds an extra something positive to your day. In the season of giving, why not give yourself a gift of something uplifting for your practice space? Honestly, this can be anything- a stone, a plant, a picture- the important thing is that it is something that makes you want to be in your practice space, and energetically draws you there.
Between near daily parties, an upside-down work schedule, and a practice space so littered with wrapping paper scraps and bows that it looks like an elf threw up in there, I too find it challenging to hold fast to regularity the last two months of the year. But given how much my practice has improved my life, it’s essential to me that I keep it up daily, no matter what, and I’ve used all the tips I’ve given here at one time or another to do just that.
Whatever you celebrate and however you celebrate it, I wish you joy, peace, and the happiest of holidays this year.