Good Morning Yogis – Happy Yule! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my nerdy research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
Holiday Yamas Practice Schedule
We are on our thirteenth day of Holiday Yamas Practices! After counting down the first 5 Yamas with 5 days of Ahimsa (non-harming), 4 days of Satya (truthfulness), and 3 days of Asteya (non-stealing), we are now having a full week of Brahmacharya for the week of Christmas in the United States.. a time that I will enjoy the focus on moderation!
Holiday Season – Yule
Today is the first day of a full week of Brahmacharya (moderation) practices. Today we will have a KISS (keep it super simple) Day and revisit my interpretation of Brahmacharya as the middle path – neither excess nor avoidance. Set an intention for yourself for taking the middle path this week in an area of your choice. I will be keeping this in mind throughout Christmas week in the US. Do not deprive yourself, enjoy small amounts of your holiday treats without over-indulging! If this concept of the middle path is new to you, please see more here or go here for a deep-dive.
Today (using the ancient method of measuring days beginning from sunset, rather than midnight) is also the first day of Yule. Yule is an ancient Germanic and Norse winter holiday, which has had many traditions carry into modern Christmas traditions. These include feasting, gift-giving, Christmas trees, holly, mistletoe, and of course Yule-tide and Yule log references in many Christmas carols.
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to examine Brahmacharya / moderation and the middle path in our lives and set an intention for this week of moderation. This is the start of a full week of holiday Brahmacharya practices, so we will will have focused moderation practices, but I suggest setting a goal for yourself for this week in a way of your choosing! I often choose to revisit food-related moderation because I love candy, and easily eat far too much when I partake mindlessly rather than mindfully… and this is especially true with the special holiday treats around Christmas!
Next INTRO CHALLENGE October 2023
Please comment and share how your Brahmacharya practice went today. How did it make you feel? Always remember, be kind!
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