Happy Halloween! I’m teaching a yoga class tonight and couldn’t resist the urge to mix in a little flavor of the holiday. No, I won’t be showing up to teach in a costume, but hopefully I’ll be dispensing a few treats for my students. The treats are going to come in the form of practicing loving kindness for ourselves.

How many times during the week do you trick yourself out of doing good things for yourself? We tell ourselves we don’t have time for yoga, that it will be much better to stay glued to the desk, plugged into email, and that we’ll feel much better that we accomplished one more task on our to-do list. Right…and that right is delivered with a very deep sarcastic tone. This is the biggest trick in the book and one that I used to be the queen of.

When I was a little girl, I would hide my Halloween candy (yeah, I had to hide my candy, I had four older siblings) and allow myself to have a few of those mini treats each day. Now as a grown up, I try to follow this same simple routine of giving myself bite-size daily goodies of yoga and meditation. If you don’t have time to carve out an hour for class, just spend a few minutes in silent meditation or step away from the desk and do a few simple poses to release the part of your body that may be feeling tension. Give your mind a break from the i-[fill in the blank] for a few minutes and just relax and sink into a few yummy breaths. It’s even more rewarding than candy.

Speaking of candy, do you remember that one cool house in the neighborhood that always gave out the full-size candy bars or something special like a caramel apple to trick-or-treaters? Well, the Daily Downward Dog wants to be that really cool house today and offer up a restorative pose as an extra special treat. No worries, you won’t need to do a trick first, and you don’t need any special props other than a blanket and a towel.

Halloween Relaxation Treat

All you need is five minutes. Lie down on your yoga mat or a blanket and then place a pillow, rolled up blanket, or a bolster under your knees. Roll up a towel and place it under your neck. If you want to really block out the outside world, place something over your eyes. Begin to breathe deeply into your belly and feel your body melt into the floor. Let go of any areas of tension around the eyes, neck, and shoulders by breathing into these areas and feeling the release on the exhale. With eyes closed, simply listen to your body, allowing yourself to reconnect as you experience the delicacy of simply slowing down. Restorative poses like this help soothe your nervous system. Focusing on the breath aids in quieting the mind and helps you release deep-rooted chronic stress. Think of it as a big hug that heals your body.

Give yourself a treat this week, spend some time practicing yoga, and enjoy a few blissful moments that come from a balanced mind, body, and spirit.

Halloween Image courtesy of Graphics Fairy