3 things come to my mind when Thanksgiving rolls around: Gratitude, Rest, and A LOT OF FOOD!
I’ve made it a regular habit to write down things that I am thankful for, ever since quitting my corporate 
job. Research shows that acknowledging what you’re thankful for can lead to a happier, healthier life. You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to give thanks, but as the Canadian holiday approaches, it helps to take time out to give thanks, spend time with family, and enjoy the feast together, and to do so mindfully.
I’ll start:
I am grateful for my best friend, high school sweetheart, and hubby. For my supportive friends and family who deeply believe in me. Without their faith in me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. For my coach Ray, who accelerated my growth as an entrepreneur 10000000 fold. For my beautiful home in this awesome neighbourhood. For my supportive and committed clients. I love them all. I am ever most grateful for my mind and body. I need this machine to keep doing what I love to do! 🙂
Below are 8 of my favourite yoga poses to express gratitude, relax your body, as well as aid digestion. You can deepen the pose prior to your meal, or take a lighter version after your meal. Listen to your body and remember to breathe. Hold the poses for 3-5 breaths.
1. Cat/Cow Pose (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana)
Moving through a few cat/cows can really wake the body up and help you tune in to how you feel. That’s why it serves as such a good warm-up in yoga classes. It’s a great move for first thing in the morning or for when you’ve been sitting too long. No wonder why cats are so limber and nimble! This helps you get the kinks out and tunes you in to your body’s movement capabilities. It reminds us that it is a blessing to be able to wake up every morning, to be able to practice, and be mindful. Who wouldn’t be thankful for that?
1.Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position, making sure your hands are aligned with your shoulders, your knees are in line with your hips, and your head is in a neutral position.
2. Slowly lift your gaze, chest, and butt as you inhale (cow pose).
3. On the exhale, round your back toward the ceiling while lowering your gaze (cat pose). Thank about creating a turtle shell with your upper back, spreading the shoulder blades apart. At the same time, tuck in the pelvis and draw your belly in.
2. Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Śvānāsana)
This is another great pose to open up your yoga practice with. This all-over stretch can energize your mind and body. With your torso is pulled in, downward-facing dog can help you become more aware of your digestive system and relieve any built up stress. It allows your belly to soften and creates space in the torso for digestion to occur.
1. Lift the tailbone towards the sky, legs hip width apart
2. Sink your weight into the legs and drive the heels towards the floor
3. Spread your fingers and toes,gripping the floor
4. Lengthen the spine and stretch out the arms and upper back
Options:
– knees bend and heels lifted if stretch for hamstrings and calves is too intense
3. Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana Variation)
This is a great hip stretch, allowing you to connect with the tightness and tension in your body and mindfully, consciously let it go. Any time you bring awareness to where you’re tight and can release it, it symbolizes the release of things that don’t serve you. Negative emotions, stress, toxic relationships. Being able to recognize this for yourself, you feel grateful.
1. From downward facing dog or from all-fours, exhale and bring your right knee to rest behind the right wrist while outwardly rotating your right thigh so that your right foot is in front of your left hip. The further away the foot is from your pelvis, the bigger the stretch, so make sure you keep the right foot flexed to support the knee joint.
2. Extend the left leg straight back and place the top of the left foot on the ground
3. Place your hands by your hips and inhale to lift the chest, exhale to fold forward into a sleeping pigeon
4. Garland Pose (Malasana)
This is great to build mobility in the hips, ankles, and feet, as well as relieve lower back tension. How it aids digestion is self-explanatory! It puts additional pressure on the abdomen to get things moving, and it is our natural human postition to go #2! 🙂
1. Start in Mountain Pose (Tadasana), with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart. Pivot your feet so your toes are wider than your heels.
2. Bend your knees, sinking down until your hips are lower than your knees.
3. Bring your palms together at heart center, and wedge your elbows to the inside of your knees.
4. Push your elbows into your knees to open your hips, and gently press the inside of your knees into your elbows. Draw your heart forward and up, attempting to bring length into your lower back and spine.
5. Seated Spinal Twist (Ardha_Matsyendrāsana)
Twists are a classic remedy to kick-start the digestive system when practiced with conscious attention to breath and posture. Gentle yoga twists increase blood flow to the bowels.
Twists put pressure on the stomach, the small intestine and the large intestine, aka the colon. Starting with the torso twisting to the right with the legs going to the left FIRST, will stimulate digestion because of the direction to intestines curl.
- Take your right leg over the left
- Take your right hand to the ground, behind your sacrum, and your left hand or elbow to your right knee.
- Take a big inhale to lengthen through your spine, then use your hands to twist your torso to the right. Switch sides.
6. Wind Relieving Pose (Pawanmuktasana)
The name says it all! This pose massages the intestines and other organs in the abdomen, it helps in digestion and release of gas, and enhances blood circulation in the hip joints and eases tension in the lower back.
- Lie on your back with your feet together and arms beside your body.
- Breathe in and as you exhale, bring your right knee towards your chest and press the thigh on your abdomen with clasped hands.
- Keep the left leg strong and pressed into the floor.
7. Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana)
This pose increases flexibility and prepares the body for meditative postures, allowing us more opportunity to give thanks. It will help relax your abdomen and relieve the organs of digestion and elimination.
- Sit with your legs straight out in front of you. Raise your pelvis with a block or a blanket if your hips are tight.
- Bend your knees and pull your feet towards as close towards your pelvis as you can, with the soles of the feet touching each other. Drop your knees towards the floor and push the feet together.
- With your index and middle finger and thumb grab the big toes of each foot. Lengthen through the front of the torso to the sternum as you pull your body down towards the floor.
8. Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Finally, after all the hard work we pour out in our jobs, for our families, our practice, and especially the preparation for Thanksgiving dinner! It’s time to rest and restore in this restorative pose. we lift our hearts to the sky, becoming more mindful of our deep belly breathing, so we can give thanks for the opportunities we have everyday, to continue to nourish our bodies with breath, and give thanks to ourselves and our bodies.
- Place blankets or 2 blocks underneath. One block between the shoulder blades and one at the head.
- From your seated bound angle pose previously, slowly lie down on the blocks or blanket. You can also place blocks underneath each knee or thigh for more support.
- Blankets or straps can also be used to loop around the the thighs and shins for additional support.
- Soften the face, the hips, thighs, chest, neck, throat, and allow the breath to flow freely in and out of the abdomen.
