Only a few nights until the magical big day: Christmas. Even though Christmas Day will look slightly different this year, the nerves may still be the same. Whether it’s all the excitement, the stress of cooking a perfect nut roast, or the pressure of picking a Christmas outfit, you might feel like you need to relax more. That’s why we’ve created a 15-minute yoga flow to do on Christmas Eve. In only 15 minutes, you will be more relaxed and ready for a wonderful night’s sleep before the festivities begin. 

Practicing yoga is beneficial for your mental health. It can help reduce anxiety, depression, and stress levels. That's why yoga is perfect for doing before going to bed or calming yourself before starting an important or hectic day such as Christmas. Are you ready for Christmas Eve yoga? Let’s get started. 

Get your yoga mat ready

Before we start with our relaxing yoga flow, it’s time to prepare our yoga mat. Roll your yoga mat out and start off in a crossed-legged position. Take some time to feel present on the yoga mat and manage your breathing. We’re going to guide you through a 15-minute yoga sequence to make you feel more relaxed and calm.

15-Minute Christmas Eve Yoga Routine

 1. Cat-cow pose

We’re starting off with a pose that helps to reduces tension in your back. To do the pose correctly, you get down on your hands and knees, while placing your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Inhale and arch your back, so that your belly sinks down. This is the cow pose. Next, you exhale while you round your spine and tuck your chin to your chest. This is the cat pose. Repeat this for approximately a minute and take long, slow breaths. 

 2. Downward dog

Next, we’re moving into one of our personal favourite poses, the downward dog. This yoga pose really stretches your back, legs and shoulders. Start in a plank position and push your hips up. This will leave you in a V-shaped position. Hold this position for approximately a minute while taking slow breaths.

 3. Warrior pose

When getting back up from your downward dog, take a big step forward with one of your legs, while keeping the other one in place. Keep your hips faced forward and move your arms up. Lean slightly backward with your upper body to feel a stretch in your hip and abdominal muscles. Hold this position for five slow breaths, switch legs and repeat.

 4. Low lunge twist

After the warrior pose, you can get your legs into a lunge position, extend one leg straight back and place one hand on the ground. The other arm should be lifted above the head, tilting your body sidewards. Repeat this on both sides and keep the pose for five slow breaths. 

5. Low plank

Next, we’re going to get into a low plank. You start off with a high plank and lower your entire body while keeping your elbows in close to your sides and bend your arms. Hover for a second when your biceps are parallel to the yoga mat. Once your start to exhale, move to the next position.

 6. Up dog or Cobra stretch

From the low plank, move directly into the up dog position, also known as the Cobra stretch. Unlock your toes, keep your legs straight and push your upper body upwards. Your legs and hips stay low to the ground. This pose stretches your entire body, from your legs to your shoulders and abdominal muscles. Hold this pose for five seconds, lay down on the floor for a few seconds and push yourself back up. Repeat this three times. 

 7. Puppy pose

For the next pose, grab your yoga block and place it in front of you. Sit down on your knees and place your elbows in front of you, on the yoga block. Arch your back and let your head sink below your shoulders, so you can properly feel the stretch. The yoga block helps to stretch more effectively, by adding height to your elbows. This intensifies the stretch and will have better results. Hold this pose for 5 slow breaths. 

 8. Child pose

Finally, we’re going to do a child pose to finish off our yoga flow. Place your hands and knees on the yoga mat and spread your knees as wide as the mat. Next, bring your belly between your legs and lay your forehead on the yoga mat. Your arms can be placed either on your sides or in front of you. Would you like to get a shoulder and back stretch out of this? Try to move your fingers forward a tiny bit and keep repeating this. Hold this pose for approximately one minute. 

Slowly come up, sit down with crossed legs and take another breath.

Are you feeling calm yet, yogi bears? Hopefully, this 15-minute yoga flow helped you to relax on Christmas eve, before the big day. Namasté.