Meditate to release stress

It may be the season of joy, but it's also the season of undue stress.

Yoga and meditation are two techniques to fall back on when you're up to your eyeballs in "to-dos" with no help in sight. Here's a simple meditation for beginners, from Inner IDEA:

Simple Meditation for Beginners

This meditation exercise is an excellent introduction to meditation techniques.

1. Sit or lie comfortably.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.

4. Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage and belly. Make no effort to control your breath; simply focus your attention. If your mind wanders, simply return your focus back to your breath. Maintain this meditation practice for 2–3 minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods.

For the more advanced practitioners, we have two wonderful experts to meet--

Mark Thornton, author of Meditation in a New York Minute: Super Calm for the Super Busy

and

Arjuna Ardagh, author of Leap Before You Look
Link

Gather up some advice before the stressors arrive!