Whether you celebrate the holidays or not, it’s nearly impossible to avoid the barrage of input that marks this time of year. However, you have a choice about how to handle it all. You can choose to put your head down and barrel through it, hoping against hope to survive another month of December. Or, put a few simple practices into place that could make this a welcome month on the calendar.

Take control.
December can so easily be taken over by the excess of things. Too many parties, too many shopping trips, too many long hours at the office to prepare for the holiday downtime. We start out feeling like it’s going to be fine, only to find ourselves exhausted later in the month because we didn’t do anything to prevent the overload.

The best way to avoid end-of-the-season resentment and exhaustion is to start at the beginning of the month and chart the activities that you really want and need to undertake. By taking time to plan your month before it happens, you are making a conscious choice to tame the holiday madness.

Ultimately, you have control over a lot of the things that can make December feel crowded. Sure, we can convince ourselves: “I just have to go to that party” or “I have to go to three different malls.” Are you challenging yourself to evaluate the truth of these statements? What will really happen if you whittle things down? Will you lose your job? Will your family love you less? Will your social circle dwindle?

Yes, some of the decisions might be hard. You might have to withstand a few guilt trips. Through it all, keep reminding yourself that these choices are going to make your holiday season more enjoyable.

More of what you want.
Once you commit to a more reasonably-paced schedule, you’re already well on the way to savoring a more sane holiday season. By cutting out the things that will drain your energy unnecessarily, you inherently make the choice to take pleasure in the things that inspire you: seeing your kids more during their break from school, hand-making holiday gifts for your closest friends, sitting down with a cup of hot cider and a good book.

Once you make those initial choices, the process is not over. You will undoubtedly have ongoing opportunities to make your days as stress-free as they can be. At any given moment during the month, you have the power to change course away from the eyeball-rolling experiences of holidays past.

If you’ve chosen to visit extended family, you might have to make the decision to bow out of some activities in order to maintain an even keel. Or you might have to make that last-minute call to cancel your attendance at a social event because you aren’t seeing enough of your family. Again, not all of these choices will be comfortable, but they do all have the potential to have you sailing into the New Year, energized and fulfilled.

The point is, we can chalk this up to “it’s that time of year again” and gird ourselves for the worst, or we can sit down calmly on Dec. 1 and get a lay of the land, pen in hand, ready to design a do-able season. It will require discernment and a healthy measure of self-control, but once you take these few simple steps, there’s no doubting that you’ll be able to have your fruitcake and eat it, too.

— By Kimberly Jonas
Jonas, of Boulder, facilitates individual and group experiences in body awareness, personal inquiry, and intentional space. Contact her at www.kimberlyjonas.com.

Needing to shake off a bit of that holiday stress? Join Jonas for some refreshing and de-stressing movement classes:
Wednesday evenings 6-7:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Core Movement Studio, 1844 55th St., Boulder, www.body-mantra.com.

Whether you celebrate the holidays or not, it’s nearly impossible to avoid the barrage of input that marks this time of year. However, you have a choice about how to handle it all. You can choose to put your head down and barrel through it, hoping against hope to survive another month of December. Or, put a few simple practices into place that could make this a welcome month on the calendar.

Take control.

December can so easily be taken over by the excess of things. Too many parties, too many shopping trips, too many long hours at the office to prepare for the holiday downtime. We start out feeling like it’s going to be fine, only to find ourselves exhausted later in the month because we didn’t do anything to prevent the overload.

The best way to avoid end-of-the-season resentment and exhaustion is to start at the beginning of the month and chart the activities that you really want and need to undertake. By taking time to plan your month before it happens, you are making a conscious choice to tame the holiday madness.

Ultimately, you have control over a lot of the things that can make December feel crowded. Sure, we can convince ourselves: “I just have to go to that party” or “I have to go to three different malls.” Are you challenging yourself to evaluate the truth of these statements? What will really happen if you whittle things down? Will you lose your job? Will your family love you less? Will your social circle dwindle?

Yes, some of the decisions might be hard. You might have to withstand a few guilt trips. Through it all, keep reminding yourself that these choices are going to make your holiday season more enjoyable.

More of what you want.

Once you commit to a more reasonably-paced schedule, you’re already well on the way to savoring a more sane holiday season. By cutting out the things that will drain your energy unnecessarily, you inherently make the choice to take pleasure in the things that inspire you: seeing your kids more during their break from school, hand-making holiday gifts for your closest friends, sitting down with a cup of hot cider and a good book.

Once you make those initial choices, the process is not over. You will undoubtedly have ongoing opportunities to make your days as stress-free as they can be. At any given moment during the month, you have the power to change course away from the eyeball-rolling experiences of holidays past.

If you’ve chosen to visit extended family, you might have to make the decision to bow out of some activities in order to maintain an even keel. Or you might have to make that last-minute call to cancel your attendance at a social event because you aren’t seeing enough of your family. Again, not all of these choices will be comfortable, but they do all have the potential to have you sailing into the New Year, energized and fulfilled.

The point is, we can chalk this up to “it’s that time of year again” and gird ourselves for the worst, or we can sit down calmly on Dec. 1 and get a lay of the land, pen in hand, ready to design a do-able season. It will require discernment and a healthy measure of self-control, but once you take these few simple steps, there’s no doubting that you’ll be able to have your fruitcake and eat it, too.

— By Kimberly Jonas
Jonas, of Boulder, facilitates individual and group experiences in body awareness, personal inquiry, and intentional space. Contact her at www.kimberlyjonas.com.

[hec: box:  ]Needing to shake off a bit of that holiday stress? Join Jonas for some refreshing and de-stressing movement classes:
Wednesday evenings 6-7:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Core Movement Studio, 1844 55th St., Boulder, www.body-mantra.com.

And then there are the days when we wake up ready to write out a formal invitation to Change, complete with an RSVP at the bottom. When we make no bones about asking for a heaping dose of transformation with all the fixin’s, please.

Photo by Flickr user Just Me....

And so, how to best handle the days when we’re fired up, ready for anything? We can choose to go in blindfolded and hope for the best — much like moving through a dark room, arms awkwardly thrust out in front of us. Or, we can choose to be more prepared, setting ourselves up with some basic tools to maneuver the landscape of transformation.

Craft your intentions.

If you are going to take the time to formally invite change into your life, you might as well make it worth your while. Set an intention. What is it that you would like to shift? Be clear. And realistic.

In order for our intentions to have staying power, we must evaluate where we are now and determine what can realistically come next. Not that our more visionary, lofty goals aren’t valid or attainable. On the contrary. We move more effortlessly toward our most creative and cherished dreams by choosing do-able steps along the way.

Once you have a handle on your intention, repeat and repeat again. The more you articulate your wishes, the more they are being heard. It doesn’t matter what you believe in — God, Spirit, the help of others, your own power of manifestation. This is about opening yourself up to help in whatever form it wants to come.

Eyes and ears open.

Once you’ve articulated your intention, it’s time to turn up the volume on your senses. Listen and watch for signs pointing you in the direction of true transformation. Particularly circumstances that you might label as coincidence, because they often serve as the most unexpected catalysts on our path of change. Of course, there will also be the obvious “Eureka!” moments that will propel you into realms of transformation that you might never have imagined. Make sure to enjoy those heady experiences to the fullest.

If you land in a place of overload, invoke the power of discernment. Be attentive to what needs to be filtered out and what needs to be embraced. It can help to return to your original intention if you are feeling overwhelmed or lost. The simple question, “Is this person, this situation, helping move me toward my goal?” can weed out the charlatans that divert you from your true purpose and intention.

Embrace the journey.

Once you actively invite in change, the floodgates will be open for business. You will be awash with opportunities to step forward, to challenge yourself, to take action, to transform. Sometimes you’ll have to take two steps back to reassess and choose a more appropriate route. Sometimes you’ll find yourself moving forward at bionic speed, with no resistance in sight.

That’s the thing about transformation: It asks us to take a leap of faith, with a willingness to suspend the rational mind that thinks it knows the most logical steps to our goal. Once we surrender to the joy and mystery of the journey itself, the day will come when we find ourselves in the company of the very changes we invited in the first place.

If you go
Join Kimberly Jonas for an immersive weekend of transformation through movement and personal inquiry, Nov. 6-8. Visit www.body-mantra.com/services.html#immersions for more info on times, cost and registration.

— By Kimberly Jonas
Jonas, of Boulder, facilitates individual and group experiences in body awareness, personal inquiry and intentional space. Contact her at www.kimberlyjonas.com.

No matter what the occasion, you probably have a particular feeling rise up when you think about these kinds of events in your life. A feeling of deep relaxation. Of relief. Of expansion. Of gratitude.

These are the experiences — the rituals — that have the potential to play a powerful role in our lives. To help us move through tough times, to lift our spirits when we are low, to shift our vision and invite us to celebrate the beauty of life.

What it’s all about.

Ritual doesn’t have to be about spending lots of time or money (though a weeklong guided trek through the mountains of Peru might be the perfect thing for you, if you can swing it). It is the intention of our ritual that gives it its power. Create a ritual that has meaning, and it can transform the most overwhelming emotions and experiences.

Beware the urge to make your rituals about achieving a particular outcome. Ritual is not always about moving in a straight line between point A and point B. On the contrary, conscious ceremonies and rites require that we remain open-minded so that we can welcome new viewpoints and unexpected insights. In order to open fully to the power of your intention, be willing to accept an outcome that you never expected.

This isn’t always easy stuff. Yes, it would be fantastic if we could create a bubbling, witch’s brew on the night of a full moon, utter a few Shakespearian invocations, raise a hand to the sky and — poof! — everything has changed.

But the reality is that diligence is often a requirement when ritual is involved. We must stay attentive to our process and build from a foundation of faith so that the hidden wisdom can emerge.

Start with the obvious.

Photo by Flickr user visualpanic

There is probably something happening in your life right now that jumps out as being a drain on your energy. Maybe you are staying up late every night, working. Or recovering from a painful divorce. Or battling an illness. This is the inspiration for your ritual. By rallying around a particular event or circumstance, we consciously invite transformation.

Ritual can take many forms. If it is a new concept for you, start simply:

1. Take a slow walk around the block at the end of the day, taking time to acknowledge five things that you are grateful for from that day.

2. Take a bath, complete with your favorite music and scents; set the intention for your worries and sorrows to slip silently into the water.

3. Invite your three dearest girlfriends over to share a meal and to speak why you are each so important to one another.

4. Choose a yoga or other movement class that allows you to joyfully relate to your body for a couple of hours.

The key is to weave specific purpose and action together. Alone, the hot bath, the walk, the yoga class are absolutely helpful. However, invoking your most heartfelt intention into those activities will magnify their potency.

When it comes down to it, rituals ask us to enter an altered state — one step or many steps removed from the bustle and schedule of daily life. Through our own private ceremony, we invite a modified view of daily events, balancing pointed, clear intentions with a healthy dose of surrender. We have to simply open to the powerful magic of these rituals to discover new pathways for ourselves — and endless beauty along the way.

Step into the ritual of dance every week with Kimberly Jonas. BodyMantra classes are held at Core Movement Studio, 1844 55th St., Boulder; 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 10:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Check out www.body-mantra.com.

— By Kimberly Jonas

Jonas is a Boulder-based intuitive guide and healer and teacher of sacred movement, yoga and meditation. Contact her at www.body-mantra.com or www.kimberlyjonas.com.