After a busy year + hectic holiday season, I am so ready for January to roll around. And I love a New Year’s resolution to mark that change in the season. When the clock strikes midnight on January 1st, something clicks in my brain. All of a sudden I'm ready to quiet my mind, focus on myself, my health + put more intention into everyday habits. Yes, I want to eat a salad, floss + read before bed instead of watching another episode of RHONY. It’s a miracle.

Earlier this year we met up with Megan, the owner of Toronto-based yoga studio Good Space + she shared her morning stretch routine to wake up the bod + get ready for your day (you can read about it here) – and today we’re sharing her evening wind-down.

For Megan, a really nice routine is 5-15 minutes of meditating before bed. If the idea of meditating feels like too much of a commitment or a little scary she suggests to think about it as conscious breathing. Focus on + only on the breath coming in and going out. And you can start at 5 minutes + work your way up to longer over time too. Be gentle with yourself – Rome wasn’t built in a day, friends :)

First, find a comfy seat on your floor with a pillow or the edge of your bed, close your eyes and settle into position, getting any adjustments out of the way. Megan suggests to either place your hands on your knees (palms up or down) or one hand on the heart and one on the navel. The latter position really allows you to feel the breath moving in + out of the body, so it’s a good tool to use if you’re a beginner.

There are a few ways to focus on your breathing. You can 1) count the breaths (ex. count to 10 then start again), 2) consciously make the inhales the same length as the exhales, or 3) pause for a beat when you reach the top of your breath (full of air) and the bottom (empty).

We love how do-able this practice feels, and hope it becomes a way you transition from daytime to dream land 😴

– Sammi