Right now, you are here and you are safe.

In yoga this morning, a student made a comment indicating she didn’t think she could enjoy the holidays this year in light of the recent elections. The week of the elections, I had a hard time processing the results. I found myself in a cycle of forgetting about them until something reminded me, sending a jolt of fear through my body as my mind conjured up images of a future reality that resembled a cross between The Handmaid's Tale, Idiocracy, and The Last of Us.

After recognizing that it's not sustainable for me to keep repeating that cycle, I decided to make it part of my meditation practice, which goes like this: As soon as I realize I am in a future fear-based story, I bring my attention back to the present moment and I tell myself, "Right now, I am here in this moment, and I am safe." After that, I re-engage with whatever I am doing at that moment, which is typically more enjoyable. This practice communicates to my nervous system that I am OK and it has a profoundly positive impact on my daily experience and sense of well-being.

Spending the holidays with loved ones who have different values or who are stuck in a fear-based mindset and need to talk about it may trigger your own fear stories. Practicing continually calling your awareness back to the current moment by reminding yourself that "Right now, I am here and I am safe" will help regulate your nervous system.

I also want to remind you that you can choose to avoid events that may trigger you and only engage in activities, and with people, that make you feel calm and safe. For the remainder of the year, I am going to stay off of the news, limit social media (Stay in touch by joining my email list), and build a container of safety for myself by doubling down on my yoga and meditation practices, and spending time in nature and with relationships that nurture me, so that I can solidify the systems that keep me grounded.

I am not advocating burying our heads in the sand—for instance, we can invest in organizations like the ones my colleague recently posted on his site that work to protect against election fraud, which seems like the most valuable thing I can think of to invest in at this point—but it is important to have consistent rituals that keep us whole and sane so that we don’t enter this period frazzled, defeated, and unable to do what needs to be done.

All the years you’ve practiced yoga have been for this. Now is when your true yoga practice begins. Lean into it.