Hi, I hope you're having a wonderful start to your weekend. Those of us in the US are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. What're your plans?

I look forward to spending Thanksgiving with my partner Charles and his family. Charles' sister will bring along her homemade pumpkin chiffon pie, which is absolutely delicious. I can't wait to taste that light, airy, and so flavorful pumpkin pie! Click here to download the recipe: Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Recipe.pdf

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Mindful Eating Advice from an Emotional Eating Life Coach

Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks and eating yummy food, often until we're stuffed.

At this Thanksgiving meal, I encourage you to bring some awareness to what you're going to eat and how much. And if you end up making a conscious decision to stuff yourself until you can hardly breathe, I want you to come prepared and wear stretchy pants. 🤣

Here are a few suggestions from my friend Candy Wright, an emotional eating life coach and founder of Candy Wright Coaching (candywright.com):

I love the meaning of Thanksgiving: A time to slow down and really feel the emotion of gratitude and the connection with friends and family. So, I always recommend doing everything you can to plan ahead so that you CAN slow down and feel each of these beautiful emotions.

Slowing down and taking things off your to-do list allows your nervous system to calm down. And when your nervous system is calm and feels safe, you'll naturally slow down your eating and not overeat as much.

So try this: Ask yourself if this activity, menu item, etc. is contributing to a feeling of gratitude and connection? If not, you may be able to take that thing off your list!

I also recommend planning what you'll eat at Thanksgiving the day before. Start with your proteins & veggies and then include the things you want to choose to eat and about how much (rolls, pie, stuffing, etc.); then eat them slowly.

Making a plan beforehand puts your prefrontal cortex in charge of your food decisions and squashes your survival brain's desire of eating everything in the moment. (Our brains love a plan!). Then focus on savoring all of the flavors and on enjoying the conversations and the moments you are spending with your loved ones.

If you do overeat, remember to be compassionate with yourself. Feeling guilty only causes more of a desire to overeat. So if you struggle with being compassionate with yourself, think about how you would speak to a small child you love and say those same words to yourself (even if it feels uncomfortable -- it will help to calm and heal your nervous system.) And then do exactly what Christine advises next. It's brilliant. xoxo, Candy

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Yoga Poses for Digestion After Eating Too Much

If you end up eating too much and feeling bloated or gassy, I suggest you go for a 10-minute walk and drink a small amount of water to start flushing out some of the sodium you've consumed. If even that feels like too much energy, try these two gentle restorative yoga poses to help your digestion after your feast and to regain your energy:

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Side-lying Savasana (corpse pose)

Since the stomach is mostly on the left side of your body, lying on your left side is good for digestion. It allows gravity to help move your food from the stomach to the small intestine and then into the large intestine.

How to do it? Simply lie down on your left side. Put a pillow under your head to keep your neck and spine aligned. Then place a pillow between your bent knees to stack your hips and support your low back You could also hug an extra pillow to give your top arm a comfortable place to rest. Breathe through your nose and allow your breath to naturally deepen and slow down. Feel some relief as you rest in this pose for 5-10 minutes.

(Supported) Reclining Bound Angle Pose

This pose, whether supported by pillows or not, creates space in your torso and pelvis, while also increasing blood flow and stimulating your digestive organs.

How to do it? For the supported version, place a long pillow (a queen- or king-sized pillow works great for this) on the floor to support your torso. Place another small pillow or rolled towel on top at the far end to support your head.

Sit in front (not on top) of the short edge of the long pillow. Bend your knees, place the soles of your feet together, and relax your knees out to the side. Place cushions underneath your thighs so you can allow your hips and legs to completely relax into this pose.

Then lie down on your back with your mid- and upper back and head supported by the pillows. Rest your arms on either side of your body with your palms facing up.

Adjust the pillows until you're totally comfortable, allowing your entire body to relax and your stomach to soften. Close your eyes, take slow breaths, and stay in this pose for 5-10 minutes.

You can also do this pose without the support of pillows. But pillows make this pose extra comfortable and allow you to relax more deeply.

⭐️ Deal Preview: Private Yoga Package 🌟

So, if you've ever wanted to work one-on-one with me but haven't pressed the "Book now" button yet, you're going to want to stay tuned for my Thanksgiving weekend deal...

Next weekend, from Black Friday through Cyber Monday (November 26-29), you'll be able to grab a 3-pack of virtual private one-hour yoga sessions with me (usually $115 per individual session) at a big discount.

You'll get to experience yoga that is 100% customized for your body's abilities and your personal goals. Whether you want to work on your balance, stretch your body to get more limber, or work on specific yoga poses, I've got you covered.

If you've been around for a while you KNOW that I hardly ever run discount sales, so this is a big deal.

Purchase the package(s) for yourself or for a loved one. No supply chain issues will derail this holiday gift!

If you're on my email list, be sure to be on the lookout for an email from me next Friday at 8 AM ET with the details. And grab your package(s) quickly. I'll only be offering a small number of packages at that special deal price!

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy Thanksgiving!! 🦃 🍽 🙏🏻
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Best,
Christine

P.S. I invite you to sign up for my weekly wellness newsletter. As a bonus, instantly receive a free video series ("Yoga Bites"), where you discover effective yoga tools to relieve stress and regain your energy in just 5 minutes!

Wellness & Yoga with Christine

Inspiring you to bring wellness into your life and providing you with the tools to do so.​​​​