Marianne Elliott & Holiday Peace

 
Today I’m delighted to welcome Marianne Elliott, one of the teachers I most respect and admire. She is an incredible yoga teacher, a human rights activist, and the author of the forthcoming book, Zen Under Fire, a memoir about her time as a UN Peacekeeper in Afghanistan. Marianne’s work bridges personal and spiritual development development with service and social change.
 
She’s just come out with a fabulous holiday offering which I am signed up for, and I wanted to share it with you too.
 
Tara: Tell us about your new holiday offering. What is it?
 
Marianne: It’s my guide to surviving the holiday season with your sanity intact. 30 days of emails from me, sharing the practices I use to get and stay grounded, centered and clear when the pressure comes on. It includes access to videos, audios and “recipes” I’ve put together to walk people through the simple ways they can maintain their inner peace during the holidays.
 
Tara: That sounds wonderful. How did the idea come about?
 
Marianne: Last year, I noticed that I was getting a bit stressed out during the holiday season, so I put together a really simple (as in, you could do it without getting out of your chair) stretching, breathing, relaxing practice that I knew would help me. I shared it with some people. They loved it. They said things like:
 
“Thank you Marianne, for this gift. It was just what I needed this afternoon to calm me in the midst of holiday preparations.” — Cheryl
 
So this year, I decided to create the Zen Peacekeeper Guide to the Holidays – a very accessible, very simple, online event where I share more of that.
 
Tara: I love that you are going to be writing in the emails about your personal journey through the holidays this year. I’m so curious to read about that! What do you normally struggle with during the holiday season, and what do you do that helps?
 
Marianne: My ongoing challenge is overestimating how much I can do in a day (or an hour, for that matter) and then feeling rushed, like I’m always trying to catch up with the pace I’ve set for my own life. One of the practices I’ve developed that helps with that is a morning check-in where I set myself some very realistic and simple “conditions of satisfaction” for the day (I learned this from Jen Louden).
 
Another practice I use to manage the sense of rising urgency and hovering panic is to stop and breath deeply. I have some simple tips for how to set up your day so you have regular reminders to stop and breath a little more deeply. It’s amazing the difference just that can make.
 
Tara: You talk about finding peace within ourselves and spreading peace to others during the holidays. What is peace, and how do we access it? (I know, simple question.)
 
Marianne: Great question. In my experience, inner peace is a spaciousness. It’s the realization that although many things (thoughts, feelings, outer conditions) can fluctuate wildly, at our core we remain clear, loving and stable. And that – at our core – we are all the same. Outer peace, in a sense, is a simple extension of that. We access that realization through practices that help to settle the fluctuations of the mind while also opening and softening our hearts.
 
Tara: That is such a beautiful idea – that outer peace, peace in the world, is just an extension of the inner recognition that we are all the same. And I also love the way you articulate the dual work of settling the mind and opening, softening the heart.
 
A practical question: If someone doesn’t have a yoga or meditation practice, is it a good idea to try to start that during the craziness of the holiday season?
 
Marianne: Absolutely. I first started my meditation practice in the midst of the craziness of living and working in Afghanistan. I was experiencing depression and traumatic stress responses. An outsider might have said it was the worst possible time to try to sit still. In fact, I think it saved my life.
 
Tara: There is so much more we could say about that – and I know people will be looking forward to your book Zen Under Fire where you tell that story in full.
 
What else do you want people to know about this offering?
 
Marianne: I want people to know that the yoga in this course will not require you to have any prior experience of yoga, and special level of flexibility, any lycra pants or yoga mats. And that meditation doesn’t have any religious dimension.
 
I want people to know that if they feel a bit spun out at the holiday time, they are not alone. But they have another option.
 
Click here to learn more about Marianne’s “Zen Peacekeeper Guide to the Holidays.” I’ve already signed up!
 
Love,
 
Tara