Eastern Meditation Practices to Ground You During the Holidays
During the holidays, meditation becomes essential. let’s be real for a second: the “most wonderful time of the year” is usually just code for “the most stressful, expensive, and chaotic time of the year.” Between the aggressive gift shopping, the forced family reunions with relatives you actively avoid for the other 11 months, and the sheer amount of sugar coursing through everyone’s veins, it’s a miracle anyone makes it to January with their sanity intact—which is exactly why meditation during the holidays stops being a luxury and starts feeling like a survival skill.
We all have our coping mechanisms. Some people hide in the bathroom scrolling TikTok; others drown their sorrows in eggnog. But if you’re looking for a way to survive the holidays without a massive hangover or a mental breakdown, you might want to look East. Ancient Eastern meditation practices have been keeping people chill for thousands of years, and frankly, they didn’t even have to deal with Black Friday sales.
Here is how you can use these ancient techniques to stay grounded when the festive season tries to knock you over.
Why You Need to Ground Yourself (Like, Right Now)
“Grounding” sounds like something your yoga teacher whispers while you’re trying not to fall over in Tree Pose, but it’s actually a legitimate survival strategy. When the holidays hit, our minds tend to time travel—we worry about the future (credit card bills) or regret the past (why did I agree to host this?).
Eastern traditions emphasize pulling your brain back to the now. When you are grounded, you aren’t spiraling. You are present. You might still be surrounded by screaming toddlers and wrapping paper explosions, but you aren’t letting it drag you into the abyss.
Mindfulness: Observing the Chaos (Without Joining It)
Mindfulness (or Vipassana) is the big one. It’s the art of noticing things without judging them. This is incredibly hard when your aunt is criticizing your career choices over turkey, but it’s essential.
Instead of reacting—snapping back, crying, or flipping the table—you observe. “Oh, look, Aunt Sara is being passive-aggressive again. My chest feels tight. Interesting.” You become a spectator to your own holiday drama. By detaching yourself from the immediate emotional reaction, you stop feeding the fire. You’re just a cool, calm observer watching the circus from the stands.
Metta Meditation: Loving the Unlovable
This one is basically playing the game on Hard Mode. Metta, or Loving-Kindness meditation, involves silently repeating phrases of goodwill toward yourself and others. It starts easy (“May I be happy”), but the boss level involves directing those feelings toward people who annoy you.
Yes, you have to sit there and think, “May Uncle Bob be happy. May Uncle Bob be peaceful,” while he’s ranting about politics. It sounds fake, I know. But the point isn’t to suddenly become besties; it’s to stop your blood from boiling. It neutralizes your own anger so you don’t end up having a coronary before dessert.
The Strategic ‘Walking Meditation’
In Zen traditions, walking meditation (Kinhin) is a way to practice mindfulness while moving. For the modern holiday survivor, it’s the perfect excuse to escape the house.
Tell everyone you’re going for a “refreshing winter stroll.” Once you’re out the door, slow down. Feel your feet hitting the pavement. Notice the cold air on your face. Look at the tacky inflatable lawn decorations with genuine curiosity instead of cynicism. This physically removes you from the stress triggers and uses the rhythm of walking to reset your nervous system. Plus, nobody can ask you to refill their drink if you aren’t there.
Breathwork (Pranayama) for Emergency De-escalation
If you can’t escape the room, you can always escape into your lungs. Pranayama covers various yogic breathing controls, but you don’t need to be a master to use them.
When the tension peaks, try a simple box breath or just lengthen your exhales. It signals your parasympathetic nervous system that you aren’t actually being chased by a tiger (even if the mall parking lot feels like a jungle). It’s a physiological hack to lower your heart rate instantly.
The holidays don’t have to be a endurance test. By stealing a few techniques from Eastern philosophy, you might actually enjoy them—or at least, you won’t be the one crying in the pantry this year.
Peace Is Still on the Schedule
The holidays don’t have to drain your energy or your patience completely. By incorporating Eastern meditation practices into your routine, you give yourself a moment of stillness that cuts through the noise of the holidays and brings you back to center. Even a few mindful minutes a day can help you move through the season feeling grounded, present, and a lot less overwhelmed.
