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SEASON’S GREETINGS: Need stress relief over the holidays?

Try some yoga techniques to improve your health at Christmas and into the new year
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Yoga instructor Brie Mills decorated the studio at Total Ice where she teachers a variety of classes. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

Breathe.

That is one of the tips yoga instructor Brie Mills suggests for enjoying the season.

“When anxiety builds up you need to find a calm space. It could be in your car or a quiet place in your home.”

By taking 10 restorative breaths and repeating that five times, tension in the shoulders will relax. It is ideal to breathe through the nose and exhale through the mouth, but it is also OK to breathe in and out of the nose if that is more comfortable, Mills suggests.

When asked for a relaxation pose, Mills lay down on her back on the floor and stretched her legs up against the wall, placing her arms out to the sides.

“This is a good one or even just sitting on the floor,” she said.

Another tip is to create lists for each day so things are not left to the last minute and then reward yourself for doing a few things on the list.

Mills has been a yoga instructor since 2015. Born and raised in Alberta she met her husband, Cody Mills, who is originally from Williams Lake.

She became interested in yoga when she was 16 and broke the growth plate in her right foot. As a super active youth, she needed to keep moving her body while her foot healed and that is when she discovered yoga.

“I was hooked because it was challenging and I could see growth in my abilities.”

Since October she has been teaching yoga at Total Ice Training Centre Ltd. on Cattle Drive. Her courses include: Steady Flow —which is about holding poses and activating muscles– Happy Hips and all the muscles connected and Yin to Bed —which is about stretching the entire body.

Mills had a baby eight months ago and first went to Total Ice to attend a mom and baby class taught by Tasha Johnson where she found the environment very welcoming. From that connection, Total Ice opened up a room for Mills to teach yoga.

She has also taught private yoga lessons at the fire hall in Williams Lake and introduction to yoga a the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.

Mills trained as an instructor through Yoga Medicine and said her focus on the practice is very physical.

“I don’t know any of the spiritual side, but was drawn to the physical aspects and the focus on how the body reacts to yoga.”

READ MORE: Yoga being used for trauma recovery in 25 B.C. communities



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Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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