Yoga & Hygge

About 3 weeks ago I was introduced to such a fun concept, word, movement —- Hygge. Have you heard of it? I feel like I didn’t know anything about it, and then all of a sudden my Facebook feel was filled with it, including a post from Pure Wow about needing to read this book “The Little Book of Hygge.” I was going to be heading up to Kripalu for a yoga teacher training, so I decided to get this book, I thought it would be perfect to get all cozy while up in the Berkshires and read this book. 

So if you don’t know what Hygge is, to distill it super quick (and not include all the tradition that the Danish find in it) – if you like candles, fuzzy socks, scarves and cozy blankets – then Hygge might be for you. Seriously, this is like my life – literally – at all times of the year, not just winter. As the author, Meik Wiking, writes in the Little Book of Hygge:

“Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things. It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down.”

Is there any place that we should feel more safe than on our yoga mats? While we are on our mat, we should use that as our space to feel comfortable, feel at home and let go. When we have a practice at a studio, we are with our “yoga family” – those we share some very deep parts of ourselves, even if they never realize it since our practices are done in community, but each is our own.

So next time you are on your mat, I invite you to think about your space, be aware of it – and find that coziness that is all yours. Then once you’re done with your practice put on those fuzzy socks, light a few candles, drink some hot cocoa and think about how totally hygge you have been.

Fuzzy socks ✅

Cozy blanket ✅

Hot drink ✅

Hygge ready