Your Mini, At-Home New Year's Retreat

Happy new year! December is over, but I have another free gift for you to conclude our Holiday Survival Challenge: this mini, at-home retreat using exercises from our past 35 days together. There is one movement sequence for the low back and another for the shoulders and neck. If you do both sequences, the retreat will take you just under an hour. If you do only one, you’ll want to set aside about 40-45 minutes. (This builds in time for you to re-watch the tutorials linked below.)

Your supply list: a pen and paper, a belt or strap, and possibly a blanket and some pillows, depending on which relaxation pose you choose at the end. If you choose the low back movement sequence, you’ll want to be near a stair or have a block or stack of books nearby. You’ll also need to be near a wall. If you choose the shoulder and neck sequence, you’ll need access to a doorway.

Begin with a one-minute body scan or a mindfulness countdown, followed by a five-minute brain dump where you write down everything stressing you out in the allotted time. Then underline or circle anything you feel ready to let go of in 2026.

Take another minute or two to jot down a few 2025 accomplishments you feel proud of. They don’t need to be big to be meaningful.

Put your paper aside and stand up.

Out With The Old, In With The New: Shake out stagnant energy for one minute and, for another minute, invite in a new cycle as you activate your balance.

A Big Exhale for anywhere from one to five minutes. If it’s comfortable for you, try the standing version where you swing your arms, taking three sharp inhales through the nose and one big exhale out the mouth.

Give yourself a two-minute foot massage, one minute per side. Option for a third minute of toe piano, shown in the same link.

Spend about the next 15 to 20 minutes on movement, using one, both or a combination of these sequences.

For a low back release focus:

Low back circles (30 seconds per direction)

Side stretch with lung pop (30 seconds per side)

Anywhere hamstring opening (30 seconds per side)

Balancing ankle and wrist circles (30 seconds per side)

Head over to a staircase or stand on a block for the leg lengthener (30 seconds per side).

Come to a tabletop position, and do this side, calf and IT band opener (one minute per side). Use a folded blanket under the supporting knee if needed for comfort.

Sit down for a minute of sit bone walking (30 seconds forward, 30 seconds back).

Lie down near a wall, and do the kick a wall sequence with a belt or strap (30 seconds in each position per side: knee to chest, top leg straight, top leg open, top leg crossing body, four minutes total).

Staying reclined, do a minute of hip sloshing followed by figure 4 rocking (30 seconds per side), windshield wipers (another 30 seconds per side), and to finish up, 30 seconds of reclined DIY spinal traction.

(End of low back sequence.)

For a shoulder and neck release focus:

Begin with jaw and ear love, one minute of jaw massage and 30 seconds of gentle ear tugging.

Give yourself a hug (or move the arms into eagle position) for a minute total, 30 seconds with each arm on top.

Spend another minute on neck half rolls.

Sit next to a wall for a minute of the tech neck fix (do a few sets of 10 to 30 seconds each).

Lie down with a pillow or block under your head (you can do this in bed), and do this upper back opener for one minute per side).

Stand up, walk into your kitchen or bathroom and try these sink stretches (30 seconds per position, 90 seconds total — you’ll get a squat at the end, too).

Next, grab a belt of any kind for a minute of this shoulder opener (I use a bathrobe strap in the video).

Then come to a tabletop position for a minute of crawling child’s pose, followed by 30 seconds resting in traditional child’s pose.

(End of shoulder sequence.)

Spend three minutes on 360-degree breathing (the first minute with a hand on the belly and the other hand on the low back, the second minute with the hands on the ribs, the third minute with the fingertips touching).

Do one minute of butterfly taps.

Enjoy five minutes in either legs up the wall or this restorative position (which will require a blanket or towel roll plus some pillows).

Coming out of your relaxation pose, find a comfortable seat with the pen and paper you used at the beginning nearby. Rather than write a new year’s resolution, you are going to choose a word for the year.

Close your eyes, and ask yourself the question, “How do I want to feel this year?” or “What feeling do I most want to experience?” Listen. Then open your eyes and write down any words that come to mind. Examples could include strength, empowerment, peace or joy. Or use the adjective forms: strong, powerful, peaceful, happy.

I’m putting it on the record that my word for 2026 is presence.

Underline or circle whatever word feels most resonant or exciting, even if it’s scary!

Now, as you conclude your mini-retreat and go forth, your invitation is to seek out experiences that invoke the feeling of that word. Whenever possible, set boundaries around experiences that don’t. For example, to invoke the feeling of presence, I will seek out more time away from electronic devices and try to catch myself when I’m scrolling or constantly answering texts.