Comfort: December Theme of the Month
Embracing Comfort at Moonflower Yoga & Ayurveda Studio in Brookfield
As winter settles in and the holiday season arrives, we’re embracing comfort — the kind that softens the body, supports the mind, and brings us home to ourselves.
In the Yoga Sutras, sthira-sukham āsanam reminds us that a posture should feel both steady and comfortable. When we choose comfort — on the mat and in daily life — we create a steady foundation that allows for compassionate curiosity and strength to flourish through challenges.
Finding Comfort in the Holiday Season: Comfort, Joy, & Nourishment
The holidays can be joyful, but also intense — full calendars, lots of social energy, and the pressure to “make it magical.” We’re often moving fast and pouring our energy outward. That’s why the familiar phrase Comfort and Joy feels especially meaningful this time of year.
Because comfort isn’t separate from joy — comfort creates the conditions for joy to grow.
It’s the grounding that helps us experience joy fully, instead of rushing right past it.
But not all comfort nourishes us in the same way.
Some comforts — extra rest, warm meals, quiet connection — truly ground us. They help us feel supported, safe, and at ease.
Others — overindulgence, overcommitting, overstimulation — might feel good at first but leave us more depleted afterward.
This season, we can gently pause and ask: Is this comfort nourishing, or just a temporary escape?
Comfort that is nourishing calls us back home to ourselves—to our breath, to the present moment, to the feeling of steadiness within.
So you might ask yourself: What does nourishing comfort mean to me?
Maybe it’s…
A cozy evening wrapped in a warm blanket
A yoga class that soothes your nervous system
Quiet mornings with no rush
Sipping turmeric milk by the fire
Saying yes to what nourishes you, and no to what doesn’t—without guilt
Let comfort lead. Let joy follow closely behind.
Comfort through Ayurveda
Here in Wisconsin, winter brings the height of Vata season in Ayurveda — cold, dry, and windy energy that can leave us scattered or depleted. Comfort becomes a form of medicine.
Support yourself with:
Warm, grounding foods — soups, stews, oatmeal, spices
Hydrating rituals — oil massage (Abhyanga), steamy showers, humidifiers
Cozy layers — scarves, socks, soft textures
Gentle movement — restorative and slow-flow yoga
Early nights — honoring nature’s slower rhythm
These practices strengthen digestion, soothe the nervous system, and keep our inner fire glowing bright through winter’s chill.
Comfort through Yoga
Yoga isn’t about pushing to the edge — it’s a practice of honoring what feels right. On the mat, comfort becomes a guide: How can I make this feel more easeful?
It might look like…
Using a prop for support
Softening your shoulders and jaw
Slowing your transitions
Taking a restful pose when needed
Comfort doesn’t weaken the practice — it deepens it. This month, let comfort guide your yoga — one breath, one posture, one moment of honoring what feels right and nourishing in your body.
An Invitation to Settle In
This month — and always — you are invited to settle in.
Settle into comfort.
Settle into what supports you.
Settle into the practices that bring steadiness and joy.
Comfort isn’t something to earn — it’s how we care for ourselves so we can show up fully and wholeheartedly.
May this season bring you warmth, grounding nourishment, soft moments, and space to simply be.
May you find comfort wherever you are,
Katie