A Season for Inner Peace: Bringing A Course in Miracles and Yoga into the Holidays and the Year Ahead

The holiday season has a way of touching everything at once. Joy and tenderness. Togetherness and old patterns. Gratitude, grief, hope, exhaustion. It’s a time that can feel beautiful and full, and also surprisingly vulnerable.

This is why the teachings of A Course in Miracles (ACIM), when woven together with Yoga, feel especially supportive right now.

At their core, both traditions offer the same invitation: to retrain the mind, soften the heart, and return to inner peace, regardless of what is happening around us.

As we move through the holidays and toward a new year, these teachings give us a way to stay rooted, connected, and open without bypassing our humanity.

The Shared Foundation of ACIM and Yoga

Yoga is often described as the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind. A Course in Miracles could be described the same way.

Both traditions recognize that suffering does not come from life itself, but from how the mind interprets life. And both offer practical tools to shift perception, from fear to love, from contraction to trust, from separation to connection.

This is not about perfection or positivity at all costs. It is about learning to see differently.

Forgiveness as a Practice of Freedom

In A Course in Miracles, forgiveness is not about excusing behavior or denying pain. It is a shift in perception, a willingness to see beyond the story the mind is telling.

During the holidays, this can be especially meaningful. Family dynamics, memories, expectations, and unspoken feelings often rise to the surface.

Yoga teaches us to pause, breathe, and feel what is present in the body. ACIM invites us to notice the thoughts layered on top of those sensations, and gently question them.

Instead of asking, “Who is wrong here?” We might ask, “What would bring peace to my mind right now?”

Forgiveness, in this sense, becomes an act of self-care. A way to release the weight we no longer need to carry into the new year.

Love and Fear: The Two Lenses of the Mind

One of the simplest and most powerful teachings in ACIM is this: Every thought arises from either love or fear.

Yoga gives us a felt experience of this truth. We know how fear feels in the body: tight shoulders, shallow breath, guardedness. And we know how love feels: spacious, grounded, receptive.

During the holidays, when schedules are full and emotions run high, this teaching offers a quiet reset.

At any moment, we can pause and ask: Is this response rooted in fear or in love? What would it feel like to choose again?

This isn’t about judging ourselves. It’s about remembering that peace is always an option, even in small ways.

The Illusion of Separation and the Gift of Community

Both yoga philosophy and ACIM point to the same truth: much of our suffering comes from the belief that we are alone, separate, or unsupported.

The holidays can amplify this belief, especially for those who feel disconnected, grieving, or overwhelmed. Yet this season also carries a powerful reminder: we are meant to support one another.

Yoga reminds us that we breathe the same air, share the same ground, and move within the same field of life.

ACIM teaches that what we offer to others and to ourselves circulates back through the shared mind.

A kind word, a moment of patience, an act of listening, these are not small things. They are quiet miracles. Subtle shifts from isolation toward connection.

Bringing These Teachings into the New Year

As the year turns, many of us feel the urge to resolve, improve, or fix ourselves. Yoga and ACIM offer a gentler approach.

Instead of asking, “What should I change?” We might ask, “How do I want to see?”

Some intentions inspired by these teachings might be:

• To pause before reacting

• To choose peace when possible

• To meet discomfort with curiosity rather than judgment

• To trust an inner wisdom deeper than fear

This kind of intention doesn’t depend on circumstances. It supports us in every season of life.

A Practice for the Season

As you move through the holidays and into the new year, try this simple practice:

1. Come to a comfortable seated position or rest in stillness.

2. Bring awareness to your breath, allowing it to soften the body.

3. Silently repeat: “I could see peace instead of this.”

4. Notice what shifts, not by force, but by willingness.

   
   

Let this become a thread you carry with you, on the mat, at the table, in conversation, and in quiet moments alone.

A Closing Reflection

The true gift of both yoga and A Course in Miracles is not escape from life, but a deeper trust within it. Remembering that peace is not something we earn, but something we uncover.

May this season support you in releasing what no longer serves. May the coming year deepen your connection to yourself, to others, and to the quiet wisdom within.

And may love, practiced gently and daily, shape the path ahead.

With love,

Prema

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About Prema Posner

Prema Posner is a devoted yoga and meditation teacher with more than 15 years of experience holding safe, sacred space for students to reconnect with their bodies, hearts, and natural wisdom, especially in seasons of change.

Her journey began in 2008 with a life-changing pilgrimage to India, where she studied deeply on the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh. Since then, Prema has completed over 1,500 hours of study, immersed herself with master teachers, healers, and spiritual guides across India, Bali, Thailand, Peru, and Guatemala, and has gently guided thousands of students from all walks of life.

Prema’s heartfelt calling is to help women, particularly those in midlife and beyond, move with softness and courage through transitions, grief, and new beginnings. Her teachings weave together gentle yoga, meditation, ritual, and contemplative practices to create a compassionate pathway back to self-love, stability, and trust.

Known for her nurturing presence, clear guidance, and soul-level empathy, Prema is described by her students as “the embodiment of love.” She teaches for organizations like the Chopra Institute and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and serves communities through Om Practice, supporting everyone from caregivers to veterans.

In addition to yoga, Prema offers gentle tools for self-inquiry and reflection, drawing on her experience as an intuitive artist and certified tarot guide. She believes in the power of deep listening, everyday grace, and living yoga, not just on the mat, but in every breath and relationship.

Prema’s vision is simple: to help you remember your innate worth, and to journey alongside you as you find freedom within your body, within your heart, and within your own wise soul.