Zen Peacekeeper Guide to the Holidays

The holidays are upon us.

Peace on earth. And goodwill to all. Right?

What? It feels more like stress at home and ill will towards family?

You’re not alone.

Last year, the beginning of the holiday season had me feeling a little over-caffeinated (even though I wasn’t drinking any caffeine) and under-rested. It seemed as though I couldn’t quite keep up with the pace of my own life or my own expectations.

At the holidays – more than ever – you need practices to keep peace with yourself and others.

All we want for Christmas…

…is everything.

You want to enjoy your families over the holidays, but you end up feeling ‘not quite at home’ with the people who you are supposed to be closest too.

You want to lay the table beautifully, buy the fancy wine, give your children ethical, sustainable gifts, and do it all with your hair brushed and your lipstick on straight.

But you end up giving into pleas for the new Barbie, don’t even know which is the fancy wine, and never seem to leave enough time to brush your hair before the guests arrive.

You want to feel free to be generous, maybe even a little bit indulgent, but you end up feeling financially squeezed, maybe even a little bit scared.

This mix of high expectations, financial pressure and family tension puts even the easiest of our relationships under strain.

We start to wish that the holidays would just be over and done with. And they haven’t even begun yet.

Peace on earth (and between your ears)

This year I am sharing the practices I’ve learned to keep my inner and outer peace under holiday pressure.

I can’t teach you to knit cute home-made presents. Or lay a beautiful table.

But I can tell you the truth about my own holiday practices – what I do, when I do it (and when I don’t) and how those practices bring peace for myself, and those nearby (whether that’s the woman serving me at the bank or my family).

What people had to say about last year’s holiday gift

“Absolutely wonderful, Marianne. Thank you so much. Warm, simple, strong, effective. You are awesome.” – Emma Alvarez Gibson

“Thank you Marianne, for this gift. It was just what I needed this afternoon to calm me in the midst of holiday preparations. The loving kindness meditation will be incorporated into my morning practice. You are a loving light in the world.” – Cheryl

“Thank you for your fearsome expertise and gentle guidance. It’s the winningest combination.” – Jo

What you really want for Christmas…

• a sense of peace and calm in the midst of the madness.
• practices to help you maintain awareness, rest, focus, and creativity.
• special access to what keeps me “zen under fire” at the holidays.

And that’s what you’ll get when you join this Zen and the Art of Peacekeeping Holiday Edition.

“What I would like to say to Marianne is first of all your warmth and authenticity is a breath of fresh air. The holistic approach you have to yoga, is so refreshing. Your dealing with the psychological issues of perfection and the inner critic are really useful.” – Magdalena

What you get

For $30 ($1 a day) you’ll get a peace-offering (in the form of an email) from me every day from 23 November to 23 December.

My peace-offerings for you

You’ll get my honest experience of this holiday season and I’ll tell you the truth about the practices that are supporting me (including what happens when I neglect them and how you can learn from my mistakes).

You’ll get videos, audios and written ‘recipes’ for the simple practices that help me keep the peace within myself and in all the other places you can think of where peace might need to be kept over the holiday season. These include practices for writing, eating, yoga, walking, sleeping and meditating.

We’ll keep the peace these holidays. We’ll start with ourselves. And then we’ll watch the peaceful ripples spread. And together, we’ll make ‘Peace on Earth’ more than a greeting card line this year.

Ready to make some peace these holidays?

Important note: you will automatically be signed up to the course at the email address you use to make your payment. You’ll get a message to that address asking you to confirm that you want to get my peace-offerings. Click that link and then when you get the next message you’ll have the option of changing the email address. Thanks!

Who am I?

“I found that practicing every day really helped me start my day off right and helped me mentally deal with the stresses of work, and life, much better than I used to. I also went into it thinking it would be a real challenge for me to commit to doing it all 30 days. But I did, and this is something I am really proud of. It shows me that I do have some discipline and I can commit to something if I really put my mind to it!.” – Kim Ware

I’m Marianne. I believe it is possible to do good and be well. I’ve spent my life learning how to do both and these days what lights me up is teaching other people to do the same.

My ‘do good’ credentials: I’m a human rights advocate and a writer. I served in the United Nations mission in Afghanistan with a focus on human rights and gender issues and worked as Policy Advisor for Oxfam. I’ve written a book about doing good and being well in Afghanistan (Zen Under Fire, coming in 2012 from Penguin NZ) and I write for the Huffington Post.

My ‘be well’ credentials: I’m a yoga teacher (Yoga Alliance 200RT) and I created the 30 Days of Yoga courses to help you start (or restart) your own yoga practice. I’m also the Regional Leader for Off the Mat, Into the World in New Zealand and Australia.”

“I’ve been yoga-phobic my entire life. Marianne Elliott changed that (and my life in the process).Her 30 Days of Yoga is amazing. She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever experienced (and I’ve been a teacher for many years).” – Dr. Brené Brown, author of I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t)

“I never really believed I could be one of those people who had a daily practice and yet I have done that over the last month. Because of your way of teaching and your realistic and compassionate approach I got over the critical inner voice which told me that I wasn’t good enough. … You are a fab, funny, inspirational, compassionate and imperfect teacher.” – Kirstie Farmer (human rights advocate, humanitarian and mother)