By Marcia Appel — Last Updated: November 10, 2025

Some things happen like clockwork, and this infernal twice-a-year shift in time isn’t one of them. Oh, the time itself changes with precision, of course, and there it ends. Since November 2, I’ve been wandering around feeling physically tired and mentally foggy because we “got an hour back”, which is just so much BS, please forgive the expression. The twice-a-year clock reset takes a terrific toll on people, the economy, and perhaps the culture itself. This is well researched and well documented, from increased traffic accidents, to a loss of productivity at school and work, to depression.

Taking measure of my own crabbiness alone would convince even the most doubtful that committing to standard time, the one our ancient brains cherish, is logical.

As my friend and Florida neighbor Bill Riley frequently reminds me on our daily long bike rides when we parse and debate many topics, “Marcia, never confuse logic with intelligence.” (And, certainly, please don’t confuse the science of rigorous research and the experience of health experts with the misinformation that may literally be killing us.)

You can sense that I’ve been on a roll.

In the haze of this time warp, I slowly became aware that in about six weeks 2025 will end. How can this be? Even though most days I feel that this year (and the next few) will never be over, logic prevails because the calendar doesn’t lie. With so little time left before we sing “Auld Lang Syne”, how will I get everything done, from selecting the right supplemental health insurance to inputting receipts into my tax-tracking spreadsheet to fulfilling my volunteer commitments, and doing some teaching, especially with the period we call “the holidays” upon us?

Since opening Green Lotus in 2007, every year around Thanksgiving week, I have observed students walking into yoga classes bearing the signs of stress: wearing their burdened shoulders like earrings, or rounding them as though they carried a burden; holding their breath; cutting back on yoga classes to prep for the holidays, and sometimes dripping tears of over-tiredness in savasana. In classes I regularly taught for so many years – especially in Mindfulness Yoga & Mediation, Yoga Nidra, Hatha, and Vinyasa – the students and I worked together to re-regulate our bodies, minds, and spirits.

We upped the minutes dedicated to breathwork, grounding ourselves and meditating, and holding poses to keep focusing our minds on the present moment rather than the to-do lists. We talked about the stress and pressure caused by trying to deliver the picture-perfect decor, feasts, gifts, and home-baked sweets we carried in our Hallmark minds. Whether the images were fantasies or real, they were deeply embedded. We leveled with each other.

I remember when I smacked into the wall of holiday rebellion. After 15 years of taking my children to Aunt Evelyn’s for a day of cookie-baking, dough smeared on counters and the floor, the room temperature almost unbearable, and our feet and backs aching, on the drive home I asked a one-word question: “Why?”

Facing days more of shopping, wrapping, card-writing and mailing, cooking, cleaning, and attending holiday events, we decided to pare back. The ways were many: one Christmas tree rather than three, two kinds of cookies instead of eight, e-cards instead of paper ones, Christmas at one parental home and Thanksgiving at the other. We gave the kids experiential gifts instead of so much stuff, volunteered together at a food shelf or at church, and jointly decided where to make cash donations, each family member making recommendations that we discussed and vetted.

At first, I felt like a traitor, that I was failing so many people who were used to me being the energizer bunny during the holidays. The feelings were short-lived, however, as my immediate family experienced less stress. More joy and laughter filled our home, replacing the deep sighs and yawns of tiredness caused by doing too much in too little time.

As Christmas and Hannukah approached, I brought a form to my classes and told students that I would donate $10 to a non-profit they supported that supported public education, food shelves, the environment, animal shelters, or senior living facilities. Then, my husband, kids, and I would write the checks, address and stamp the envelopes, and insert a note telling which Green Lotus student had submitted the organization’s name. Our joy multiplied. I’m going to be teaching a few times during the holiday period at both centers, and the forms will be there with me. I hope you will be, too.

Green Lotus’s legendary holiday open house weekend, this year December 5–7, promises to give you a chance to step away from external madness. This year’s event, Winter Wellness Weekend, strikes a balance between doing and being.

My hope is that I will see many of you in those three days. My wish is that you will keep practicing regularly during the holiday season (and maybe more to combat stress and fatigue). I hope you remember to give yourself a few gifts and that wellness (a retreat, a massage or acupuncture package, a workshop?) will be among them. As I’ve said a thousand times in my classes and workshop, “This stuff works. It really works.” That sentiment is logical and intelligent.

And at our home, as we continue to find ways to simplify and cherish each other and the season, one of our mantras will be, “Take a deep breath and pass the pie.”

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Marcia Appel

In 2006, Marcia, a former journalist and corporate executive, wrote the plan that launched Green Lotus and planted the seeds of service that are the foundation of its philosophy. "As teachers and healers," founder Marcia says, "we meet students and clients where they are. We learn and grow from each other -- and have fun doing it." Now, Marcia continues to support Green Lotus when owner Merry Beth (MB) Freienmuth calls on her. She continues to write for the GL newsletter and blog, substitute for teachers, teach in the 200-hour teacher-training program, and enjoy time with her family, including her two grandchildren. She bikes, swims, hikes, reads, and gardens. She and MB still co-own Green Lotus Retreats and she finds joy in traveling with you to places near and far.

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