In the winter season, things slow down which creates an environment of heaviness and stagnation. To overcome this feeling, it’s important to provide stimulation to the body. One of the healthy tips of winter to provide stimulation is yoga.
Some of the yoga tips to survive the cold season are:
- Practice in the morning and evening – Different parts of the day have different energies when the Kapha dosha is dominant. When the energy is high, you feel active, while when the energy is lower, you feel slower. It’s ideal to practice when the energy is on a higher side. The morning time from 6 AM to 10 AM and evening time from 6 pm to 10 pm is the most conducive for practicing yoga.
- Focus on the heat-building movements – Many of you may feel towards relaxed movements since it’s winter, however, it’s important to balance out the cold weather with warm heat-producing movements. You can start your practice with a few Surya Namaskar and move on to a Vinyasa.
- Wear bright clothes during practice – Colour therapy actually works. It’s easy to let the winter blues take over to make you feel dark and down. This is where bright colors help to lift your mood up. Some of the colors you can try out our reds, oranges, purples, and yellows.
- Focus on leg-heavy postures – Incorporating more squats, lunges, and warrior poses can help you to increase the strength in your legs which adds to our mental wellbeing. More power in your legs means that you feel more positive and emotionally stable.
- Play some music while you practice – A great way to provide steady stimulation while you practice is by keeping some uplifting tunes in the background. It can really help you get you in the mindset to work it out by overcoming your laziness.
Some of the yoga movements that you can practice during winter are:
- Supta Baddha Konasana or Reclining Bound Angle Pose
- Balasana or Child’s Pose
- Sucirandhrasana or Eye of the Needle Pose
- Anjaneyasana or Low Lunge
- Prasarita Padottanasana or Wide-Legged Forward Bend
- Eka Pada Rajakapotasana or Pigeon Pose
Winter Exercise
One of the best Ayurvedic tips for winter you can get for optimal mental and physical health is exercise. A slow and strengthening exercise regime will help to balance out the Vata in the atmosphere. On the other hand, to balance out the Kapha, you can go for a more physically involving and longer exercise regime. It’s important to respond to the signals of the body. If you feel exhausted, then you can go for Vata-pacifying exercises such as walking or gentle yoga, whereas if you’re feeling lazy and heavy, then it’s best to go for a more vigorous regime such as jogging or skiing.