Tips For Yoga Practice in the Winter

Practicing yoga in the winter is different than in the summertime. Wintertime is perfect for restoration, rejuvenation, and introspection, just as many animals and plants use it for hibernation. It is important that we change with the seasons just as nature does by adapting our daily life, eating choices, and yoga practice. So here are some things you should keep in mind until the spring.

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• Drink warm water or tea before yoga practice. It warms you from inside. It is also beneficial to start and end the day with a glass of warm lemon water in the winter season. It encourages circulation, improves appetite, and stimulates digestion.

• Include warming spices in all your meals and tea. Choose cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cumin, coriander, and nutmeg.

• Winter is a natural time for resting, so at night do activities that promote a sense of calmness, meditate longer. Go to bed earlier than you are used to in other seasons.

• A warm body is less prone to injury when stretching. Be sure to wear warm layers over your yoga outfit, wear long sleeve top and ankle length leggings.

• Allow your muscles to warm up before diving into your yoga practice. Try to sit in the hot room or do some Sun Salutations to warm up faster.

• If you practice yoga in a yoga studio, use your own yoga mat, and try to not borrow studio or gym mats. It’s hard to know what kind of germs may be living in them.

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5 WINTER YOGA POSES

During the winter months, it is important to improve congestion and support respiratory organs. So poses that open the chest, throat, and sinuses are very useful. The following poses are especially recommended for the winter season.

Locust Pose.

Or Salabhasana. This pose opens the chest and shoulders while strengthening the back.

Sun Salutation.

Or Surya Namaskara. Including sun solution to your yoga practice helps build heat in the body.

Shoulderstand.

Or Salamba Sarvangasana. This supported inversion helps with stagnation of lymph. Do one time and hold for a minimum of 12 breaths.

Fish Pose.

Or Matsyasana. This supine backbend/inversion offers a deep stretch for the shoulders, chest, and the front body

Bow Pose.

Or Dhanurasana. Open your chest with this backbend. It stretches the entire front of the body and simultaneously strengthes every muscle in the back.

Practice Kapalabhati breathing.

Kapalabhati practice builds internal heat and eliminates mucus from the respiratory tract, cleanses lungs.  It opens the sinuses, which is why it’s also considered to be a great cleansing practice. It’s definitely useful practice in the winter months when excess mucus can accumulate.

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Useful links:

Release Toxins With Kapalabhati Breath – https://chopra.com/articles/release-toxins-with-kapalabhati-breath

5 Ayurvedic Herbs to Protect Your Body in Winter – https://www.motherearthliving.com/natural-health/5-ayurvedic-herbs-to-protect-your-body-in-winter-zb0z1911