winter yoga

                          

Yoga in winter

We can adapt both our private practice, which is called sadhana in yoga, or classes that we teach, with the different seasons.

For the teacher, it can be quite difficult keeping halls warm enough for a yoga practice, in the colder months. So sometimes, extra care and adaption is the answer for keeping students warm in the class. 

Have a system

Developing the habit of starting all classes on a reflective note, is always helpful. Why? Well, aside from anything esoteric, yoga should reduce stress. When we are anxious, or edgy, maybe our mind is racing, before we start, then we move into postures, straight away we can counteract the highly beneficial benefits of the asanas. Because they can be difficult, even quite hard, when we are stressed we are sort of working against the release of positive hormones from the asanas. 

pause, and come to stillness

So, pause, and have something reflective to start the class. Anything from deep breathing to affirmations. Whatever. Just be consistent. For morning classes in winter, I like to start standing with eyes closed, hands in prayer, visualising the red sun. This is incredibly calming, and something about the red sun is so uplifting. 

loosen the body

I do think that warming up the body is a good way to start poses. Moving warms our muscles, and makes it easier to do the poses. Usually I do dynamic movements to warm up, rather than holding the poses:

• shoulder joint rotations of some sort
• hip looseners 
• twists
• side to side
• roll-downs to loosen the spine
• bending backwards

If these are all done standing, it's then easier to move into the warming standing poses such as

• sun salutes
• triangles
• warriors
• balances
• wide legged backwards and forwards bends

Think 'wide and strong' with standing poses to warm the body.

If your class can handle vinyasa, this is excellent for winter. If not, and if no sun salutes were done, then all fours postures such as 

• cat versions
• mountain (down dog) 

quite naturally lead to  backbends lying on our abdomen, such as

• cobra. There are so many versions, and if you do some dynamically, it will keep people warm, plus backbends are naturally warming in themselves
• locust, bow, camel, as people are able

Cats, tigers, cobras, camel, bridge and fish pose are quite strong for promoting a healthy set of lungs and so I like to emphasise all of these come the colder weather, as immunity boosters.

abdominal work is also warming. Having a warm belly and a cool forehead are hallmarks of being relaxed, so at this stage we are leading into winding down our poses.

in winter, I always make all of the above the main section of the poses. As seated floor work is cooling, I don't do too much of it. Instead, I add another backbend to start to finish:

• bridge pose
• reclining butterfly. This is so good to use after bridge; it gives a sort of double-whammy for our reproductive system
• reclining spinal twist, held as a relaxation pose

(this sequence is really lovely to finish with)

seated poses: I recommend that you only do a couple of these, if any, in winter. 

winter pranayama:

There are so many yoga breathing practices. I have several that I use in winter, but the main one to emphasise is bhastrika done pumping the abdomen, as this is warming. It also creates negative ions around the nostrils which serves as a barrier against colds, and if we do get a virus, it will be a lesser version.

Follow with an introverted pranayama which naturally leads to meditation. I have several that I use, but the alternate nostril breathing is always excellent, and is a natural companion breath to the bhastrika version which I mentioned. For morning through to mid-day, start with the right nostril. Staring with the left nostril is good later in the day and evening. 

relaxation or meditation

If you are using visualization with these, a hint is that the moon is cooling. And we are doing warmer yoga, in winter.

Another hint: heart meditations create inner warmth