When the cold, brisk air is blowing outside and you crave to for some exercise but are too lazy to hit the gym, switch to some winter yoga. The best part is that you won’t have to be loaded with layers of sweaters to step outside. Just do some simple yoga exercises in the comfort of your home. Doing this becomes all the more important because these months of hibernation, will just make you sit lazy on the couch all day long and the cups of hot chocolate will add on extra kilos to your body. According to Ayurveda, winter is governed by ‘kapha-dosha’, whose properties are coolness/dampness, heaviness and sluggishness. Having a kapha condition implies, you are easily prone to colds, headaches, weight gain and have a zero tolerance to the cold.
While ‘winter yoga’ will keep you warm there are certain helpful tips you mustn’t forget too. Here are simple things you should keep in mind before the thaw.
- It’s true that yoga gives you energy and increases your body heat but do not end up for your yoga classes or sit on your lawn in early morning without wearing any layers. A warm body is always less prone to injury.
- If you live in very cold climates, give yourself 15-20 in a warm room before starting any exercise. This will help your muscles warm up. We suggest you do some ‘Surya Namaskar’ or Sun Salutations to warm up faster.
- If you have a cold, stay home! You might think a hot sweaty session is just the right thing to get rid of your cold and unclog your stuffy nose but it will only bother others and your practice too. Do some simple breathing exercises at home and inhale some steam to first kick away that stubborn cold and then stretch your limbs.
- Make sure to bring a change of warm, dry clothes. You don’t want to step out in the cold air wearing your damp yoga clothes. This could challenge your immune system and make you terribly sick.
Also remember that while doing your winter yoga exercises, apart from performing the universal (any time or season) Kapalbhati kriya, Agnisaar kriya and Ling Mudra, Nabhyasana, Naukasana should be avoided by people who suffer from heart diseases/blood pressure and back pain respectively. Especially doing the latter in the cold can be troublesome for such people.
The most important tip becomes your diet. Your diet too should change according to the colder months. This means including bitter vegetables like spinach, broccoli, beets and cabbage to your meals. Substituting red meat with white meat and reducing sugar and having raw honey instead.
Who says yoga is simply a workout, it’s about working on YOURSELF!
