With longer nights and shorter days, it is very common to experience bouts of low mood, increased anxiety, and even SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Winter is the perfect time to slow down and improve your self-care regimen on and off the mat…
More and more research is highlighting the amazing effects yoga can have on our holistic health – not just our bodies, but also our mental and spiritual well-being. Yoga is so much more than the poses we see all over social media. Yoga is a philosophy, a lifestyle – an ancient, holistic approach to living life well.
In this article, our Wellness and Yoga Manager, Liz, shares the top 5 ways to harness the teachings and benefits of yoga to help you take better care of yourself this winter:
Give yourself permission to slow down
Throughout history, human beings have observed the winter season as a time to slow down and regenerate after the spring and summer months. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, you may notice that your energy levels naturally start to decrease as well. If you feel slower and listless during the colder month, this is actually a very natural reaction to this change in season.
This is a great time to listen to what you need to replenish your energy levels – perhaps try a new practice or treat yourself to slower sessions like Yin and Restorative Yoga, get cozy with a Yoga Nidra or surrender with sound healing.
Breathe and rebalance: show your nervous system some love
If you experience anxiety or feel exhausted, you can always rely on your breathing to support you. It sounds simple, but breathing can be a very powerful way to rebalance your nervous system and help you feel calmer and more grounded. Just 5 minutes of breathing per day helps build mental resilience, improve cardiovascular functioning and reduce stress.
Try sitting up straight and closing your eyes – bring your awareness to the back of your body and imagine that you are breathing down your spine, from your tailbone to the crown of your head as you inhale and move back down along your spine. spine when you exhale. Take a few more deep breaths like this.
“Breathing is the bridge that connects life to consciousness, that unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind wanders, use your breathing as a way to regain control of your mind. -Thich Nhat Hanh
Get moving and reconnect with your body
Exercise is one of the most underutilized tools to support your mental health and improve your mood. Movement is probably the most untapped resource for our mental health.
If you’re feeling anxious, depressed or lethargic – the cure might just be to get on my yoga mat and move in a way that feels good – it might be stretching, shaking, dancing or taking the pose of a faithful child!
Try putting on your favorite song and for the duration of the song, move your body however you want! If you can, try to get out into nature, take a walk, and spend time reconnecting with your body and what you need.
Be kind to your mind and practice Ahimsa
In yogic philosophy, the first of the 8 limbs of yoga are the Yama – the moral disciplines associated with a yogic lifestyle. Patanjali teaches that these guidelines for life must be put into practice at all levels – through the way we behave, the way we think and the way we speak.
Ahimsa means non-violence and this Yama teaches us not to harm others, the world around us or ourselves. You might find it much easier to be a child for others than for yourself? Most of us are very hard on ourselves and speak incredibly harshly to ourselves.
Research even suggests that 76% of us are children to other people than we are to ourselves. Three quarters of us have a pretty nasty critical inner voice and it can make difficult times in life even more difficult.
To practice Ahimsa off the mat, see if you can begin to notice when you speak harshly or unkindly to yourself and think about how you would speak to your best friend or loved one. See if you can begin to transform a critical inner narrative into a more comparative inner voice, that of children. This takes practice, but the first step is simply to start noticing.
Comparison of sidewalks via Santosha
We live in a society that teaches us to constantly compare ourselves and constantly strive for the “best” (whatever that means!). We glorify being so busy that it can be uncomfortable to slow down, but that doesn’t mean you’re unproductive or lazy at all, it probably means you really need a break.
The 2sd Of the 8 limbs of yoga in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are the 5 Niyamas which can be interpreted as internal, inward-looking practices. Santosha in practice is about finding contentment and joy where we are and gratitude for what we already have.
Take a few moments to think about the things, people, and places you are grateful for and the little things that bring you the most joy.
“Winter is the time of sacred balance and rejuvenation of life in preparation for next spring. It represents abundance, teaching and gratitude.
—Noëlle Vignola