How to experience a healthy winter with Yoga and Ayurveda
Winter is my favourite season if it comes to herbs, oils, smells, inner movement and self-care. Winter is governed by a combination of Vata and Kapha. Vata season is from fall until early winter and kapha season is from late winter until early spring.
So the cold, dry, windy and vulnerability of nature during vata season is more present in the earlier parts of the season like oktober-november I would say. While the dark, inert, wet and earthy qualities are more present late winter december until early spring. Using our intuition will be a great guide to observe the qualities of nature throughout this season to help ourselves thrive during these few months of winter.
As in nature we to need some more rest during these months. Think about some animals. How they use winter to fully spend time in ‘winter sleep’. Sleep a little longer, go to bed earlier, just like the sun, it supports our health and overall well-being. So don’t feel guilty for sleeping that extra hour in winter. It’s okay and very healthy actually.
Vata is all about adventure, movement and creativity. While Kapha is about nurturing, earthy, loving and grounding energy. So to balance these two during this season it’s great to move, go for a walk in nature, practice warming asana, dance around the kitchen every morning, cycle, swim, to then balance it out with more time to nourish yourself. Spend time in the kitchen playing with different herbs, finding stillness in meditation and breath work, journal and focus on self-care. Take a warm bath or make time to go to a sauna and have a spa day once a month or week. Oh and one of my favourites.. wear socks to retain more body heat!
As I just said, play around with herbs in the kitchen. Ayurveda is known for using herbs and spices to help heal the body. Winter is the perfect time to spice it up! The spices and herbs described here can help warm the body and maintain the digestive fire, also known as ‘Agni’.
Cinnamon - ginger - black pepper - turmeric - chilli pepper - cayenne - paprika - nutmeg
Speaking about the kitchen here’s a few ingredients to add to your diet during winter. These will help during times of instability, colds, physical and mental weakness, low mood and energy levels.
Sesame oil - ghee - almonds - cashews - walnuts - pumpkin seeds - tahini - bananas - dates - avocado - figs - warm, cooked veggies - honey
If we’re talking about the kitchen well let’s see what we can do in the bathroom to nourish ourselves. Daily self-massage (abhyanga) is one of my favourite things to do during winter. It’s such an important aspect of Ayurveda, it keeps the joints supple, muscles toned and the body’s temperature regulated. Using sesame oil is just brilliant for self-massage during winter. Massaging the whole body after dry brushing and before showering in the morning or evening can charge you physically and mentally. Warm the oil by putting into hot water, it’s a game changer!
And one last thing if the winter blues keep creeping up on you. Dress to feel safe and calm. Using clothes to promote safety. Using warm and positive colours to retain a positive and warm mood. Worn as clothes or draped around your house or Yoga space. By using a hat and scarf to cover up it creates a sense of safety and calmness. Your head is such an important place to keep warm and covered if your external environment is cold and unpredictable. It helps the body’s internal environment stay balanced and nourished.
And last but not least here are a few asanas and breathing techniques to incorporate in your daily practice to stay balanced during winter.
Yoga: Bow pose - Yogic squat - child’s pose - headstand - reclined twist - warrior 1/2/3 - godess pose - camel pose - sun salutations
Breath and meditation: kapalabhati - bhastrika - bhramari - sama vritti - chandra bhedana
Have a lovely winter,
Love
