Inside Yoga 124
Have you ever wondered why we feel so low emotionally, so physically tired and so short of get up and go during winter? Perhaps it is because while the rest of nature has gone into either hibernation or inactivity, we continue to plough on with our 24/7 activities.
Our ancestors didn’t live like we do now, as they knew what the winter meant: less work to do (fields in fallow and less to grow, less to make and sell) and more time for festivities and rest.
We simply push on ahead, wearing ourselves out, becoming irritable, fed up and eventually under the weather with a chain of colds and flu.
Yoga (in conjunction with the traditional Indian medicine that is called Ayurveda) offers us advice and guidelines for winter.
For example, why get up at 5am as you do in summer to practice yoga*, if the body and heart cannot muster the energy to practice, get up at 7am if this is helps – leaving aside work that forces an earlier rise. (* The traditional teachings advise yoga practitioners to rise before dawn, about one or two hours before dawn, to practice before family and work duties start – advice in the modern western world is often get up as early as you can!)
If you do need to summon up some energy, and to clear the lungs of those cold-like feelings, yoga asanas (postures) which open the chest, stretch the throat, drain the sinuses and relieve chest congestion help: such as the fish, locust, boat, bow, camel, and shoulder stand.
The lungs might need some exercise, with some rounds of deep breathing can helping to energise and stretch the lungs. A technique such as bellows breath (Bhastrika) can really shift stale energy, mucus and lethargy (note: this breath is not advised if you have high blood pressure and heart problems).
After deep breathing exercises allow time for some meditation – in other words, simply sitting or lying quietly.
Winter is the season of kapha (part of the three doshas: vatta, pitta and kapha) which means it is a time of the year when slow and steady makes sense – don’t be in a hurry. Most of us do feel this need to slow down and the point here is to take heed of what your body is telling you!
In winter the chef would order us hearty and warming meals: at breakfast porridge is a good idea – add a sprinkle of cinnamon to it to heat you up a bit more, and a hot drink with the addition of cinnamon and ginger (and a pinch of clove) would help. This might sound familiar, as winter mulled wine uses these ingredients. Our old traditions knew what works. These spices help to heat our bodies up.
Stews and other meals which are rich in sauce and cooked in one pot are a good idea, because these are easier to digest. During winter, while our bodies try to keep warm, why not help it by giving it a meal which warms us up. And again, winter stews are a traditional recipe, so our ancestors understood what is best.
Ayurveda also acknowledges that winter can be a time when loneliness can feel more pronounced, with the grey days and lack of light, SAD – seasonal affected disorder is the modern name for this. It can be a hard time of the year for many of us, and what can make it so much worse is that we feel guilty that we feel so tired and lack enthusiasm that others appear to have. My advice, is be gentle with yourself, allow yourself some time off, go to bed earlier than usual, eat heartily, and know that much of what you are feeling is down to the winter, and also, that you are not alone, most of us feel the same way in winter (some might be better at hiding how we are feeling).
Ayurvedic doctors, such as Vasant Lad, recommends that we are NOT “away from your wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend in winter”. The bed might just feel too cold without them!
GOC 8/12/14
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