4 Steps to Avoid the Winter Blues

Ethan #snowboarding #Brighton

The cold has come early this year bringing with it snow and shorter and darker days.
Some of us are more affected by others during this seasons. Yet, each of us has our moments.

Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy, happy and sane this winter.

1. Keeping moving. Enjoy the winter weather with outdoor sports skiing, snowshoeing, etc. Also exercise regularly-- yoga, walking, lifting weights--even when curling up in front of that warm fire with a book might sound more inviting. Be sure to get lots of sunlight or use an artificial happy light.
2. Eat well. Although our options for fruit and vegetables change in the winter, and our caloric needs shift, it's important to continue to eat balanced, warm and healthy meals in winter. Hearty vegetable soups, warm drinks, and baked roots are great places to start. Get plenty of Vitamin D3 or supplement.
3. Spend time with family and friends.You may have desire to hibernate, yet it's important to spend time with others in community. Exercise together, do a group service project like shoveling others driveways, or cook a wonderful meal.
4. Spruce up your routines. Continue with routines that support your wellness. If you don't have any, check out this post on daily routines(dinacharya). Make sure to incorporate abhyanga (self massage), nasya (oiling your nostrils), and routine. Even though winter is a time for some of us to get stuck, we still need some routine.

If you'd like to learn more about fighting off the winter blues, stop by my workshop at Mindful Yoga this Saturday. I look forward to continuing to offer tips and practices to help you through the winter and being the healthiest you can be.

#avoidingwinterblue #wintersports

Soothing Spring Ayurveda Style

Though we have 4 seasons here in parts of the US and other parts of the world, Ayurveda generally considers three. They are based on the qualities of the seasons which are most closely linked to the doshas or constitutional principles. 

The three doshas- vata, made of the elements air and space (also known as ether) has cold, dry and windy qualities and depicts Fall to Winter; kapha, made of the elements earth and water has moist, dense, and sluggish qualities and defines winter to spring; and pitta, made up of fire and water, has sharp, hot, and oily qualities which depicts spring into summer. There are other qualities and I am simplifying, yet I think you will all get the picture.

In Utah we are completely into Spring and will soon move into Summer. We experienced the waking up from winter, the necessary cleansing and now we make sure that we are prepared to move into a hot, dry Summer. Of course, all of my suggestions will depend upon your personal constitution and your general health.  Take this test to find out.

What can you do?

• eat locally grown,organic foods that are coming into season
• my sprouts are going crazy right now as are my son's strawberries
• eat lighter than in the winter and now you can eat cooler foods (like salads)
• continue with your morning and evening routines although some of you will wake up earlier with the sun and stay up a bit later
• begin with warm water with lemon, brush teeth, scrape tongue
• neti pot (nasal wash) with sterile, gently salted water helps to lessen allergic reactions
• be sure to still use your oil in your nose, eyes, gums, and on your skin
• dry brush the skin starting at the extremities and working your way in before oiling to slough off dead skin
• get outside (with sun protection-hat, sunglasses, sunscreen)
• exercise-swim, bike, walk, hike 
• continue with a breathing practice, keeping any stronger kriyas in the mornings
• asana can be a bit more vigorous if appropriate for you (halasana for digestion)
  
• spend time with family and friends
• drink lots of fluid
• although you may stay up a bit later, consider settling down when the sun goes down
• think about disconnecting from electronics an hour before sleep
• continue to meditate because it's important to still spend quiet, quality inner time with yourself
• enjoy

I'm always interested to hear what my readers are doing so feel free to let me know.

The Angry Yogi

Anger: an emotional response to being or feeling threatened. The body kicks into a flight or fight response when we feel threatened. 

If you know me, you know that I am pretty level-headed most of the time, but I do get angry. I might even yell at my kids from time to time and get frustrated when driving. I have had people say things about angry yogis as if we are not supposed to have what are perceived by our society as negative emotions-fear, anger, envy, jealousy, frustration. 

One thing is certain and that is that I have less anger when I am doing my practice regularly and when it's the right practice for me. Most importantly I meditate and keep gratitude in the fore front of my mind. I also need to take care of my human needs-food, sleep, exercise. 

Is it okay to express anger when your a yogi? Of course! As with most things, there are appropriate ways to let off steam, and anger is energy, heat energy. With time, anger, like heat, will naturally dissipate. Guilt for feeling anger does not help the situation. One thing we can do is to observe and be mindful of those situations, people and places that affect us and decide if and how we will do them in the future. 

Causes: Some of the main causes of anger are that we don't get what we want; we're afraid we'll lose something we have; patterns (samskaras); driving; relationships; it's hot outside; we didn't sleep well last night; our diet sucks; we make other poor health choices, etc.

What can you do? 

Breathe 
Meditate regularly
Count to 10
Talk to someone
Take a walk in nature
Listen to calming music
Chant
Breathe
Exercise
Take Action 
Do appropriate asana for our body type, climate and age 
Follow our routines that support a healthy lifestyle

Prevention is key--being proactive can help avoid many situations that could lead us into blowing our top. Taking care of our health is the first step. Also, doing what we need to do so stress and frustration don't overtake our lives, avoiding dangerous relationships, procrastination, and other things that trigger our anger. Following guidelines and routines for our dosha, season, and ability are also helpful.

If you have other ideas, please share them.