Weathering the Winter with Yoga

Staying healthy takes a year round commitment.  Exercise shouldn't stop in the summer because it's too hot - or in the winter because it's too cold.  But sometimes, the change in weather makes it hard to motivate our bodies.  Let's be honest, we're all guilty.

Take this winter, for instance.  By the time I get off work, the sun's already set, and I'm putting on gloves for the drive home.  The last thing on my mind is changing into a pair of shorts and hitting the gym.  An article on artofliving.org says that because of the cold outside, our bodies are instinctively in "contracted mode."  So how do we simultaneously relax and work them?  Well - recently, I decided to take the plunge into hot yoga.  It's been a really great experience for me, so I wanted to share (with a little bit of weather flair)...

One of the great things about yoga is that you can do it inside OR outside, depending on the weather (and your style).  Bikram yoga has been growing in the United States in recent years.  Even Jenny Craig is suggesting clients give it a try.  Bikram takes place in a studio heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with 40% humidity.  That's a dew point of 76 degrees.  YIKES!!!  That's essentially like doing yoga outside on a really hot day in Florida.  Talk about sweating it out!

Slightly less extreme is just normal "hot yoga," which is a little more open-ended than the Bikram yoga routine... and usually heated to 85-95 degrees.  It will still feel like you're working out on a hot summer day - but in the winter, it's a nice trick to play on your body!  In fact, by the time you finish, a burst of icy winter air even feels refreshing.  Trust me, I'm speaking from experience as someone who typically hates that first step out into the cold.

Yoga is also great for your health.  It helps with breathing, circulation and digestion.  Most yogis claim that it can also clear congestion and help keep your immune system in top gear... making it a great way to fight off those winter colds.  For people who think yoga is only about breathing or meditation, I promise you can find classes that will kick your butt (literally and figuratively) and strengthen muscles you didn't even know you had.

If you're crazy enough, you CAN do yoga in the snow.  I'm not talking about a yoga mat and bare feet in the middle of your backyard.  But if you want to connect with nature (even at its coldest), a Spirituality & Health article quotes a Michigan-based yoga instructor who mixes yoga with cross-country skiing - and another from New Hampshire who mixes it with snowshoeing.  She calls it "sno-ga," which I have to admit makes me smile :)  And if you look it up, there are tons of pictures like the beautiful one here (credit to Alixandra Gould, and more photos available on her blog) of people practicing yoga in the snow after properly warming their bodies.  So now you know... there's no excuse.  You can do yoga in any climate, anywhere in the world!