Asanas to Keep The Body Warm This Winter

Winter is here, and it’s time to make a few changes to our lifestyle so that we can fully enjoy the cozy days without letting the cold get to us. Kaavita Das, founder of The Pink Lotus Academia, an online/offline tutorial platform focused on Indian classical artforms and yoga, talks to us about asanas that help you keep the body warm this winter.

“As seasons change, our body also experiences a variety of changes causing uneasiness at times. Yoga can give the right kick-start to get you through the day in wintertime when getting up and out of the blanket in the morning seems like a huge task,” says Kaavita, a yoga trainer, an aerialist, a danseuse and a creative movement therapy facilitator.

She recommends five simple asanas that are known to offer holistic benefits to the body in the winter season.

 

Uttanasana 

This simple stretch builds warmth in your system by calming and soothing it. The gentle hug that you give yourself ends up generating heat through your body. If physical and mental exhaustion gets the better of you during the day fall into this posture for instant relaxation and warmth.

1. From Raised Hands Pose (UrdhvaHastasana) with the arms reaching overhead, sweep your arms down on either side of your body to come into a forward fold from your hips. This is often called a Swan Dive.
2. Bring your fingertips in line with the toes. Press your palms flat to the mat if you can. You can use blocks under your hands here if they don’t reach the floor.
3. Microbend the knees so that they are not locked.
4. Engage your quadriceps muscles and draw them up. The more you use your quads, the more the hamstrings (the muscles on the back of the thighs) will open.
5. Bring your weight a little bit forward into the balls of your feet so that your hips stay over your ankles.
6. Let your head hang.
7. To come up, inhale and place your hands onto your hips. Press your tailbone down and contract your abdominal muscles as you rise up slowly.

Kumbhakasana

All you need is your own bodyweight and enough space to get down on all your fours at full stretch for an ideal plank workout. As a rather simple movement planks are a great wayexercise for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Performing them for a few minutes a day can boost your metabolism through the day and even during the night. Hold this pose for a minute or more to start feeling the heat permeate throughout your body.

1. From Balasana, stretch the arms forward, come onto hands and knees, tuck the toes under, keeping the feet together. Some students may need to step one half a hand step forward.
2. Inhale, and on an exhalation bring the body forward, the shoulders directly above the wrists as the legs straighten and form a straight line from the heels to the shoulders.
3. Hold and breathe. Be mindful that wrists are directly below the shoulders, and be careful not to collapse between the shoulder blades or hyper-extend elbows.

Navasana

While this asana strengthens your abdominal area and hip flexors, it’s the maintaining of balance that really stimulates the body. In stimulating it, it generates heat quickly across your body. It also ends up reducing tension and deeply relaxes you.

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Press your hands on the floor a little behind your hips.
2. Lift through the top of the sternum and lean back slightly, making sure your back doesn’t round. Balance your weight on the tripod of your sitting bones and tailbone.
3. Exhale and bend your knees, then lift your thighs so they are angled about 45 degrees above the floor, with your knees still bent.
4. If possible, slowly straighten your knees, raising the tips of your toes slightly above the level of your eyes. If that is not possible, keep your knees bent, your shins parallel to the floor.
5. Keeping your heart open and your spine long, draw your shoulders back and extend both arms forward alongside the legs, parallel to the floor, with your palms facing in. Try to keep your lower belly flat and firm, but not hard and thick.
6. Point your toes or flex through your heels, and breathe. Try to stay in the pose for 10 to 20 seconds, slowly increasing your time to a minute

SetuBandhasana

In Sanskrit, Setu is “bridge,” sarva is “all,” and anga is “limb.” So in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, the pose you make with your body uses all your limbs to create a bridge.This stalwart backbend can be performed restoratively or dynamically—as a resting pose or a strengthener. It will allow you to gain the deep emotional and physical benefits of opening up your chest and thoracic spine.

1. Lie on your back in the center of your mat with your knees bent, your legs and feet parallel and hip-distance apart.
2. Move your feet closer to your buttocks. Press down firmly through both of your feet and inhale to raise your hips, lifting from the pubic bone rather than the navel.
3. Clasp your hands under your back on the floor. Broaden your collarbones and get on top of your shoulders. Firm the outer shins and roll your upper thighs inward. Press down firmly through your heels and lift the back of your thighs and the bottom of your buttocks even higher while keeping the thighs parallel.
4. To finish, exhale, release your hands, and lower to the floor. Allow your back to rest in a neutral state as you observe the spaciousness within your chest.

Kapalbhati – breathing exercise 

This is a form of pranayama that stimulates your internal organs and generates heat through a rapid form of breathing. It boosts your metabolism releasing energy throughout your body. Although performed rapidly the breathing is done rhythmically while pulling your naval towards your spine repetitively.

1. Sit in any meditative posture.
2. Close the eyes and relax the whole body.
3. Inhale deeply through both nostrils, expand the chest.
4. Expel the breath with forceful contractions of the abdominal muscles and relax.
5. Do not strain.
6. Continue active/forceful exhalation and passive inhalation.