Tomorrow (Dec 21) we welcome winter! Winter is kapha season -a blend of earth and water elements. To understand its qualities, we look to nature. Think of frozen earth and lakes, snowfall, ice. Land and and animals in hibernation. This is an active resting time of year, when we replenish for busier times. It’s just as important as the other seasons (afterall, what would a yoga practice be without Savasana?) If the land didn’t have a fallow period, eventually it will stop producing. So we let ourselves rest in darkness, as a seed in the soil lies dormant for the winter months. While the light returns, we wait for something new to grow out of what is.

In ayurvedic medicine, we aim to keep kapha in balance in wintertime. Kapha out of balance looks like lethargy, and consuming food and drink that promote weight gain. Like increases like, so cultivate the opposite. Think New Year’s resolutions - get moving, plus limit sugar and alcohol. Keep your internal fire strong by bundling up and eating warm foods. Rest by going to bed a little earlier and sleeping a little longer (until say, 6-7am instead of getting up at 5am). Promote restful sleep by eating light dinners. Reduce commitments.

Specifically for diet, winter is a time to decrease sweet, sour, and salty foods. Stay healthy by increasing your consumption of foods that are pungent (like ginger), bitter (like coffee, turmeric, and greens), and astringent (think chickpeas, apples, and quinoa).

A regular yoga practice will ideally include sun salutations, forward bends and back bends, inversions, and twists. You might try a more vigorous class than usual, or a simple daily home practice that gets the blood flowing.

Taking time to work with the breath can also help alleviate stagnation associated with kapha. Surya Bhendana and Kapala Bhati are ideal practices for winter.

Let this season - both the holidays and months of wintertime - be a time of relative rest and self-exploration. Many of us are looking forward to a celebratory couple of weeks with family and friends and sunny vacations to escape dreary routines at home. Others of us will just get through this time as best we can - these weeks can feel more lonely and hard than the rest of the year. The spectrum of our collective experiences during this time are all valid. Spending quiet moments in reflection are useful whether your thoughts are happy or sad or angry. Be curious about your responses to what surfaces and how you label them. What you find in the stillness may not be comfortable. That’s ok.

“Healing then becomes a process of re-creation...in other words, the simple act of becoming truly aware of reality can cause miracles. Maybe we do need to take more time out and allow the shit to compost into rich soil from which new life can emerge. ”

— A. McIntosh, Soil and Soul

Our bodies are intuitive, but for most of us, we've become skilled at tuning out. We try and push through a mid-day energy slump, ignoring the body's cues that it needs a recharge. We're not designed to function at the same speed all day, all month, or all year long. The concept of a cyclical rhythm is especially true for women. As I recently learned from a fascinating workshop with Nicole Negron at the Riveter, female hormones are designed to ebb and flow in a cycle that affects our ability to function the same day in and day out.

All humans are healthier and more resilient when we pay attention to our natural daily and seasonal shifts. Especially in summer, rest is key to maintaining wellness during the hot months and into autumn. In Ayurvedic terms, summer is pitta season, blending elements of fire and water. Each day has a pitta time too - around noon. We find ourselves out of balance when the activities we choose increase the qualities already present in the season and time of day. So, if mid-day we go take a run in the hot sun, or continue to work ambitiously during lunchtime or throughout the entire summer without a vacation, we increase our internal heat. This sets us up for irritability, anger, and judgement (towards self or others). If instead we find ways to decrease fire in the middle of the day, and in the summer season in general, we encourage health and wellbeing.

Other cultures are smart about this, perhaps forced into a varied pattern of living due to a closer relationship with the weather (a lack of air conditioning will quickly and effectively put you in touch with the realities of summer and a need to move more slowly). Think siesta. This isn't some quaint southern European notion, a nod to laziness. A surrender to mid-day rest is actually a tool for increased energy and mental focus. The New York Times posted an article today about the incredible benefits of workplace naps. No joke!

For most of us, a mid-day rest is quite a counter cultural notion and it's hard to break the habit of non-stop doing. We can't just flip a switch and suddenly take 2 hours for rest. But we can start small, and even 10-20 minutes of a real break from our screens will benefit our afternoon efforts.

Here are a few other tips for a restorative 10-20 min wellness practice mid-day. If you have access to a quiet space like the beautiful meditation room at the co-working space I belong to, the Riveter, lucky you! If not, try and find a shady, quiet spot outside this summer. Happy resting!

eat lunch outside in shade
legs up the wall (or a park bench)
shitali breath
breath of joy
forward fold series (below)

Yoga Asana Stick Figures by Justine Aldersey-Williams