Winter Survival Kit

By Lara Rosenbaum

Energizing Poses to Help You Fight Fat, Fatigue, and Lack of Motivation

Love it or hate it, winter changes things. Less light and short days take a toll on your body and mind, robbing you of energy and that can-do spirit, and pointing you toward the fridge where momentary lack of resolve can come back to haunt you next spring.

It’s the kapha season, says yogi raj Alan Finger, founder of ISHTA yoga, referring to one of the three doshas, or metabolic influences, in Ayurvedic medicine. “In winter, our kapha rises, which means an increase in mucous and internal fluids, so we feel sluggish, gain weight, and are more susceptible to colds,” he says. Science backs him up: A University of Texas study finds the average American gains 8 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, and keeps a whopping 5 of them. 

Fortunately, the right yoga practice can do for your mind and body what snow tires and four-wheel drive do for your car. YogaLife asked three yoga teachers for poses to combat the biggest seasonal complaints: fatigue, weight gain, and lack of motivation. Sara Ivanhoe, a yoga instructor at Yoga Works in Santa Monica, recommends practicing “winter yoga” in the morning. “You’ll energize your day and enjoy the sunlight, which you’ll miss if you save it for after work,” she says. Do the sequences alone or before your regular session, or combine them for a bracing winter survival workout.

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