Winter is approaching. You’re spending more time indoors, eating more comfort food, and exercising less. Instead of trudging through the snow to get to the gym, why not try out yoga for the winter months? You can practice yoga in your dorm room or living room, and on top of keeping your body flexible, strong, and fit, yoga is an excellent way to de-stress and improve your mental well-being.
According to the American Osteopathic Association, yoga’s physical benefits include increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved energy and vitality, weight reduction, and protection from injury. However, yoga’s uniqueness really comes from its focus on the mind, body, and spirit and part of one exercise routine.
Yoga helps you manage stress, which is essential for students at this time of year. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is the onset of symptoms of depressions during just the winter months, affecting half a million people every year. More mild symptoms, or the “Winter Blues” affects even more people. Yoga and its stress relieving factors can help with the symptoms of SAD and the Winter Blues.
The most common form of yoga practiced in the United States is Hatha yoga, which combines poses with deep, controlled breathing and meditation. You can practice Hatha yoga in your own home using books, DVDs, or YouTube videos. A great way for beginners to start their own yoga practice is with the free 30-Day Yoga Challenge with Erin Motz with DoYouYoga on YouTube. Each video is about 10-20 minutes long, which is easy to fit into even the busiest day. Practice right before bed to relax enough to be able to fall into a deep sleep within minutes and feel well rested the next day.
All you really need to do yoga at home is a mat, but creating a calming space specifically for your yoga practice will help you relax and put you into your yoga mood. Find a place you won’t be distracted, turn off your phone, and light some candles or incense. Play a nature sounds track on your computer. Focus only on the now, and temporarily forget about what is stressing you.
If you would rather practice with others than alone, Temple has yoga classes at the Student Recreation Center on 15th St. and Cecil B. Moore Ave. Check the fitness calendar to see what times work for you. If you’ve decided you want to stick with your yoga practice, you can attend a meeting and join Temple’s own yoga club, which meets once a week. Just remember, the more frequently you practice, the more beneficial the effects of yoga will be.