A Winter Yoga Practice (Part One)

It's been a long time since I've put up a blog post. This essay is dedicated to those who still encourage me to write, even in spite of my half-year negligence. Everyone needs friends as supportive as you all are! 

A lot has happened since I last posted in July: I am grateful to be a regularly scheduled teacher at my home studio, Yogaworks. I've also started teaching a Pilates class, something I never thought I would do (more to come on that in the future). And, as you would expect, another winter has arrived on the tails of a beautiful summer.  I am writing this post the morning after blizzard Juno came to visit our city.  Although the storm was much more mild than many of us expected, I still have the luxury of being snowed in with my dogs, my thoughts, and lots of chocolate. 

Our society is a "doing" society, and it often takes a force majeure event to put a pause in our productivity cycle. A fellow-teacher and I made promises to take better care of ourselves this year for our New Year's Resolution.  Although I love my job and my students, being a yoga teacher in NYC can easily run one haggard. We work early mornings, late evenings, and run from borough to borough multiple times a day. Ironically, I am often asking my students to prioritize self-care, while I am just trying to get myself to a nap in order to refuel for the next class. It took me a few months to realize that I was exhausted.  This revelation coincided with an opportunity to change my teaching schedule, which I almost didn't take, but thankfully did. 

Although I am not crazy about commuting (or existing) in extreme temperatures, I think that there is something very necessary about Winter, or the idea of Winter. Much of nature goes into hibernation to recoup from the previous months of growth and expansion. The days become shorter and even humans get sleepier earlier.  Winter is, itself, a force majeure event that reminds us to rest and rejuvenate. 

Unfortunately, most of us don't have the freedom to nest in our beds and sleep away the cold months. Our commitments to work, family, and friends continue to exist, and if you look around, many animals are actually out and about trying to survive as well. So, what can we do to replenish or conserve our energy while living our Winter life? Read the next post to find out.  Here's a hint: Yoga can help!