Winter is the time to keep warm, oiled-up, nourished and protected.
- Sip warm ginger tea throughout the day.
- Give yourself an oil massage every morning. This will not only help the skin but will also help to ground the air energy that causes anxiety and/or sleeplessness. Sesame oil is an excellent winter oil as it is both nourishing and warming. Mahanarayan oil is another great warming oil, and is particularly good for aching joints and pain.
- Avoid loud music, excessive exercising, too much sex, traveling, leftovers, cleansing/fasting and over-talking.
- Take a warm bath with ginger powder to warm and stimulate.
- Avoid all raw and cold foods such as salad, ice water and smoothies in winter. Come on, mama, you know that your great-Grandma was not eating salad in the wintertime, and there was good reason for that.
- Layer up—It may seem like common sense, but make sure to keep yourself warm. Avoid wearing too much black and dark blue during winter. I know, we all love fashionable and slimming black, but keep in mind, this color absorbs all light. Too much black leaves us with a feeling of vastness and emptiness, and these moods are already heightened during this season.
- Go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 pm. Get sufficient rest. Adequate rest is the number one remedy for increasing the immune power of the body. Winter is the only time when we can really let ourselves sleep as much as needed. In fact, our not-so-distant ancestors used to enjoy an amazing amount of sleep during the colder months. Because there was no heat and electricity, it was not uncommon for people to sleep 14 or 15 hours a night.
- Exercise can be a little more active and warming in the cold of winter. This is a good time to practice warmer forms of yoga, if you are so inclined. Emphasizing back bends and laterals will keep your spirits awake and alive in what can be a dark time of year.
Read more in Healthy, Happy, Sexy!
Katie Silcox 