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Have you ever noticed how your body mirrors the changes in the seasons? In winter, we start slowing down, reveling in warmth and stillness. But as spring approaches, our energy shifts. There’s a subtle restlessness, an urge to move, to stretch, to shake off the heaviness of colder months. Just as the earth, the trees, birds and animals awaken with fresh energy, so too can we. Yoga, with its deep wisdom and slow mindful movement, offers a way to gracefully transition, to clear out stagnant lethargic energy, and to welcome renewal. With the sun salutations, the fun twists and heart openers, you will find the sloth within you transform into an agile, energetic and powerful horse!
To align with transitioning seasons, our approach to yoga needs to be both invigorating and purifying. The practice becomes an offering to time itself, as we clear out what no longer serves us in this moment, making space for what is to come. In the following sequence, we will move from the gross to the subtler layers of existence, with yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation to reawaken energy, stimulate circulation, and bring clarity to the body and mind.
The Sun Salutation is a graceful movement from one posture to another, an offering of gratitude to the source of energy that sustains life. This dynamic flow lubricates the joints, increases circulation, reinvigorates you, helps you lose the holiday weight and brings warmth to the body.
Sequence:
1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana) – Stand tall, grounding through the feet.
2. Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana) – Inhale, lifting the arms toward the sky.
3. Forward Fold (Uttanasana) – Exhale, folding at the hips.
4. Halfway Lift (Ardha Uttanasana) – Inhale, lengthening the spine.
5. Plank Pose (Phalakasana) – Step back into a strong plank.
6. Chaturanga Dandasana – Lower down with control.
7. Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) – Inhale, opening the chest.
8. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) – Exhale, pressing back.
9. Step forward and repeat on the other side.
Repeat 5–10 rounds to fully awaken the body. If you are starting off, you can begin with 3-5 rounds, starting with very slow rounds to moderate and then fast movements between the postures in the final rounds of sun salutations.
Seasonal shifts often bring digestive sluggishness. Twists are deeply purifying, wringing out toxins from the organs and refreshing our internal systems.
Parivrtta Utkatasana (Revolved Chair Pose): From Chair Pose, bring hands together in a prayer and twist, holding for 5 breaths per side.
This posture builds heat, strengthens the core, and stimulates digestion.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Seated Spinal Twist): Sit with legs extended, cross one leg over the other, and twist, holding for 5 breaths per side.
Winter often pushes you into a hunched, protective posture. Heart-opening poses counteract this tendency, inviting expansion, joy, and fresh energy.
Ustrasana (Camel Pose): Kneel, place hands on lower back or heels, lift the chest, and open the heart, holding for 5 breaths.
Opens the heart and chest, improving breath capacity.
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose): Lie on your back, bend knees, lift hips, and interlace fingers beneath the back, holding for 5 breaths.
This posture releases tension and enhances circulation to the spine and abdominal organs.
Now as the energy shifts, we also need in our armor a couple of asanas to ground this energy.
Vrikshasana (Tree Pose): Balance on one leg, placing the other foot on the inner thigh or calf, and hold for 5 breaths on each side.
This posture strengthens your balance and focus.
Malasana (Garland Pose): Squat with feet hip-width apart, bringing hands to prayer between them, holding for 5 breaths.
This pose opens the hips, stimulates digestion, and connects us to the earth.
Pranayama literally translates to giving a direction to your life force energy. It is housing the prana or life force in the Self. Pranayamas are a profound way to use the breath to move the body and mind into a meditative state. Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath) and Bhastrika (Bellows Breath) are powerful cleansing techniques that dispel sluggishness, increase warmth, vigor and vitality in the body.
Want to learn more? The Breathwork & Meditation Retreat guides you in proven breathing techniques and deep meditation practices that calm the mind, restore energy, and promote emotional balance.
Rapid, forceful outbreaths through the nose with passive or natural inbreaths. This breathwork detoxifies the lungs, stimulates digestion, and awakens mental clarity.
Here’s how to do it:
Sit comfortably with a straight spine.
2. Take a deep inhale through the nose.
3. Exhale forcefully through the nose, pulling the navel in sharply.
4. Allow the inhalation to be passive, focusing on the exhale.
5. Repeat for 30 rounds, then take a deep inhale and exhale slowly.
This uses deep inhalations and exhalations in rapid succession. This breathwork energizes, oxygenates the blood, and shakes off lethargy.
1. Sit with an upright spine, shoulders relaxed. Hands in a fist held losely in front of your shoulders.
2. Inhale deeply through the nose, expanding the abdomen and lungs. As you inhale raise your hands straight up towards the sky and open up the fists.
3. Exhale forcefully through the nose, contracting the abdomen. As you exhale, bring the hands down to where they were in Step 1.
4. Continue this rapid breathing for three rounds with 15-20 strokes of breath in each round. Take a few deep slow breaths in between each round and observe the sensation in the body.
Both practices should be done on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning for the best effect.
No yoga practice is complete without allowing the body to have a few minutes of total rest and cool off. As the body assimilates the benefits of movement, Savasana (Corpse Pose) allows for deep rest which heals the body tissues and gives you the energy you need.
It is strongly recommended to close off your practice with a short guided meditation. You can plug in your headphones, switch on a meditation app like Sattva and play a Guided Meditation in Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s soothing, meditative voice. When you open your eyes you’ll find the mind is clear, calm, focused and the body is energized, swift and ready to take on the challenges of the day!
Yoga during seasonal transitions is more than a physical practice; it is an attunement to nature’s rhythms. By consciously moving, breathing, and centering ourselves, we prepare ourselves for the coming transition.