As we embrace the winter chill, finding ways to generate warmth within the body becomes essential. Engaging in a yoga practice—either at a studio or at home—offers a wonderful solution to enhance circulation and invigorate your body during the colder months.Research demonstrates a compelling link between yoga and improved circulation. A mini review published in the Journal of Yoga and Physiotherapy underscores that specific yoga poses actively enhance blood flow throughout the body, positively impacting various organs. By adopting different poses, practitioners experience improved delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues, especially noted with forward bends, backbends, and inversions, as highlighted in a 2024 review in Experimental Gerontology.
Below, Isa Brand shares several yoga poses designed to promote circulation and warmth. Remember to consult with your healthcare provider for personalized fitness recommendations tailored to your health needs.
Low Lunge to Runner’s Lunge
The transition from Low Lunge to Runner’s Lunge invigorates blood flow in the hips and legs. This series enhances flexibility in the hip flexors and hamstrings while aiding lymphatic movement and alleviating tension from prolonged sitting or cold-weather stiffness.
How to:
Begin in Downward-Facing Dog. Step your right foot between your hands.
Lower your back knee to the floor, adding a blanket for support if needed.
Use blocks under your hands to lengthen your spine.
Lower your hips towards the earth while ensuring your front knee is aligned above your ankle. Breathe deeply for three to five breaths.
Shift your hips back toward your heel, straightening your front leg.
Press your front heel into the mat, drawing your thigh back while elongating your spine.
Gently flow between these poses, inhaling into Low Lunge and exhaling into Runner’s Lunge for five to 10 breaths.
Toe Torch
This grounding pose enhances circulation in the feet and lower legs while stretching the fascia and connective tissues in the soles. It promotes mental focus and stabilizes energy during the winter months.
How to:
Start in Tabletop pose (on all fours with a straight back), tuck your toes under so that the soles stretch and your heels rise.
Remain here if the stretch feels sufficient.
To deepen the pose, shift your hips back towards your heels, sitting upright with shoulders stacked over hips.
Place your palms on your thighs.
Hold this pose for 30 seconds to one minute, breathing through any sensations.
To release, transition forward, place your hands on the mat, untuck your toes, and gently tap the tops of your feet.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
Bridge pose opens the chest and heart while strengthening the glutes, legs, and back. It stimulates the spine and supports proper posture.
How to:
Lie on your back, knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
Reach down to graze the backs of your heels with your fingertips.
Press your feet, arms, and shoulders into the mat as you lift your hips.
Optional: interlace fingers under your back and tuck your shoulders beneath for added stability.
Relax your jaw and soften your breath, engaging your glutes and back body for five to eight breaths.
To release, unclasp your hands and roll down one vertebra at a time.
Headstand (Sirsasana)
This active inversion strengthens the arms, shoulders, and core. It facilitates the reversal of blood flow, heightening oxygen to the brain, which can enhance balance, mental clarity, and energy levels.
How to:
Begin seated on your shins.
Interlace fingers and place your forearms on the mat, forming a solid triangle base. (For proper placement, briefly release your hands and grab opposite elbows to create an ideal forearm distance.)
Re-interlace fingers, positioning the crown of your head on the mat, cradling the back of your skull with your hands.
Tuck your toes and lift your knees from the mat.
Walk feet toward your face until your hips are stacked over your shoulders.
Once stable, lift one leg followed by the other, reaching through your heels and lengthening your side body.
Press down into your forearms to maintain balance.
To exit the pose, lower one leg at a time (or both) and rest in Child’s Pose or seated position.
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