Namaskaram

As I write this, I’m watching the first snowfall outside my window in Canada. And if I’m being completely honest with you, there’s a familiar and subtle sadness that creeps in every year as the days grow shorter.

Let me share something real with you, one of the biggest challenges of my immigration from India to Canada was learning to cope with winter. And I would be lying if I told you I’ve completely overcome it. Even now, after years of living here, when that seasonal shift happens, I tend to slip into that sadness, that heaviness, sometimes even illness.

But here’s the truth that matters more: I have tools now. Tools that help me come out of it much, much faster than before.

And that’s what I want to share with you today – not as someone who has conquered winter completely, but as someone who has learned to work with it rather than be defeated by it.

Understanding the Winter Blues: More Than Just Sadness

The winter blues, or in more severe cases, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), isn’t just “feeling a bit down.” It’s a genuine physiological response to reduced sunlight exposure. When sunlight enters our eyes, it triggers serotonin production – our body’s natural mood stabilizer. During winter, with shorter days and longer nights, this production drops significantly.

Add reduced movement, heavier foods, and constant indoor confinement, and you have a perfect recipe for feeling stuck and uninspired.

Sound familiar?

Here’s something fascinating: in yogic tradition, winter is actually considered a powerful time for inner work and spiritual growth. The ancient yogis understood that just as nature turns inward during winter, we too should use this time for introspection.

But let’s be practical – when you’re struggling to get out of bed, when every cell in your body feels heavy, “spiritual growth” is the last thing on your mind.

So let me give you real, practical tools that actually work.

The Pranic Perspective: Your Life Energy Currency

In yoga, we talk about prana – the vital life force that animates everything. Think of prana as your body’s energetic currency. When your prana is high, you feel alive, motivated, joyful. When it’s low, everything feels like a struggle.

Winter naturally lowers our pranic levels. The cold contracts our energy, reduced sunlight diminishes our vitality, and the general heaviness weighs down our spirits.

But here’s the beautiful part: we can consciously elevate our prana, even during the darkest winter days.

 

 

Practical Tools That Actually Work

1. Get Serious About Sunlight (Yes, Even on Cloudy Days)

This isn’t optional – it’s medicine.

Get outside every single day. Even on grey, overcast days, natural outdoor light is 10-20 times brighter than indoor lighting. I know it’s cold. I know it’s uncomfortable. Do it anyway.

20 minutes minimum. 

Also, consider investing in a SAD lamp. These light therapy lamps mimic natural sunlight and can be genuinely life-changing, especially if you live in places with very short winter days. Use it for 20-30 minutes each morning while having breakfast or reading. I resisted getting one for years, thinking it was unnecessary. I was wrong.(FYI : I don’t have a SAD lamp, but I have these big lights that I use for my podcast, and they work the same)

 

2. The Vitamin D Conversation Nobody Wants to Have

Let’s talk straight: if you’re in North America, especially Canada, you are likely vitamin D deficient in winter. Period.

The sun simply isn’t strong enough at this latitude to produce adequate vitamin D, no matter how much time you spend outside. And vitamin D deficiency doesn’t just affect your bones – it profoundly impacts mood, energy, and immune function.

I take vitamin D3 supplements from October through March, and it makes a noticeable difference. Talk to your healthcare provider about appropriate dosing, but take this seriously. This isn’t optional wellness fluff – it’s basic need.

3. Do Yoga – The Strategic Kind

Not all yoga practices are equal, especially during winter. Your body needs practices that generate heat, stimulate circulation, and forcefully activate your system.

This is where Angamardana becomes incredibly powerful. It’s a complete yogic system designed to invigorate every cell of your body. When practiced regularly, it acts like an internal furnace, generating warmth and vitality from within.

Surya Kriya is another non-negotiable to keep the inner sun active.

For those new to yoga, Upa Yoga offers simple yet potent processes that activate key energy points in the body.

The beauty is that these practices don’t require special equipment. Just 20-30 minutes daily can completely transform how you experience winter.

4. Harness the Power of Breath

Your breath is perhaps your most underutilized tool for managing your state.

During winter, most of us unconsciously breathe shallowly. We hunch against the cold, contract our chest, and take quick, superficial breaths. This signals our nervous system that we’re in stress mode.

Bhastrika Kriya – a powerful pranayama technique – is like a reset button. It generates tremendous internal heat, purifies your energy channels, and leaves you feeling refreshed and alert. Particularly effective first thing in the morning when that winter grogginess seems impossible to shake off

5. The Power of Collective Energy: Why Sangha Matters

Here’s something profound: when like-minded people gather together with a common intention, they create a field of high prana that benefits everyone present.

Think about it – when you attend a concert, don’t you feel energized by the collective enthusiasm? When you participate in a group yoga class, don’t you experience something beyond what you achieve alone?

This phenomenon is even more powerful when people come together specifically to elevate their energies through practices like yoga, chanting, or meditation. The individual efforts amplify each other, creating an energetic synergy that lifts everyone up.

When groups of people chant together, something remarkable happens. The individual vibrations synchronize and amplify each other, creating a powerful field of energy that can be felt tangibly. Many participants describe feeling “charged up” or experiencing a natural high after such sessions.

During winter, when individual energy tends to dip, being part of such a gathering becomes even more crucial. 

This is why ancient traditions emphasized sangha – spiritual community. They understood that we’re not meant to walk this path alone, especially during challenging times.

6. Move Your Body Daily – Non-Negotiable

I’m not talking about forcing yourself to the gym. I’m talking about any form of movement that gets your blood flowing.

Even a 20-minute walk, some simple stretches, dancing to your favorite music – anything that breaks the sedentary pattern winter encourages.

The yogic practices like Angamardana or Surya Kriya are particularly effective because they’re designed specifically to activate your energy system, not just your muscles

7. Manage Your Light Environment Intelligently

During the day: Maximize natural light. Open curtains, sit near windows, use full-spectrum bulbs if possible.

Maintain consistent sleep-wake times, even on weekends. This stability helps your body know when to be energized and when to rest.

8. Be Mindful of What You Consume

Everything you consume affects your energy – food, drinks, media, conversations.

During winter, we naturally crave heavier foods. That’s fine – your body needs more fuel. But be conscious of quality. Processed foods, excessive sugar, and too much caffeine might give temporary boosts, but they ultimately deplete your energy.

Similarly, constantly consuming negative news or spending hours on social media will lower your energy further.

Instead choose warm, nourishing foods with seasonal vegetables, herbal teas like ginger or tulsi, and content and conversations that energize rather than drain you.

9. Create Rituals of Light

Ancient cultures worldwide celebrated light during the darkest times. There’s wisdom in this.

Light oil lamps/diyas in the evening. Start a practice of lighting a lamp while setting an intention for your day. Create a cozy, warm space in your home that feels nurturing.

These aren’t just aesthetic choices – they psychologically signal warmth, hope, and the presence of light even in darkness.

Transforming Your Relationship with Winter

Here’s what I’ve learned: winter blues doesn’t mean that something wrong with you. They’re a signal that you need to approach this season differently.

Nature doesn’t resist winter – it works with it. Trees don’t fight losing their leaves; they channel their energy inward, preparing for the explosion of growth that spring will bring.

Winter invites us to turn inward, to build our inner resources. It’s a time for deeper practice, meaningful learning, genuine connection, and planning what we want to create when spring arrives.

When you shift from “surviving winter” to “using winter wisely,” everything changes.

A Personal Invitation

I won’t claim that following these practices will make winter magically easy.

If you’re feeling the weight of winter, know that you’re not alone. And know that there are proven, powerful tools available to help you navigate this season with more grace and energy.

I invite you to explore the programs we offer at Ojassv Hatha Yoga. More than just classes, you’ll be joining a community of practitioners creating that powerful field of collective energy, supporting each other.

This winter, let’s not just cope. Let’s use these months to become stronger, more energized, and more alive.

What are your biggest challenges with winter? Have you found tools that help you? Share in the comments below – I’d love to hear your experiences.

If you found this helpful, please share it with someone who might be struggling with winter right now.

Wishing you warmth, light, and high energy throughout this season!

Pranam