What Is the Winter Solstice and How Does It Affect My Yoga Practice?

what is the winter solstice and how does it affect my yoga practice

Every year there are a few astronomical events that have a major impact on our mental and physical health, and the winter solstice is one of those times. The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year when the sun spends the least amount of time in the sky, but it also represents a gradual return of the light and growing intensity energetically. When we learn how to harmonize our yoga practice with the winter solstice, we can also find greater balance in the body, mind, and soul.

The winter solstice is an opportunity for us to turn inward and nourish the body during the darkest moment of winter while harnessing your inner light, and your yoga practice is one of the best ways to do that. In this article, we will go over the basics of the winter solstice and its connection with yoga. Then we will dive into the best yoga poses, breathing techniques, and meditations for the winter solstice.

What Is the Winter Solstice?

The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. Many people associate the winter solstice with the month of December, but the winter solstice actually happens twice per year – once in the northern hemisphere in December and once in the southern hemisphere in June.

During the winter solstice, the sun is at its farthest distance from the earth, so it travels on a shorter path around the sky. Therefore, this day also has the least amount of daylight with the longest nighttime. After this date, the sun begins a gradual lengthening of time spent in the sky and an increase in daylight.  

The winter solstice also marks the beginning of the winter season and is celebrated as a time of rebirth as a mystical change in nature. Many cultures and religions celebrate this holiday, such as Saturnalia, Dong Zhi, Toji, Soyal, or Shab-e Yalda.

The Connection Between the Winter Solstice and Yoga

Cultures around the world celebrate the winter solstice, and Indian culture is no different. In traditional Vedic astrology, the winter solstice is called Uttarayana, representing the first day of the sun’s northward journey through the sky when the light is returning. This is an auspicious moment in time because it represents the coming hope of the future and the light of consciousness.

The winter solstice is often connected to the dark night of the soul, which is a significant spiritual concept indicating an awakening to an awareness of the harshness of our reality. But this awakening to the darkness also signifies the coming of the spiritual light of understanding at the end of the tunnel as the winter solstice also marks the point when the shift to longer days and more incredible sunlight begins.

The light of the sun is deeply connected to the light of the soul or atman that lies within each individual. By honoring these different moments of the sun’s passage through the sky, we are also reconnecting to the light within ourselves. Only out of darkness can light begin to shine. By bringing these concepts into your yoga practice, you can deepen into the spiritual truth of yoga and harmonize these energies within you.

How the Winter Solstice Affects My Yoga Practice

Since the winter solstice is the day with the shortest amount of sunlight, it represents an opportunity for us to harness our inner light instead. The winter is a time of more stagnation, inwardness, and coldness, which means we need to be even more conscious of balancing these energies with heat but without burning ourselves out.

Staying in tune with the energies of the winter solstice in your yoga practice can help you find balance in life. See below for some of the primary energetics and intentions to bring into your yoga practice and into your daily life during the winter solstice:

·      Set intentions for the new year

·      Cultivate your inner light

·      Build heat physically and mentally

·      Engage in nourishing rest

·      Open the heart and chest

·      Clear stagnation from the body

·      Honor the light of the sun

The winter season is also a time to focus on balancing the vata and kapha doshas in Ayurveda by bringing heat, grounding, and clearing energy in the body. By bringing these intentions into your yoga practice, you can ritualize your yoga practice during the winter solstice and deepen your connection to these cosmic cycles.

5 Yoga Poses for the Winter Solstice

1.     Reclined Hero Pose (Supta Virasana)

Every hero needs to rest sometimes. Reclined hero pose helps you embody the intention of putting down your swords and nourishing yourself from within with a deep intention. This yoga pose also gently opens the heart center, which is where stagnation tends to accumulate during the winter season. With a clear heart and an open mind, you can usher in the light for the new year and cultivate a deep inner knowing.

2.     Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Bridge pose is another gentle heart and spine opening posture that clears stagnation from the body while also supporting deep inner nourishment. Whether you choose the active or restorative variation of this pose, bridge pose will undoubtedly be an excellent addition to your winter solstice routine. As you flow through this yoga pose, try to focus on your heart center and bring deep gratitude and love for yourself and all that you have in your life. what is the winter solstice and how does it affect my yoga practice

3.     Fire Log Pose (Agni Stalambasana)

Fire log pose is a metaphoric representation of how we can stoke the inner fire within our hearts and reconnect to the light of the soul shining through. This yoga pose also gently opens the hips, where many people tend to store emotions, which can lead to stagnation internally if they are not adequately released. This pose is also deeply grounding for the body to help balance the vata and kapha doshas at the same time.

4.     Melting Heart Pose (Anahatasana)

As mentioned, stagnation in the chest area tends to build up during the winter because this is the main site of kapha dosha in the body. By clearing out the heart center, you can make space for new intentions and love to enter into your life. Melting heart pose also represents the importance of release and an inner thawing of the frozenness that tends to occur during the winter.

5.     Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar)

Since the solstice marks a significant moment in the sun’s movement through the sky, it is also an important time to honor the sun and salute its brilliance as our guiding light. Many people use the solstice as an opportunity to practice 108 rounds of sun salutations, but this can be intense for many people, so even one sun salutation can do the trick! Remember to stay in tune with your breath and to honor the light of the sun and the light within your heart with each flowing movement.

Meditation and Yoga for the Winter Solstice

As the light in the sky fades during the winter solstice, it is the perfect time to tap into the more subtle practices of meditation and breathwork and cultivate your inner light. The main focus of these practices is building heat and intention to balance vata dosha and promote more profound levels of awareness.

1.     Candle Gazing Meditation (Trataka)

Candle gazing meditation is a deeply transformative and cleansing practice. This meditation technique involves softly gazing at the flame of a candle until tears begin to arise and then turning inwards to focus on your inner flame in your third-eye center. This union of the inner and outer light represents the harmonization with the external sun and the internal flame – bringing the balance of darkness and light deep into your soul.

2.     Victorious or Ocean Breath (Ujjayi Pranayama)

The winter season is often a cooler time of year where stagnation in the body and mind is more likely. But with a regular ujjayi pranayama practice, you can bring some heat into your body and promote the flow of prana throughout your inner channels to clear away any blockages. This powerful breathing technique is excellent to add along with any of the yoga poses you practice during the winter solstice.

Explore the Power of Yoga in Our Online Yoga Teacher Training

The winter solstice is a significant time of year in the cosmos, and by honoring this shift in the alignment of the sun and the earth, we are also honoring the natural changes within our consciousness. We often forget how deeply connected we are to nature, and by honoring these moments in nature, we can reconnect to this principle and bring more balance to the body, mind, and soul. what is the winter solstice and how does it affect my yoga practice

Yoga is a profoundly transformative way to harness the power of the winter solstice and deepen your connection to the cycles of the universe. In our online yoga teacher training courses, we give you all the tools you need to create your own innovative yoga sequences to develop a strong personal yoga practice and teach others the powers of yoga as well. So, join us in our upcoming online 200-hour and 300-hour yoga teacher training courses to learn more! wh

Standing Winter Ayurveda Sequence

Stat is the winter solstice and how does it affect my yoga practice