Feeling Tired and Exhausted? 3 Yoga Poses to Help You Restore the Body & Mind.

Hands up if you feel tired and would love to withdraw and hibernate? Have you recently been feeling depleted, heavy and exhausted for no particular reason? Well, chances are you are not alone! And if on top of this you are also still working from home, it might even be worse, dragging yourself out of bed every morning, just not feeling it.

The season of Winter is here, with its colder and darker days, with nature withdrawing – is it a surprise if we want to do the same?

Although the Winter season is cold and dark, it is still a season of growth, a time to go within, to reflect, restore and to hold space. It is the perfect antidote to the faster-paced Summer. You got it, hibernation for you is not a possibility, yet you can find ways to restore body & mind, wrapping up and feeding the body with warm and nourishing food. It’s the time for candles, cosying up in front of a fireplace and soaking in hot baths.

Ayurveda teaches us that opposites balance, Daoism teaches us that Yin & Yang complement each other. Look at Winter as the Yin to your Yang in Summer. From an ayurvedic perspective know that Winter is a Kapha season with Vata influence. It shows up as cold weather with frosty and heavy winds, sluggishness often in form of sleet or snow and also increased moisture due to rain and fog.

So please don’t beat yourself up for feeling more tired, don’t drown yourself in the January blues nor force yourself to do that high-intensity class – don’t get me wrong, moving the body and joining a high-intensity class or taking on a fitness challenge is wonderful, however, I invite you to also listen to your body and to find time to create balance and rest.

The following is a short and sweet sequence of only three poses which will help you to relax:

1 Supported Child’s Pose

Grab a bolster or a few cushions, bring them under your belly and chest with your thighs and knees wide apart. Wrap your arms around, like you are hugging it and create as much comfort as possible. You will feel a gentle lengthening into the lower back and possibly up along the spine. Let the pelvis become heavy and sink down. Have one side of your face on the bolster or cushions and after a while turn the head to the other side. Keep your eyes closed and if that doesn’t feel save, keep a gentle gaze. Stay for up to 5 minutes in the pose before you slowly release by removing your support and lying onto your back into a mini Shavasana for 1 to 2 minutes. While in this rebound pose (as we call it in Yin Yoga) observe the shift in your body, the physical, emotional, mental and also spiritual.

2 Legs Up the Wall

Move slowly towards a wall if you have a free one close by – you don’t need one though – and with the same support as before under your pelvis, lift your legs up the wall and rest them there. Your arms can be along-side your body or they can reach over your head, either straight or bent. Close your eyes or take a soft gaze and enjoy. Feel the upper body comfortably resting on the mat, totally relaxed while you feel the legs resting too. Stay up to 5 minutes or even longer here. Then release and shift back into rebound pose. Observe the sensations and allow the body to sink into the earth.

3 Lying Butterfly

Last but not least we are moving into this deep, lush and restorative pose. In a seated position, soles of the feet together, knees opening to the sides, bring the same support, a bolster or a few cushions under your spine and as you are slowly lying down, rest your spine and head onto it. The arms can be in any position, along-side the body or over the head with arms straight or bent. Stay for up to 5 minutes in the pose and then shift into rebound pose, observing and enjoying the release. Lying Butterfly reaches into every part of your body, mind and soul, it is quite a vulnerable pose while at the same time deeply nurturing.

If you only have 5 minutes and want to let go and withdraw, choose Lying Butterfly pose! You really only need that one pose, it is the saviour in times of exhaustion, times of anxiety or when your body feels extra tight.

Don’t fight the tiredness rather know that you are part of nature too and you go through the same cycles as the tree in front of your house, the bird living in the tree and the soil it is standing on. Find your balance with everything that is going on in your life and nurture your body through exercise, nutrition and adequate rest.

If you have any questions, would love to learn more or are unsure what practice would fit you, I am happy to have a chat with you. Simply send me an email to info@patriciacreolayoga.com and I will get back to you.