YogMantra | You Don't Need Winter-Specific Yoga. Here's A 'Good-Enough' Routine That Works

YogMantra | You Don't Need Winter-Specific Yoga. Here's A 'Good-Enough' Routine That Works Read to know about common-sense advice from Ayurveda and Yoga that’ll help you beat not just winter woes, but stay healthy all year Share Your Feedback Choose News18 on Google Winter is finally here, and in every city I recently visited, people around me were coughing persistently. Curious, I asked an Ayurveda doctor for advice, and what she told me was eye-opening: “It’s actually acid reflux manifesting as cough. People’s eating habits are not allowing pitta (the element that controls the body’s heat and digestion) to settle. You’ll find some people even experiencing vomiting and fever." She was right. Winter foods tend to be heavy, and we often end up eating them after sunset, late in the evening. The result is hyperacidity and acid reflux. Combine this with reduced physical activity and lower water intake, and you have a perfect recipe for dyspepsia and GERD cough. Recommended Stories The solution is simple. Explains Delhi-based doctor Vaidya Purnima Midha: “In any season, the rules are the same." She lists them out as: 1. Eat with the sun: Your last meal should be around 7:00-7:30pm. If you’re hungry later, have milk or soup. 2. Eat seasonal foods: Kapha dosha - associated with the Earth element - provides strength and grounding when foods are taken in the right quantities, without overloading the system. 3. Lunch should be your heavier meal: As they say, ‘eat like a pauper at night’. 4. Eat only when hungry, not to please anyone: Especially at celebrations and parties. Following these rules keeps most diseases at bay - in winter and throughout the year. However, once a disease develops, these rules must be adjusted to a patient-specific, illness-specific diet. THE YOGA PARALLEL & THE UNIVERSAL RULES THAT APPLY My own experience with Yoga over the decades has been similar. Contrary to popular opinion, winters do not need a sudden introduction of “Winter Asanas". Your regular set of Asanas, practised daily, is sufficient to tackle common complaints like stiffness, back and knee pain, circulation issues or constipation. The Yoga routine can largely remain the same across seasons - provided it covers certain basic requirements. If illness has already set in, however, the routine should be adjusted accordingly. One such ‘good enough’ Yoga sequence that has stood the test of time was devised by renowned Yoga guru and founder of The Yoga Institute, Shri Yogendra. To be ‘good enough’, it takes into account the following: 1. Every part of the body needs exercise, so the ideal Yoga course should cover the arms, legs, neck, chest, abdomen, waist, spine, and internal organs. 2. Daily activities give some exercise to various muscles, so the main need of physical education is to exercise muscles that are rarely used or not used at all. Yoga practices are designed carefully to provide adequate exercise to these muscles. 3. The daily exercise routine should have an equal amount of exercise for all muscle groups....

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