By Dr.Melissa West
Did you know that only 8% of New Year’s resolutions actually stick? Usually, they are made at a time of year when we are completely exhausted on all levels. The winter days are short and dark. We are emotionally exhausted from holiday parties and family get- togethers. Mentally, we are feeling overwhelmed about returning to the avalanche of work.
On top of that, our inner critic and perfectionist rises to the occasion, making a list of our inadequacies, and decides the only way we are going to feel better about ourselves is to shame us into losing weight with sweat-induced vigorous workouts.
But hold up for just a second! Did you know there was another way? A gentler, more compassionate way to meet yourself, just as the natural world withdraws to embrace winter’s deep slumber. Even without losing sight of that desire to shed of few pounds?
Many of us are feeling overextended from the hustle and bustle of our holiday season, and this is a time to rest, reflect, hibernate, and redirect our outward-focused energy inward. The relentless pace of our anxiety- producing world pushes us to perform, accomplish, and achieve.
This goes against the stillness that characterizes winter. Winter is an invitation to avoid rushing and instead embrace a slower and more relaxed pace. Luckily, Maria G. Araneta, Ph.D. at the University of California, San Diego designed a study to vigorous exercise to lose weight. Her study tested who would benefit more: Women who took part in a 48-week program of restorative yoga, or those who engaged in a program of stretching exercises.
Both the stretching and the see if overweight patients needed restorative-yoga groups lost weight, but the restorative-yoga group lost twice as much weight in the first six months—and they were able to keep the weight off. The restorative- yoga group also lost more than wo and a half times the amount of subcutaneous fat (the fat directly under your skin) as the stretch group.
It is hypothesized that the yoga group experienced more weight loss because of the stress reduction associated with the restorative yoga. The stress hormone cortisol is known to cause an increase in abdominal.
Here are three of my favourite restorative yoga poses to rebuild your energy during winter's long rest.
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Legs up the Wall |
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How to Do it: Sit beside the wall with your knees bent. Gently turn your body to bring your legs up the wall. If you have back problems, bend your knees. Rest your hands on your belly for an inward focus. Rest here for five to ten minutes, breathing into your lower belly. Benefits: Calms anxiety, relieves depression and insomnia, and boosts the immune system. |
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Child's Pose |
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How to Do it: Kneel on all fours, and open your legs wide, with your toes together. Lean back and sit your buttocks onto your heels. Place bolster between your knees, and rest over the bolster. If this pose puts too much pressure on your knees and ankles, lie on your back and draw your knees to your chest. Benefits: Relieves stress and fatigue, stretches muscles of lower back, and eases anxiety. |
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Reclined Bound-Angle Pose |
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How to Do it: Sit with your feet together and your legs making a diamond shape. Place blocks to fill the space under your knees. Lie back over a bolster so that the base of the bolster supports you at about the level of your lower ribs. Adjust the props for your own comfort. Benefits: Relieves stress and depression and the symptoms of menstruation and menopause, stretches inner thighs and groins, opens chest and shoulders. |
