A Warming Winter Ritual for Anxiety
A Warming Winter Ritual for Anxiety and Grounding
Victoria Ann, Holistic Health Coach
If you’re feeling called to carve out more space for self-care this season, a morning ritual will transform your daily experience. Routine does not have to become a point of resistance; structure in fact can create an architecture for your day that results in more ease and freedom.
I personally have had a morning routine that has shifted and evolved many times over for about a decade now. The ritual provided below is a series of suggestions. Anything that you feel more inclined to do, do that. You may feel pulled to spend time with one exercise more than another; simply follow your intuition. and feel free to create your own ritual based on what comes up or what you are currently working with in your life.
As a holistic health coach, yoga & meditation instructor, and reiki healer, I encounter many clients struggling with chronic anxiety, especially around the wintertime when the holidays can be daunting and the playfulness of summer feels far away. Below is a series of tools that you can use any time you feel the need, but I strongly suggest trying them at the same time each morning to set the tone for your day.
LIFE IS EVER-CHANGING, AND SO IS YOUR PRACTICE.
Make a warm beverage
As you prepare your tea or coffee, treat it as a morning meditation focus solely on what is in front of you as you gently wake up. During the winter season, using warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, or cardamom in your tea and cooking help to maintain digestive fire. Warm water with lemon is also a great option to help gently awaken the organs. If you’re an avid coffee drinker and it brings you immense joy (totally me), just be sure that you drink a glass of water first to help hydrate the body. After your beverage is ready, sit quietly for a few minutes as you take in the scent, taste, smell, and touch. If you are having trouble settling the mind, try repeating in your mind the simple mantra of “I am right here.” Bonus points if you can find some sunshine streaming through the window to simultaneously soak in some vitamin D.
Photo @livefeather
Gratitude
You’ve probably heard this at least a dozen times now, but there’s a reason why. When we acknowledge what we are grateful for, we not only become more magnetic to receive more of this in our lives, but it brings us back into a state of awareness that allows us to find more to be grateful for throughout our day. Make this list as short or as long as you’d like.
Intentions
What simple actions will make you feel at your very best? Think of what you intend to do today to work towards the most confident and grounded version of yourself. It can feel like a micro step forward, but every bit helps. It can be especially difficult during the cold seasons to stay on top of our wellness rituals when all we want is comfort and hibernation. Think about how you feel best and see what you can do to make it a priority. If it feels forced, don’t do it. But if you know for a fact that you will feel better afterwards, try and use this article as a little fire of motivation to start again. For me personally, stress and anxiety is managed the best when I…
1. Exercise and sweat (dance class or yoga).
2. Eat three square meals with high quality protein and vegetables.
3. Meditate at least 5 minutes.
If you have a hard time sticking to daily goals, even when you know they make your life better, try finding a friend to check in with to hold you accountable. Once you have your intentions, write them down and visit them daily.
Warming Asanas
For wintertime, it’s important to keep your circulation going and create heat in the body. If you already have a yoga practice, I highly suggest following your intuition and feeling out what your body wants and needs.
Feeling some back stiffness?
Try some cat/cows.
Feeling tight in the hips?
Try some one legged downward facing dogs with hip circles.
My go-to winter routine if I need an overall body yawn is usually done in the following order: Child’s Pose, Cat/Cow, Head and Shoulder circles while sitting cross-legged, breath of fire (kapalabhati breathing), two sets of Sun Salutation A, two sets of Sun Salutation B, Locust Pose, Child’s Pose again, Plow, Shoulder Stand, Shavasana.
This short yoga series will get you centered and warm, as well as set you up for your meditation practice coming next.
Photo by Nicholas Saretzky.
Meditate
Even if it’s for five minutes or less, sitting down to settle into self is so nourishing and helps us connect to our most authentic selves before dashing into the day.
Sit on a blanket or pillow so that your hips are slightly elevated. Allow the spine to be long and feel as if you have puppet strings gently pulling you up towards the ceiling. Get comfortable so that you can ideally meditate until your heart's content. If you’ve never meditated before, try anapana breathing. Inhale and exhale through the nose, keeping the attention at the tip of the nostrils.
AS THOUGHTS FLOAT IN, SIMPLY ACKNOWLEDGE THEM AND LET THEM FLOAT RIGHT BACK OUT, BRINGING THE ATTENTION BACK TO THE BREATH ENTERING AND EXISTING THE NOSTRILS.
I hope that this morning ritual becomes a beautiful part of your daily life. Have a warm, grounded, and anxiety-free winter season!
Victoria is a holistic health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a 200H Yoga Teacher through Ruh Yoga of Bangalore, India. She currently teaches Hatha & Vinyasa Yoga, meditation, and corporate wellness workshops at various corporate locations in Los Angeles.