Every December, I hear the same question in one form or another. Something like, “It is too cold to be alive right now. What can I do on my mat that warms me up without touching the thermostat again?”
Believe me, I understand. I live and teach in Minnesota. I have rolled out my mat on days when it was so cold that the windows were practically growling. I have watched students tiptoe into class like penguins because their joints felt frozen stiff. I have personally threatened my own thermostat more times than I should admit.
But here is the beautiful thing about winter. Yoga becomes something deeper when the temperatures drop. It is not just exercise. It is heat. It is circulation. It is grounding. It is a way to come home to your body when everything outside feels sharp and unforgiving.
And it is not just a feeling. There is real research behind why yoga in the winter does something special.
So let me guide you through the routines I teach throughout December and January. They warm your body from the inside out and help your mind feel steadier too. No furnace required. Just your breath, your mat, and a willingness to move slowly into the season.
❄️ Why Yoga Matters Even More in Winter
Every year, I watch the same pattern unfold. People come into winter feeling fine, and then slowly everything tightens. Shoulders. Hips. Breath. Focus. Even the mood.
There are reasons for that. Cold temperatures reduce circulation and stiffen joints. One report from the Times of India explains that winter air tends to constrict the body and slow blood flow, which makes muscles tighter and movement feel heavier. They specifically noted that yoga helps counter this by increasing circulation, boosting flexibility, and generating internal warmth (Times of India, 2024).
Winter also brings more constricted breathing. Natural Health Magazine explains that cold air entering the lungs tends to cause airway narrowing. In contrast, pranayama and nasal breathing warm incoming air through the capillaries inside the nasal passages, making winter breathing smoother and less irritating for the respiratory system (Natural Health Magazine, 2023).
And then there is joint pain. When barometric pressure drops in winter, joints often feel achier. Flowing styles of yoga have been shown to maintain joint mobility and loosen stiffness by increasing warmth and circulation in the tissues (Natural Health Magazine, 2023).
Add in the mood side of things. Shorter days, less sunlight, more stress. According to Healthshots, a wellness publication, yoga in winter supports immunity, lowers stress levels, and improves circulation and flexibility. All things your body especially needs in the darker months (Healthshots, 2024).
There is even scientific support for heat building. A review published by the National Institutes of Health examined hot yoga research and found that yoga performed in warm conditions reliably raises core temperature and heart rate, supporting flexibility and functional outcomes (NIH, 2024). You do not need a heated studio for this. The yoga itself builds heat.
All of this simply means one thing. Your body is not imagining it. Winter is harder. And yoga truly helps.
🔥 Flow 1: The Warm Me Up Right Now Sequence
This is the exact routine I use on mornings when my spine feels like a frozen breadstick. It warms the body quickly yet safely. No frantic movements. No aggressive pushing. Just steady heat building from breath and controlled transitions.
1. Cat and Cow
Holographic Stripes
Settle onto hands and knees. Move slowly. Let each inhale lift your heart. Let each exhale round your spine. This sequence takes stiff winter mornings and makes them breathable again. Stay as long as your spine wants. Ten rounds. Fifteen. There is no such thing as too many in December.
2. Down Dog to Plank Waves
Wind Beneath My Wings
This move generates heat faster than almost anything else. Glide forward into plank, then push back into Down Dog. I tell students to move as if they were being pulled by warm water. These waves wake up your core and shoulders and kick your circulation into gear.
3. Sun Salutation A
Summer Waves
Classic for a reason. Three to five rounds is all it takes for warmth to start to bloom through the torso and legs. The repetitive nature of the sequence improves circulation, which research shows is especially important in winter when blood flow naturally slows (Times of India, 2024).
4. Crescent Lunge with a Twist
Your hips will thank you. Winter tightens the hip flexors like they are protecting you from the cold. This pose opens them slowly and safely, and the twist helps ignite deeper core heat.
5. Chair Pose
Seeing and Believing
Your thighs will complain, but this pose is like flipping the switch on a small internal furnace. It generates warmth through the entire lower body.
6. Forward Fold to Mountain Pose
Rise slowly. Feel the warmth move through your spine like it has been waiting all morning for permission.
🌬️ Flow 2: The I Want Warmth But I Am Kind of Lazy Sequence
Not every day is a power flow day. Some mornings, especially in February, you want gentleness. You want slow movement. You want warmth without effort.
This routine gives you all of that.
1. Lazy Swaying Forward Fold
You do not need to be dramatic here. Bend your knees, lean forward halfway, and sway side to side like a tree rocking in a soft breeze.
2. Side Body Bends
Reach up and stretch to one side, then the other. Simple movements like these expand the rib cage. According to breath research, this kind of expansion improves the warming effect of nasal breathing in winter (Natural Health Magazine, 2023).
3. Low Lunge Pulses
A tiny bounce. Barely a movement. It warms the hips without forcing anything.
4. Supported Bridge
Mariposa
Slide a pillow under your hips and rest. This pose opens the chest and increases warmth through the core.
5. Supine Twists
Faith, Love & Joy by Denise Griffin
Perfect for tight winter backs. The longer you stay, the more your spine unwinds.
This routine is my go to in the mornings when ambition is low and blankets still feel like the right place to be.
🧣 Flow 3: The Winter Evening Cozy Down
Winter evenings carry a softness. A quietness. A tiredness that feels different from any other season. I often recommend this sequence for students who want to unwind and warm down after long days.
1. Neck and Shoulder Release
Release the muscles winter loves to clench.
2. Hip Circles
Move slowly. Let each circle melt the hips.
3. Slow Lunges
Deep, steady breathing increases oxygen flow. Research repeatedly shows that winter exercise improves circulation and generates what one study called a pleasant warmth that helps protect the body from cold weather stressors (Kmanpub Journal, 2023).
4. Melting Heart Pose
Let the front body soften. This pose feels like exhaling the cold out of your shoulders.
5. Legs Up the Wall
Wildflower
This is a winter essential. It calms the nervous system, eases the legs, and prepares your body for sleep.
Small Winter Yoga Enhancements That Make a Big Difference
Warm your hands before practicing.
It sounds silly but it signals safety to your nervous system.
Use a mat that does not turn cold.
This is honestly why Big Raven mats exist. Our materials stay warm under your body.
Practice with soft lighting.
Winter yoga is a sensory ritual.
Keep a blanket close.
Especially for Savasana. Winter Savasana is its own season.
🌟 A New Way to Think About Winter Yoga
Winter yoga is not about perfection. It is about listening. It is about warming yourself from the inside out when the world outside feels hard and cold. It is about treating your breath like a tiny hearth and your body like something worth tending to.
Every pose becomes a way to say
I am here
I am warm
I am steady
I am doing enough
Your winter practice does not have to be dramatic. It does not have to be long. It just has to meet you exactly where you are. And if you let it, it will make the season feel softer, calmer, and a whole lot warmer.