In today’s fast-paced world, many of us feel disconnected—whether from our bodies, our emotions, or our purpose. At Align with Sari, I believe that true wellness comes from alignment: when your mind, body, and spirit work in harmony. My unique approach blends the wisdom of Ayurveda, the transformative power of yoga, and the supportive structure of life coaching to help you find balance and purpose in your life.
Winter, in particular, offers a profound opportunity to pause, reflect, and realign. As the world outside slows down, we can embrace the stillness to nurture our inner selves and reset for the year ahead. Let’s explore how the practices of Ayurveda, yoga, and life coaching can guide us through this winter season.
Alignment isn’t just about physical posture—it’s about syncing your lifestyle with your values and your body with its natural rhythms. Think of the last time you felt out of sync. Perhaps you experienced stress, fatigue, being poorly or a sense of being lost. These are often signs that your mind, body, or spirit is yearning for harmony.
Winter is the perfect time to begin this work. The slower pace invites us to tune into our inner world and take steps to realign. Holistic practices like Ayurveda and yoga offer practical tools for reconnection, while life coaching provides the guidance to chart your path forward. Together, they create a powerful tool set for creating beneficial routines that support change.
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of health, teaches us that everyone has a unique mind-body type, or dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). Winter is predominantly a Vata season, characterized by qualities like cold, dryness, and mobility. For many, this can lead to feelings of restlessness, anxiety, or imbalance.
To balance Vata during winter, focus on warming, grounding, and nourishing practices. Here are a few tips to get you started - eat grounding foods, incorporate warm, cooked meals with root vegetables, healthy fats, and warming spices like cayenne, cinnamon, clove and cardamom. Stay hydrated, sip on herbal teas or warm water throughout the day to combat dryness. I add cinnamon and cardamom to my morning coffee. Prioritize self-care, Abhyanga, or self-massage with warm oil, is a deeply nourishing practice that calms the nervous system and improves circulation. I add a drop vetiver and jasmine essential oils to almond oil to keep me grounded. I also indulge in long warm baths with epsom salts and my favourite nourishing blend of rose, geranium and patchouli bath oil.
By aligning with the season’s rhythms, you’ll feel more connected to yourself and better equipped to navigate winter’s challenges.
Winter is a time to slow down, and your yoga practice can reflect this shift. Yoga is much more than a physical workout; it’s a way to cultivate mindfulness, reduce stress, and reconnect with your inner self. I embrace restorative poses, like Child’s Pose or Legs-Up-the-Wall to encourage relaxation and stillness. I focus on simple pranayama practices like kumbhaka (breath retention), simply inhale and retain the breath and allow the exhalation to be longer than the inhalation, this soothes the nervous system and bring a sense of clarity work witnin you capacity. Create consistency, when I was younger this was my achilles heel, so encourage short daily practice of 15 minutes to start with, to keep you grounded and present. As you step onto your mat, remember that yoga is an opportunity to be gentle with yourself, I encourage my yoga students to stay their yoga bubble, a place of non judgement. Use this time to connect with yourself.
Chart Your Path Forward! Sometimes, the hardest part of change is knowing where to start. Winter provides the perfect backdrop for self-reflection and planning. Life coaching offers a structured, supportive approach to help you clarify your goals and create a personalized roadmap to achieve them. Reflect and reset by taking time to evaluate what’s working in your life and what isn’t. Use this quiet season to realign with your values and vision. Set intentions, instead of overwhelming yourself with resolutions, focus on setting mindful, smaller achievable goals that support your whole being. Embrace accountability, whether its checking in with your journal, a friend or family member or a life coach can provide the guidance and encouragement you need to stay on track and move forward with confidence, turning reflection into action, paving the way for a more purposeful and fulfilling life.
Consider creating a daily winter wellness routine to support yourself. Here’s a simple daily routine to inspire you. In the Morning, start your day with a warm drink, a few minutes of deep breathing, and gentle movement. Midday, enjoy a grounding, nourishing meal and take a mindful walk outside, even if it’s chilly, layer up! In the evening, reflect on your day, journal your thoughts, and wind down with a yoga nidra or meditation practice.
These small, intentional steps can make a big difference in how you experience the season. By aligning with winter’s natural rhythms, you’ll find greater peace, joy, and resilience.
This winter, embrace the stillness, nourish yourself, and prepare for the renewal that spring will bring.