Last night I told my classes the earth shattering news that I have discovered over the last two weeks that there is not one ounce of Inuit or Eskimo blood within me...that whatever past lives I may have held, I certainly did not live anywhere cold, anywhere that frost does not melt after the few first early morning hours!
You could tell they were not suprised not only due to the fact that I had on 4 layers of clothing and 3 pairs of socks, but that I began to relay to them the best Ayurvedic and Yoga methods to stay warm!
Class began with the Practice of Kapalabhati, with a 4 rounds of variations in Surya Namaskar, followed by Ujaii/snoring breath practices and a few other postures to rebalance the Vata Dosha.
What does come across in my classes is that there are many benefits to simple breathing practices to suit each individual person.
On a general note: Kapalabhati should not be done after Sunset, due to its Rajasic nature, but it is best to learn from a teacher, last night we did so, and hopefully I rebalanced the Rajasic effect or Disturbance in the body by a soothing relaxation at the end of class.
Some of the benefits of Kapalabhati are:
The increase of our Digestive power/Agni, which insures the ability to fight colds and flu's.
To heat up the Vata Dosha which always increases in this weather...by warming Vata we also heat the whole body, which was the result I was hoping for in my own body last night!
Tonification of the abdominal wall (and in doing so strengthens the internal organs and their functioning power).
Strengthens the lungs and diaphragm in the action itself, which supports all organ function.
Other easy to do additions for Lifestyle:
To assist in correct function of the body,including hormone function and lightens our mood- it is best to get moving everyday. In this climate it takes longer to warm up, if you are out walking in the freeze, get your legs moving higher and your arms moving even more will increase heart and breath rate and warm the body thouroughly!(although I can see that if you are walking in public this may not be an option!)
If you are housebound be creative! Put some music on and get dancing or investigate your own yoga practice, hoovering or just plain jumping up and down, these are all useful activities to improve the mind and the Spirit.
Dietary additions:
Try not to snack on sugary foods, refined sugar has no positive effect on the body function.
The best snack this time of year for that Sugar fix in the late afternoon(which is the Vata time of day, most of us feeling the effects of the day around 3 or 4pm)
Fruit...stewed fruit of your choice.
Add to it some muscavado sugar, a dash of cinnamon and perhaps some cloves or vanilla drops.
You can make this in a batch, freeze it in small quantities, kids and adults love it warmed or room temperature, mmm great.
Add warming spices that are palatable to your food:
for most of us in europe, Cumin, Fennel and Cardamom are all familiar tastes-
you can lightly crush these and add them to your grains or meat dishes with some butter or ghee...
if you make Rissoles (left over meat patties) these spices, plus a bit of ground cinnamon is a welcome addition. Just keep in mind that More is not better, so if you are only begining to spice foods, start with less and add more later!
or
to make a tea with some of these spices, even just cinnamon, cloves, a dash of nutmeg with a drop of honey is delicious, but has the added effect of increasing our Agni/Digestive power, which again will aid us in fighting colds and flu's!
So whether you choose to move to Hawaii for warmer winters or stay put and find ways to Warm your Winter...I hope these may help. Even in Hawaii stewed fruit and seasonal options are great for Vata!
marie 
