3 Styles of Yoga You Should Try Out During Winter

Yoga is a great addition to any routine. Aside from its emotional and physical health benefits, practicing yoga can also help keep you feeling active and accomplished when your motivation wanes during the colder months. If you're in need of a gentle way to work up a sweat, read on for three styles of yoga your Winter routine will be incomplete without.

Although the additional heat of hot yoga doesn't have as much of an effect on your heart health as previously believed, it's still a great way to work out. Not only do you work up a sweat and rid your body of toxins in the sauna-like conditions, but you're also able to torch major calories.

When you are avoiding a crowded Winter gym and don't quite have the motivation to work up a sweat from home, book yourself into an animal flow class. This practice takes the fundamentals of Vinyasa yoga, like deep breathing and fluid movement, and marries them with dynamic movements inspired by, you guessed it, animals. Although you still hit the same poses you normally do, you might find yourself working harder and sweating a whole lot more than usual while maneuvering into different poses through moves like burpees, lunges, and squats.

Color therapy yoga may not be a widespread practice yet, but if there's a studio near you that offers it, you'd be wise to try it. Color therapy yoga involves the use of colored light to add an immersive, sensory element to yoga. Different colors produce different responses; for example, a class using red lights can be used to minimize the disruptive effects of blue light from phones and computer screens. Standard yoga sessions can help minimize the effects of mood disorders like depression. When paired with the use of color therapy, you can add a considerable boost to your mood and your practice.