‹ Back to Blog

Navigating Dark Days with Yoga: A Guide to SAD

As nights get longer and barren trees stare at you as you walk outside, a certain melancholy sets in this time of the year. Changing seasons trigger a dip in mood, energy, enthusiasm, and overall well-being. You tend to feel melancholic, and nothing seems to cheer you up. And now science confirms you are not alone in feeling this way.

It could be that you’re experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a mental condition that is much more than your usual ‘winter blues.’

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

SAD is a type of depression that affects you during the fall and winter months. As the sun shows up less, sunlight is scarce. When sunlight exposure decreases, your body reduces the release of serotonin, the resident mood booster. When this balance is offset, it can lead to the characteristic symptoms of SAD.

While you may not have heard much about it, SAD has been around for decades, and its effects can be quite serious if left unaddressed.

Who does it affect?

While anyone can experience SAD, it most commonly occurs in places where the winters are long and the days are short—think northern Europe, Canada, and parts of the US. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with SAD, but it often appears in young adults too.

What happens with SAD?

So, what happens when SAD decides to crash your mood party? Brace yourselves for a group of characters you wouldn’t invite to any party: low energy, excessive sleepiness, an insatiable craving for carbs (hello, comfort food!), and general feelings of mehs and blahs. Social withdrawal, difficulty concentrating, and even thoughts of worthlessness also accompany this unwelcome entourage.

SAD brings about a weird state of mental fog. You feel drained, energy levels plummet, motivation fades, simple daily tasks can feel overwhelming, and lethargy takes over.

Surprisingly, SAD doesn’t always fade once spring arrives. If untreated, it can linger and potentially be harmful as it progresses, and this is why it’s important to recognize and treat it head-on.

Fortunately, there are ways to manage and reduce its impact—and one effective approach is yoga.

Five Poses to Help Combat SAD

Yoga is an ancient practice and is an excellent way to help improve your mood and energy levels. It comes with the gifts of deep breathing, mindful movement, and gentle stretches to help improve blood flow and reach for that inner source of sunshine.

Here are five yoga poses to brighten up those dreary days.

Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)

Upward-Facing Dog
  1. Lie on your stomach, palms flat on the floor, hands under your shoulders.
  2. Press your palms into the floor and lift your chest.
  3. Keep your hips pressed down, legs straight, and tops of your feet on the floor.
  4. Gaze straight ahead or slightly upward.

Picture this, your chest and upper body are similar to a sealed room. Upward-facing dog feels like you’re opening the windows wide to let fresh air and sunlight inside. Not only is this pose refreshing to your body, but it helps your mind by boosting it, making you feel more active.

Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani

Legs up the wall pose

This pose feels like a warm blanket on a snowy day. It’s soothing and relaxing to the body and head, and keeps one centered. It’s akin to giving some rest to the mind particularly when you are feeling weary and sluggish.

  1. Sit on the floor with your legs extended.
  2. Place your hands on the wall behind you.
  3. Swing your legs up the wall, keeping your hips close to the wall.
  4. Lie back, resting your head on a blanket or pillow.

Child's Pose (Balasana)

Childs Pose

We liken this pose to your best friend’s warm embrace on a day you’re down and out. Warm and pleasant, Balasana can be useful in improving feelings when you’re nervous or low. It also helps relax the muscles and connective tissue on the upper back, neck, and shoulders, which normally tend to be tense, especially in the winter.

  1. Kneel on the floor, big toes touching.
  2. Sit back on your heels, and lower your torso between your thighs.
  3. Rest your forehead on the floor or a pillow.
  4. Extend your arms out in front of you or rest them by your sides.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Bridge Pose

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) boosts mood and energy by promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and relieving tension in the body. This pose stimulates deep breathing, which calms the nervous system and enhances mental clarity, leaving you refreshed and more focused. By increasing circulation to the spine and brain, it reduces fatigue and naturally elevates energy levels. Additionally, the gentle backbend stimulates the thyroid and adrenal glands, helping to balance hormones and promote feelings of joy, openness, and confidence. Together, these effects make Bridge Pose a powerful practice for improving overall mood and well-being.

  1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
  2. Press your feet and arms onto the floor.
  3. Lift your hips off the floor, pressing your lower back into the ground.
  4. Interlace your fingers beneath your pelvis and press your arms down

Salamba Bujangasana (Sphinx)

This gentle variation of the Cobra Pose is incredible for days when you don’t have the energy to do anything physically demanding. The sphinx pose stretches usually inactive muscles while stimulating the kidneys, which, in yogic wisdom, are the organs associated with energy and inner willpower. Blood circulation in the body is also improved, as your heart and lungs span and expand, allowing you to breathe deeply with calmness.

  1. Lie on your stomach, forearms on the floor, elbows under your shoulders.
  2. Press your forearms into the floor and lift your chest up.
  3. Keep your hips pressed down, legs straight, and tops of your feet on the floor.
  4. Gaze straight ahead or slightly upward.

Tips to Tackle SAD

While yoga can play a powerful role in alleviating the symptoms of SAD, there are other things you can do to stay on top of your mental health through the winter months. Here are some tips to keep your mood buoyant:

  • Maximize Your Exposure to Natural Light
    One of the principal causes of SAD is quite simply the absence of sunshine. If it is sunny outside or around noonish, indulge in physical activities like a brisk walk or a jog. Even if it is cloudy getting fresh air may change things for the better. A light therapy box may be helpful–it imitates sunlight which helps your cycle.
  • Maintain a Routine
    Most of the time it’s easy to behave like a bear and sleep all day long snuggled in your blanket, but following a daily schedule has been shown to improve mental wellbeing. Pay attention to the time when you do anything and everything, including waking up, getting out of bed, getting dressed (yes, even if working from home), and eating. Stability is what your body is always in search of, and routines ease out the changes in moods.
  • Watch What You Eat
    Loading up on comfort food during winter is usually provoked by SAD as we tend to help ourselves with starchy and sweet foods. You can splurge from time to time, but make sure that you have enough dietary fibrous foods like whole grains, vegetables, and proteins that will support you for long periods. Omega 3, found in fish and flax-seeds are best known for fighting depression.
  • Stay Active
    Physical activity, seriously, any physical activity including yoga helps in making people happy. This is due to the release of endorphin hormones that increase the feeling of happy and energetic. Even when at home, if you’re feeling lethargic, a walk inside your home or stretching does wonders.
  • Stay Connected
    It’s natural for people who suffer from SAD to feel reclusive. Everything makes you want to shut down, but that isn’t reason enough for you to be unavailable to your loved ones. Though it sounds like a lot of work, even an ordinary phone call or a video chat can help in driving away the loneliness this season brings. Or maybe you can bring some coffee with bagels for your friends!

SAD can feel like a heavy cloud hanging over the colder months, but you have more power over it than you think. Mitigate the effects of SAD and emerge on the other side feeling more balanced and energized, and maybe even find some joy in those cozy, quieter days.

Posted in: