8 Warming Yoga Poses for Winter

In Yoga Journal’s Archives series, we share a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. These stories offer a glimpse into how yoga was interpreted, written about, and practiced throughout the years. This article first appeared in Yoga Journal in 2021. Find more of our Archives here.

When temperatures drop, we cover ourselves with puffy jackets, burrow underneath blankets, and keep an endless supply of warm tea on standby. Maybe yoga is the last thing on your mind (especially when it involves abandoning your protective layers). But unlike the temporary fixes that you reach for when you’re feeling chilly, yoga generates warmth from the inside out. These static and dynamic postures are sorta like your body’s personal space heater that you can turn on whenever you need it.

8 Warming Winter Yoga Poses to Stoke Your Inner Fire

Before you move into the physical postures, begin to heat your body with intentional breath. Start by practicing a few rounds of Ujjayi breath by inhaling slowly through your nose, slightly constricting the back of your throat and exhaling through your nose. Let the sound and warming temperature of your breath be your anchor throughout this heat-building practice.

Practice poses to warm up your body, including Child’s Pose, Cat–Cow, Downward-Facing Dog, and Low Lunge. You can even more into a few rounds of Sun Salutation A or Sun Salutation B.

1. Plank

Come into a high push-up position, stack your shoulders over your wrists, and hug your arm muscles toward your centerline. Press your knuckles against the mat and look down, settling your gaze (drishti) between your hands. Reach the top of your head forward and press your heels toward the wall behind you. Draw your navel toward your spine, stoking your inner fire as you pause for 5 breaths.

2. Side Plank

Press your left hand into the mat as you roll onto the outer edge of your left foot and stack your right foot on top. Open your chest toward the left and reach your right arm toward the ceiling. Look to your top hand and spread your fingers wide. Lift your hips. Pause for 5 breaths.

3. Side Plank Variation

To intensify Side Plank, flex your feet, bend your top knee toward your chest, and grasp your knee with your top hand. Pause for 5 breaths, then step your right foot to the top of the mat.

4. High Lunge

Press your front foot into the mat and hug your thighs toward your centerline. As you inhale, lift your arms and chest high. Draw power up from your legs into your core as you draw your navel toward your spine. Pause for 5 breaths.

5. High Lunge Twist with Open Arms

Reach your left arm forward and right arm toward the back of your mat. Draw your navel toward your spine and reach the crown of your head toward the ceiling. Reach your arms away from each other, letting your chest open. With each inhalation, lengthen the sides of your torso. With each exhalation, twist a little more. Pause for 5 breaths, then unwind the twist, plant your hands on either side of your front foot and jump or step back to Plank. (Optional: Move through a vinyasa flow—Chaturanga, Upward-Facing Dog, and Downward-Facing Dog—before returning to Plank).

6. Boat Pose

Sit on the mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Lean back with your hands behind your hips, balance on your seat, and as you exhale, bend your knees so your shins are parallel to the mat. Reach your arms forward. If it’s comfortable, slowly straighten your knees. Hug your thighs in and fan your toes open. Draw your navel toward your spine. You can grasp the backs of your thighs for more support. Stay here for 5-10 breaths. Cross your ankles, roll onto your hands and knees, and step back to Downward Dog.

7. Thunderbolt Pose

From Downward-Facing Dog, come into a kneeling position. Tuck your toes and sit back on your heels, stretching the muscles of your feet. Hug your inner ankles together, squeeze your legs toward your centerline, and lift your hands to prayer position (anjali mudra). Draw your navel toward your spine and breathe steadily as you continue to stoke your inner fire. Pause for 10 breaths. To come out of the pose, bring your palms to the ground, untuck your toes, and come to a seated position.

8. Fire Log Pose

Stack your right shin on top of your left shin. Flex your feet to keep generating heat through your legs. Press your hands into the mat next to your hips and scoot your hips back a few inches. Lift your chest as you inhale and broaden your chest.

Fire Log Pose (continued)

As you exhale, sit tall as you fold forward. Rest your forearms on the mat or a couple of blocks. Lower your head and pause for 10 breaths or more. Slowly roll up, switch legs, and repeat Fire Log pose on the other side.

This article has been updated. Originally published September 22, 2021.