It has gotten a bit cold where I live, which I love/hate. Love because I'm a big fan of sweaters and scarves and big stompy boots, hate because I'm really cold-sensitive and live in a drafty apartment (there are always tradeoffs in old buildings with big windows). But as anyone who has ever taken a yoga class can tell you, there's a really easy to retain a fair amount of heat!
Hold your hand up in front of your open mouth and exhale. Feel the warmth that comes with your breath? Every time you mouth-breathe, in addition to being rather aesthetically displeasing you're also releasing some body heat and all you have to do to keep it in is just close your mouth. In through your nose, out through your nose. You don't even have to get fancy with the oceanic yoga breathing, although of course you can if you want to (I'll never discourage anyone from getting fancy). If you're feeling a chill, just spend some time intentionally breathing just through your nose and see how you feel.
The one wrinkle is, this is also a time of year when many of us have trouble using our noses for much of anything beyond goo-production and unfortunately I don't have anything new to offer by way of helpful suggestions. But definitely try a humidifier, or anything with eucalyptus in it, or spending some time with your face over a bowl of steaming-hot water (which feels awesome in and of itself, really. Put a towel over your head to really trap the steam. Maybe throw some eucalyptus in there!). I know a few people who swear by their neti pots, but I've never used one myself so I feel unqualified to comment there. Based on what I know about them, though, they're probably not a bad bet as long as you make sure you keep them clean. And of course a good decongestant can be worth its weight in gold, although in my experience it can be a bit of a project finding one that works for you.
So go forth and breathe freely! And warmly! Tomorrow is Feel-Good Friday, which I kind of can't believe - it's been another crazy-fast week, no?
Have a wonderful day!
- Sarah
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