Yoga Poses to Stave Off SAD

If you feel foggy, fatigued, and generally bummed even as winter morphs into spring, you’re not alone: 10 percent to 20 percent of US adults experience mild seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which can cause anxiety, weight gain, and social withdrawal. Experts link SAD to lack of sunlight, but you can relieve symptoms without moving to the tropics—try yoga instead. Eric Leskowitz, MD, a psychiatrist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, says yoga poses involving the crown chakra, or the top of the head, may stimulate the pineal gland, which produces the feel-good hormones serotonin and melatonin and helps regulate circadian rhythms.

Skull shining breath: This breathing practice can help clear mental fog, says Amy Weintraub, author of Yoga for Depression (Broadway Books, 2004). Sitting with your back straight, exhale forcefully through the nose while snapping your belly backward toward the spine. Inhale slowly, consciously receiving the breath. Start with 20 breaths then increase speed and repetitions.

Inversion postures: These poses strengthen neck and posture muscles and potentially stimulate the pineal gland. Headstands work great, says Weintraub, but less-advanced yogis can try wide-legged standing forward bends, supported shoulderstands, or supported inverted staff poses.