It is natural for many to retreat indoors now that the cold, dark season is here to stay for a while. But it’s important to remember to stay active, even if it looks somewhat different from running, biking and hiking outside during the warmer months. One of the best ways to keep the stir-craziness at bay is to embrace mindful movement that attunes us to the slower pace of winter.
Dance and restorative yoga are two of my favorite practices to foster a mind-body connection and deeper awareness of self — the perfect recipe for winter.
Body-affirming dance experiences create heat and let us shake out stress, tension and restless energy. On the other end of the spectrum, slow-flowing yoga allows us to find deep states of relaxation by releasing stress from our body and calming our nervous system.
Specifically, yin yoga is an ideal winter practice. While styles like hatha and ashtanga yoga target muscles through active poses and flows, yin yoga targets connective tissues and joints through passively held poses for three to five minutes, with the support of props like bolsters and blocks. This yoga style also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, using breathing to help balance energy flow and find deep release in both the body and mind.
Here are some suggestions on where to move, breathe and release this winter in and around Seattle.
608 19th Ave. E., Seattle; hours vary each day; ritualhouseseattle.com
This cozy and impeccably designed family-run studio in north Capitol Hill was founded to create a community around yoga, breathwork, meditation and energy healing mediums.
Ritual House’s yin and restorative classes are ideal for syncing with the winter season. Restorative hatha and restorative vinyasa are offered almost daily, while yin classes incorporating a meditation practice are taught every Wednesday and Sunday evening. First-timers can opt for the two-week intro pass, which includes unlimited classes for 14 days ($50). Other options include drop-in classes ($27), 5- and 10-class packs ($125 and $230), and unlimited monthly memberships ($170).
In early 2025, the studio is hosting workshops designed to help you start the year feeling grounded and refreshed. On the evening of Jan. 16, the studio will hold its monthly ritual blending mindful meditation, movement and journaling to help you reset and reconnect with yourself ($40). Starting on Jan. 21, Ritual House is offering a four-week foundational meditation course designed for new and experienced meditation practitioners alike to improve awareness of mind and body. Classes are held every Tuesday evening, finishing on Feb. 11 ($200/series or $50/drop-in).
17056 116th Ave. S.E., Renton; hours vary; crownyoga.co
South Seattleites should check out Crown Yoga Shala in Renton. Named for the seventh chakra, Crown Studio aligns itself with traditional yogic ideology, prioritizing mental, spiritual and emotional well-being. “Our restorative practices and mindful atmosphere make it the perfect sanctuary for embracing the peaceful energy of winter,” Crown Yoga owner Sarah Espe said.
Crown Yoga’s winter calendar is filled with slow, restorative classes prioritizing nurturing practices and inward reflection. The studio’s twilight yin classes deepen the already restorative practice, using candlelight to encourage students to turn inward. To completely fall into a state of restful bliss, join one of the studio’s immersive sound bath experiences offered twice weekly, inviting you to fall into a deep state of relaxation.
New students can sign up for the intro offer, which is either seven days of unlimited classes ($25) or a month of unlimited classes ($60). Options for drop-in classes ($30 per class), monthly memberships ($140) and 10-class packages ($240) are also available.
9750 N.E. 119th Way, Kirkland; hours vary; balayoga.com
This spacious Kirkland studio is perfect for Eastsiders looking to deepen their yoga practice this winter. Bala’s yoga rooms are heated to 85 degrees, which is cooler than most hot yoga studios keep the temperature cranked to (typically around 100), but perfect for keeping you warm on cold days. Choose from a variety of yoga styles at Bala, although its yin classes are an ideal choice to create expansiveness and tune into the stillness of the winter season. Yin is offered on Sunday mornings and almost every evening, including a calming yin sequence to candlelight on Thursday evenings.
If you’re looking to embrace relaxing modalities even further, check out one of Bala’s January workshops. On Jan. 11, join Bala for an afternoon of somatic sound healing, an experience that blends the vibrations of crystal singing bowls, a gong and drums with meditation. Sound journeys use frequencies to help promote relaxation, stress relief, emotional release and open channels of creativity.
124 N. 103rd St., Suite D, Seattle; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday; positivespinpoledance.com
Has pole dancing always sparked your curiosity but you’ve lacked the confidence to try it? Positive Spin Pole in Greenwood is breaking down barriers and redefining who pole fitness and dance is for.
“Pole can be intimidating to start,” said Positive Pole Spin owner Alyssa Taubin. “In reality, our classes are full of silliness, laughter and encouragement. We see Positive Spin as an opportunity to create a piece of the world we all wish we lived in by celebrating each other wherever we’re at in our journey.”
According to Taubin, their body-positive, inclusive studio is a space for queer, plus-size and people of color and their allies to come and explore their journey of movement, strength, dance and self.
Dip your toes in the world of pole dancing with a two-week new members pass ($70 for up to seven classes) that allows you to explore the range of classes available, from beginner pole to free flow to pole handstands. If you’re hooked after your first few classes, Positive Spin offers a variety of class packs and monthly membership options.
2210 N. Pacific St, Seattle; hours vary; omculture.com
Ecstatic dance doesn’t require participants to follow any specific steps but rather is a practice of dancing freely, allowing the rhythm of the music to inspire one’s movement, and dancing to the point of ecstasy. The practice is ideal for shaking away the winter blues, releasing the tension you are holding onto and activating creativity.
OmCulture hosts ecstatic dance sessions every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 8 to 11 p.m. in its aesthetic Wallingford studio. Wear comfortable clothes and get ready to shake and twirl, move and groove to soulful tunes courtesy of disc jockeys. The positive, inclusive space invites you to move however you want. Leave the conversations off the dance floor and come to explore self-expression through movement. Om also hosts tango classes on the first and third Fridays of the month, alongside other dance, breathwork and yoga experiences throughout the year. Ecstatic dance costs $20 per session or $90 for a six-class pack.
Holds classes in two different studios (Whim W’him Contemporary Dance Center, 1716 Second Ave. N., Seattle; and Dance Underground, 340 15th Ave. E., Seattle); hours vary; afrodanceseattle.com
Dance and move your hips and build some heat to Afro tunes with Afro Dance Seattle. This dance collective, dedicated to various styles of Afro dance, runs three beginner dance series during the winter months. The next few three-week series start on Jan. 14, Feb. 11 and March 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. and are a perfect chance to explore Afro dance movement with no experience required. Classes run on Tuesdays at Whim W’him Contemporary Dance Center on Queen Anne.
If you’re curious about testing the waters, drop into the all-level foundation class every Monday at 7:10 p.m. Afro Dance Seattle also offers a Level 2+ choreography class on Mondays at 8:30 p.m. Both Monday classes take place at Dance Underground on Capitol Hill. Several class passes, including four, eight and unlimited class packs, are available. Scholarships are offered to high school and college students, dance teachers and students who identify as people of color.