I actually look forward to winter, and it’s not because I am a skier. Once fall hits, I start to crave more quiet, and less doing.
Winter gives me permission to sleep in, watch more movies, read, light candles, order fancy hot beverages, drink loads of tea, bake, make soup, warm cozy sweaters and do yoga nidra daily. (Yoga nidra is really just a sophisticated excuse for a nap.)
About five years ago, I started practicing dinacharya, a practice which comes from Ayurveda and means “living in rhythm”. Since then I have learned how to flow with the natural cycle of the sun, the moon and all of the seasons.
I have daily rituals that keep me in sync with the energy of the day/night, and monthly rituals with the new moon/full moon. My senses have heightened in their ability to sense the large and subtle shifts that come with each new season. I know how to align with these changes and actually look forward to them.
Winter is the natural season for rest. All you must do is look outside and see what mother nature is doing. The trees do not care that they don’t produce fruit, and the squirrels are feasting on all of their fall bounty.
Winter invites you to pause, be less productive, more restful, and go inward to witness the gifts that can be found in stillness. This season is for SLOW living.
Which brings me back to yoga nidra, my glorified nap ritual. Yoga nidra is a form of meditation that invites you to relax into a meditative state vs. focusing. I believe that by receiving the bliss that comes with conscious relaxation allows you to experience your own wholeness. It is deeply healing and will help you slow down to welcome the gifts that come with winter.
If you are interested in learning more ways that you can align with the seasonal shifts, please join me for a special class coming up on Dec. 4. Click here to join.
Jenelle Carberry is a yoga teacher, a wellness coach, and a mother to 2 teenage boys and a 11 yr. old daughter. She loves to help people remember and experience their natural state of ease. You can learn more about her work at jenellecarberry.com.
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