In The Heart Of Winter
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Nature is replete with various rhythms and cycles - day follows night, night follows day, seasons come and go. Similarly, there are biological rhythms to our bodies, minds, and emotions. When our inner world is in sync with the natural cycles around us, we feel a sense of harmony, and well-being. When we are disconnected in this way, our stress and discomfort increases, we grow discontent and our vitality diminishes.
Balancing with the winter cycle is an art that usually requires some extra loving care as these shorter darker days can leave us feeling a little 'heavier'. Even the most stable of us, can experience the winter doldrums or the all out blues. Many healing systems look at this normal reaction to the season helpful and healthy, as it helps us stay put long enough to more deeply recuperate all of our systems. However, while honoring this down time, we need to ensure we don't grow listless in our body or mind.
Yoga and Ayurveda have an array of simple tools keep us healthy and at peace without dishonoring the wisdom of the season. Harmonizing our inner rhythms with the cycles of our natural world fine-tunes us in a very deep way, helping to release tension, anxiety, and worry; leaving the body, mind, and spirit more relaxed and balanced. This process of harmonizing with nature is the path of Yoga. It is the very essence of the practice. Personally, at this time of year, while keeping up with a morning movement practice and mindfulness meditation, I also draw a bit more on my Metta practices to warm my heart and create a feeling of emotional warmth and wellness.
In an effort to support your health and wellness this month, I am filling the Yogalicious blogs each week with ways to warm up and lighten up as we head through this last month of deep winter. And remember, when you set your intention for wellness now, you directly affect how you spring back next season.
With Love,
Jillian
LIGHTEN UP ON YOURSELF AND ENJOY THE BREAK WITH THESE WORDS OF WISDOM:
Winter is a slow, inward, quiet season. Not a time of expansion or energy spending. Chogyam Trungpa reminds that this cycle of down-time is essential:
“There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture your world and give birth to new ideas and ventures. There are times of flourishing and abundance, when life feels in full bloom, energized and expanding. And there are times of fruition, when things come to an end. They have reached their climax and must be harvested before they begin to fade. And finally of course, there are times that are cold, and cutting and empty, times when the spring of new beginnings seems like a distant dream. Those rhythms in life are natural events. They weave into one another as day follows night, bringing, not messages of hope and fear, but messages of how things are.”
Yoga Can Lift You Up
In fact, one study suggests yoga may be more effective at boosting mood than other methods of exercise. Read more...
ENJOY A HOME YOGA PRACTICE TODAY
10 Minutes a Day Can Keep the Doldrums Away
PLAN YOUR RETURN TO LIGHTNESS
Join me on retreat during the Spring Equinox
The Elements and The Equinox in Costa Rica's Blue Zone
Envision yourself practicing yoga, meditation, and relaxation everyday, away from daily responsibilities and routines. You'll be steps away from the beautiful beaches, amidst fresh jungle air, and you'll be fed delicious organic meals. You will come back home completely renewed and ready to vibrantly bloom into spring. Only four spaces remain!
