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As winter finds its way to us I’ve been thinking a lot about how the rhythms of nature often inform and influence the needs of our bodies. When the seasons begin to shift outside, we usually feel or mirror some of those shifts internally as well. As the days grow colder and darker with winter, so too may we feel drawn inward. And yet with each passing year I observe how misaligned we are encouraged to be with this season in particular. At times it can feel like everything is moving at a pace incongruent with nature. In a season where parts of us may need more hibernation, warmth, and recharge, there can be a demand to rev everything up. To reflect on the concluding year and set new goals for the next one while shopping, navigating various holidays and the family dynamics that accompany them. Even the ways in which we care for ourselves can start to feel like a hustle we never catch up with. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if New Year’s Day shifted to March with the arrival of spring. If there was more space to digest and naturally finish hibernating before we’re encouraged to set resolutions or pursue new goals. What would it feel like to defrost and start anew alongside nature? The beginning of new seasons and cycles help us to not only mark the passing of time, but also speak to the quality of time we’re living in or will be entering. These transitions make for natural opportunities to pause and interrupt the pull of getting swept into the pace of the world around us. To stop adding more to the to-do lists before we’ve given ourselves a chance to evaluate what needs to still be there. These transitions are opportunities to notice, adjust to what you need and how you meet those needs. This often requires slowing down enough to actually listen to what your body and the more subtle parts of you are communicating. It’s like the difference between tuning into a conversation and tuning out of a conversation. In classes this month I’ve been focusing on the call and response like relationship between postures and sensations. One of my teachers Judith Lasater offers the idea of thinking of each pose like a question. The response is all of the sensory feedback you experience in your body as you transition and settle into the posture. Perhaps your noticing begins with your breath. Where do you feel your breath in your body? Has anything shifted? Does the inhale and exhale feel accessible? Or you may notice where you feel sensations. Do the sensations you’re experiencing feel sustainable? Do they resonate with what your body needs at this moment? Is there an adjustment or shift that would help you feel more supported? And what does it feel like to slow down enough to be present with what is arising in your body? You don’t need to be in a yoga class to ask yourself these questions. To notice and honor the responses in your body is a practice you will continue to drift in and out of. It is not possible to maintain a constant sense of awareness of every response in your body nor are you meant to. We all need encouraging nudges to return to ourselves. To our practices, to the spaces that allow us to retool, re-evaluate, and at times reimagine how to best meet our needs. The transition into a new season serves as a special opportunity to pause, attune, and recalibrate. And so I’m wondering — how is your body responding to the shift into winter this year? What spaces support you in slowing down enough to notice these responses? What parts of you are requesting a different kind of support? How might you turn towards these shifts with kindness, compassion and respect? What practices, environments, and relationships facilitate a deeper sense of presence for you this season? I’d love to know what is coming up for you, so please feel free to hit reply with some of your answers. May these questions nudge you towards weaving compassion and care into the conversation with your needs this winter. Sending you lots of warmth and support as we wind down the year. Hope to practice with you soon.
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