The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and marks the change from the darkest days to lengthening daylight hours. The Winter Solstice, like the Christmas season that enfolds it, was a time of hope and renewal for our ancestors. It marked the return of the sun. To those Neolithic tribes that depended on the sun for food, warmth and growth, the sun was the bringer of life. With its strengthening comes a return of growth and the promise of a fertile Spring, a lush Summer and a bountiful Autumn. Looking up at crystal cold winter skies, the coming of longer days kindles hope in abundance once again.

Just a few short years ago, we didn’t hear all that much about the solstice. Since we’ve become a more industrialized society, most of us haven’t felt dependent on the cycles of nature in our lives. Our connection can feel distant. Only those that made their living from the land kept that intimate connection.

But more and more we are learning that nature is important for leading healthy lives. We are a part of nature, and we also are affected by the cycles that play out throughout the sun’s yearly journey across our skies. Just as the feminine cycles mimic the moon’s phases, our bodies respond to the ebbs and flows of seasonal shifts. Scientist have found evidence that there is a link between winter depression and lowered serotonin levels often triggered by lack of sunlight. And this is why a common non chemical treatment for depression is light therapy with sunshine lamps. The cycles of nature impact us. 

I am glad of the growing interest in celebrating the Solstice. It means we are more consciously aware and noticing these natural cycles. When we put our attention on something, we see things we would normally take for granted. A graceful deer nestling itself in the snow, the brilliance of the morning sun shining through ice encrusted branches, and the brilliant blue of clear winter sky, these are scenes of exquisite beauty for many of us. Standing quietly, the realization that we are a part of this world seeps through into our conscious mind. As we and the land connect, we remember that we have cycles as well.

And so, what is it that our bodies need during this winter solstice cycle? If we look at nature we notice that this is the cycle of rest, recovery, stillness. The seeds for spring are hibernating deep within, waiting in darkness for the light to coax them out.

This is the season of going within, recharging our energy so that we can burst forth refreshed and renewed in Spring. So what simple steps can we take for helping ourselves on this cycle? Here are a few suggestions.

A Sacred Hour

Winter is a time when nature hibernates. Our ancestors slept during the dark hours which are longer in winter. Are you getting enough sleep? If you're like most of the American population, the answer is probably not.

The holiday season makes heavy demands on us and we barely have enough time to get everything done. So it’s no wonder that so many of us are sleep deprived. But with a little attitude readjustment, and a lot of determination, we can carve out some rest for ourselves.

It starts by establishing some boundaries. Create a Daily Sacred Hour for yourself. Some people make their Sacred Hour that first hour after rising. They use that time to sit in silence meditating, journaling their dreams, their hopes and intentions for the day, their prayer time.

Some people have a standing hour long workout that is their Sacred Hour. It can be their daily run, their yoga practice, or their cardio workout. Regardless of what is going on, they hold this hour as sacred for themselves not allowing anything or anyone, especially our own self-sabotage patterns, to intrude on that Sacred Hour. Others choose their Sacred Hour as the hour before bed.

Our bedtime is always a sacred part of the day. It is when we let go of our day’s events, our roles and abandon ourselves to the dream time and to the sleep that healthy bodies need. If we are in a relationship, sharing our beds nourishes our connection and melding with our partners.

I love my Sacred Hour before bed, here is how I prepare for a good night’s sleep.

Let’s begin by clearing your bed. Take everything off it, change your sheets, or at least, smooth them out, redressing the top sheet, and fluff the pillows. If you have some light floral hydrosol like lavender or rose, or a linen spray, lightly spritz the sheets and pillow. Pretend that you have an honored guest coming to sleep in your bed.

Yes, I know it’s winter, but open the windows even if for a few short minutes. Let the air circulate; shake out the curtains a bit to clear the dust. The goal is to move things around and break the stale energy patterns in the room.

Now that the bed is ready, it’s time to focus on our bodies. I like to take a nice hot shower or bath before getting into my nice clean sheets. Take a moment and find some bath salts. If you don’t have any, you can use Epsom salts, or even plain table salt in your bath or shower. Add a few drops of an essential oil to the bath water, or rub a few drops of oil between your palms and rub all over your body as you step out of your bath or shower. Think about the healing benefits of the salt and essential oils as you spend a few minutes rubbing your skin. I believe you receive more benefit from these things when you consciously think about their healing properties. It adds to the lush feeling of wellbeing that we are creating when we do these little self care rituals for ourselves.

What we are doing is transitioning our bodies into a state of rest. With repetition, we train our bodies to recognize the cues and shift into that restful mode as soon as we start our process.

Now pick up a good book, something you’re reading or have always wanted to read, and tuck yourself into bed. Do not turn the tv on, savor the quiet rest you created for yourself.

Stillness

It’s hard for us to be still. We are busy people. And after all, we have learned the fine art of multi tasking getting many, many things done in a compressed timeframe. And we’re really good at it, too. What we have forgotten is that as important as it is for us to make those five phone calls and answer those fifty emails, it is equally important to our mental health to turn our brains off and find our inner stillness.

Stillness is about turning off the outside stimulus and shifting our attention to our own inner workings. Practices such as yoga and chi gung are designed to focus the mind to move inward and find that stillness. It is very restful for the mind when we can shut off the chatter and rest within. It is a process of grounding within ourselves.

There are many simple techniques designed to help us with this, things we can do at our desk or in an airplane. Here is an example.

Sit with the soles of your feet flat on the floor, arms and legs relaxed and not crossed. Now focus your attention on the soles of your feet. Imagine that you shine your light straight out from the bottoms of your feet and grow roots into the earth. Feel yourself traveling through the layers of soil and rock, finding underground water and growing thicker and stronger roots.

Now imagine this light glowing in your belly. Imagine that the light is spinning and looks like a galaxy from above. As it spins, the light glows brighter and you are filled with warmth and energy. This warmth spreads throughout your body, shining brightly down your arms and fingertips and up through the top of your head. And as you sit you notice that there is light also coming from above and flowing down the top of your head in a beautiful beam. As you breathe, you are aware of the light all around you, the vibrant life of the cells glowing within and outside your body with a brilliant life force. Breathe deeply and take in the beauty and wonder of life.

You can also try spending some time with your partner in perfect stillness. Lay in each other’s arms and relax your attention. Don’t think about the next few minutes, or the next hour, notice instead the feel, the warmth and scent of one another’s bodies. Notice the union of both of your beings. Notice how all life is connected. Relax your body and move deeper into a total silence. Experience the joy in sharing this union.

Seeds Within

Seeds in winter lay deep in the earth conserving their energy until the warmth of the sun calls them into action. There is no coincidence that the New Year, which follows the solstice by a little over a week, is about planting intentions for the coming year. Intentions are the seeds that we plant for our future. It is what we reap later in the year when we shine our hopes energy.

Most of us are familiar with New Year’s resolutions. What many of us forget is that we need to close out our old business. Just like farmers clear the land in the Autumn in preparation for Spring’s growth, we have years of clearing to do.

What dried up stalks of recurring themes in our lives need cutting and clearing? If something isn’t working, we need to look at it square on. Hanging on won’t make it more valuable, useful or nourish us. We need to be the editors of our lives, and this means not falling in love with our own damaging patterns. We must be willing to use the scythe and clear away the accumulation so that the seeds of our dreams and hopes can feel the sun and sprout.

How do we clear away and plant our seeds? It starts as simply as telling yourself that this is what you will do. Here are a few other techniques for getting this rolling.

Old Anger

Some of those old stalks of ours are anger and unfortunately this is a huge obstacle for us when we creating new, wonderful things in our lives. In my work with clients, many of them are struggling with old, heavy anger.

It masquerades sometimes as apathy and detachment when the anger is so intense it has galvanized deep within the person. Many times, anger is so much a part of the person, they can’t distinguish it from their true selves. It represents part of their identity and they fear letting go in case there won’t be much left after it leaves. Sometimes they believe it is the anger that has kept them together, and without it, they will crumble.

And sometimes the anger is with themselves and even though it is the person’s own self destructive actions that feed the anger, they can’t seem to stop. I have experienced this pattern with people struggling with weight issues.

If you recognize anger in yourself, congratulations, that is a huge step. The next step is deciding on what actions you will take to deal with it. And action is required. It doesn’t just go away by itself. What are some ways you can deal with anger?

You can work with a therapist, you can use body work such as intense exercise, rolfing and massage, or you can use energy therapies such as Somato Emotional Release, Shamanic Healing, Eye Movement Desensitation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and guided imagery such as Belleruth Naparstek’s Anger and Forgiveness guided imagery CD. One of the outcomes here is disrupting the patterns that anger has created in your life.

Just taking action on your anger opens the pathways for planting the seeds for your future. It is tilling the soil enabling it to produce wonderful things for you.  The next step once you’re shaking up old patterns, is creating the fresh new ones you’d like in your life. It starts in the imagination and one way of accessing it is by going deep within to your still point. Close your eyes, breathe, connect and let the images flow.

Imagine a scene from your ideal life. Don’t try to control it, let the scenes happen. The more relaxed you are, the more the images will come. Enjoy being in that ideal place. Go deeper and notice how the scene becomes more vivid the deeper you go. Do you like this place? If so, remember it, bring it within yourself. This is your seed.

If you don’t like the images that you see, ask yourself why you are seeing these images. There is a reason why you’re showing yourself those images and this is an opportunity for finding additional obstacles.

Once you have seen an image of a future for yourself, write it down. Look at it often and go back into the scene. Sometimes more details come forward letting you move deeper into that possible life. Nurture, feed and enjoy it.

I hope you spend some time celebrating this season and caring for yourself. When we notice that all life moves in patterns and cycles we can find ourselves and our place in this marvelous web that connects us all. Embrace your rest, clear away old, dead growths, and nurture those sparks of new life that wait for our shining sun.