Winter Solstice
In Australia, Winter Solstice falls on 21 June. It is the shortest day & longest night. It is a time we are in the midst of hibernation but starting to come out of it.
We are still in a period of darkness and turned inward toward our inner light, embracing our yin (cool, calm mental energy) qualities which nourish and nurture the new seeds we plant in the mind like a new year's resolution. In the Southern hemisphere we do this now to be in line with the natural cycles & seasons of life, ( in Northern hemisphere it will be 31 December). It is time to help those seeds grow as we move towards the light extroversion of longer days. We feed theses seeds / new positive habits with continued effort (tapas), striving towards being all that we can be. We use svadhyaya to observe ourself and shed the light of awareness to see any negative patterns we've got stuck into and put support in place so that we can act with awareness as we negotiate challenges, rather than react. It is exciting as we are growing into ourself preparing to burst forth in the Spring! Therefore, we need to rest, self reflect and feed those habits to preserve that energy for this period of growth and restoration. So go and set yourself some new goals and work out the steps you need to support this growth :) In our practice during this time there is a focus on the water element found at swathisthana chakra which is to do will letting go of fear / surrender and going with the flow. There is a joyful serenity about this and we move intuitively towards change letting go as and when we are ready. The water element relates to the kidneys and bladder, letting go and eliminating. We can do various practices to support kidney and bladder function and activate this energy. We can focus on taking in various nutrients that nourish us during this time and make sure we are hydrated and rested. I love to teach seasonal yoga which connects us to the universal flow of energy and helps us to keep balanced. |
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