New Year, Time to Rest
During the holiday and winter season, we do what we can to create opportunities to gather together and bring coziness into our lives during these cold winter months. The new year comes, and it can feel like we are blasted off into this whole new year, set with to do lists and resolutions we will try to implement. It can feel like it’s now or never to make changes and make shifts in our lives. And that is a wonderful thing.
Yet sometimes, in all the hustle and chaos of the holidays, and new to do lists of the new year, we can lose touch with the ways our body is inherently flowing in this season, which is a way that mirrors nature. The trees shed their leaves, many animals and insects lay low, the ground becomes bare, and the winds carry with them that familiar, formidable chill. Nature knows it is time to go underground and build up stores of resources so that it is possible to burst forth with new life once springtime comes. Us living in modern society however, have often received a very different message, as we discussed above.
So, this is your gentle reminder to honor that within your body and your mind that could benefit from slowing down a bit. To give yourself permission to stay in bed a little longer, turn the lights down a little earlier and light a candle instead, spend some extra time with those you care about, and pamper yourself a little more than you otherwise might.
Trivial as it may sound, it is imperative for us to honor these rhythms within and around us. Adrenal fatigue, chronic inflammation, depression, hormonal imbalance, and so many other symptoms, can have some relation to a constant state of action and productivity. Burning ourselves out, so to speak.
We have been told that if we are not being productive, than we are not creating value. However, what if we reframe that for ourselves? What if resting isn’t doing “nothing,” but is in fact making the conscious choice to give ourselves time and space to replenish a bit? It is not always easy to find the time for this, but I bet even for the busiest of us, there are a few moments here and there where we could squeeze in a few yummy moments of lingering, of pausing, or breathing, rather than grabbing our phones.
In Chinese medical theory, the winter season is the time of ultimate yin, and is related with our Kidney and Bladder meridians. These meridians are in large part responsible for the quality and quantity of our reserves of energy, and our vitality. Like nature, we are called to nourish ourselves deeply in the winter, storing up resources (both physical and emotional) to prepare for the more active months ahead.
I’d love to share with you a few of my favorite ways to find rest and nourish my body in the winter, and I hope they’ll support you too:
Staying in bed a few moment to minutes longer after waking up--> Allow yourself some time to pause in the mornings. Right when you would normally get out bed, give yourself permission to stay in for a few moments longer and take some nourishing slow breaths. It matters less how long you actually stay for and more that you allow yourself the time to do so. It sends a signal to your brain that it is ok to rest, and allows your body to trust that you do indeed allow it to rest.
Drinking warm beverages and eating warm food-->Warm nourishing broths, teas, drinks, and meals are supremely nourishing for our bodies in the winter. If you are someone how makes a frozen smoothie every morning, consider letting it sit out for a little while before you consume it to take the chill away. Or switching to a more warming breakfast in the winter, like stewed apples. Warming herbs like ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and the like are all wonderful additions, just make sure you are consuming these predominatly when you are indoors. These herbs help your circulation to get to the extremities and keep you warm. When you are outside, you want to keep your warmth in at your core, but once you are inside, take these herbs to get your blood flowing again!
Make sure to get some sunshine --> It's easy in the winter to tuck inside and hide away from the chilled elements. Yet in this, we tend to get little to no sunshine on our skin. The sun is deeply nourishing for us and it is still possible to recieve some sunlight in the winter. It's important to get some of this sunshine without the block of a window as that filters out several beneficial wavelengths of light. Some of my favorite ways are to open my window when I wake up and spend a few moments getting sunlight. You can crack the window just enough to get some sunshine on your skin. I also like to bring a hat in the car and spend some time while driving with my window down halfway to get sunlight on my skin.
You can also stand outside for a few minutes whenever you think of it, or go for a little walk in the morning. This requires some extra layers of bundling but between the sunshine and fresh air, your body, mind and spirit will thank you for it.
*Note - even on cloudy days, we are still able to receive beneficial rays from the sun and it is still worthwhile to get your face in front of the sky, unblocked by a window!
These are some of my favorite, easy ways to support my most vibrant health in the winter and keep my qi flowing & my body feeling wonderful. Do you do any of these things already? Are there other things that you love to do? I'd love to hear! As always, take what resonates with you and leave the rest, and feel free to adapt any of these to a better support you and your unique being.
In the winter in acupuncture sessions, I love to include more warming moxibustion (warming herbs on the body), heat lamps, and of course, everyone’s favorite, the table warmer! Acupuncture & cupping can be wonderfully supportive to keeping you out of pain, feeling warm and happy from the inside out, nourish those aspects of your health that you might put aside in the warmer months.
Make the most out of the slowness of the winter and receive deep relaxation and rejuvenation with acupuncture.
For more information, please feel free to contact me at connect@acupuncturebysavannah.com. I'd love to hear from you!
Cozy blessings,