Winter: Nurturing Self for the Season

by Nina Crist

During the winter months it is common to feel the need to slow the pace of life to nourish the body more deeply, and stay warm to fortify the spirit. This yin time of year invites the energy inward, where it is natural to feel drawn to more internal work. Notice for yourself if you are feeling the urge to step back, take a pause, or even if you are feeling depleted in one way or another. The winter months are often when we find the common stimulation of life to become too much, to the point of overwhelm.

Following the rhythm of nature, Traditional Chinese Medicine offers the wisdom that the only thing we can rely on is change. Just as the seasons and the quality of energy are in a state of constant flux and change. You can rest in knowing that this time of yearning to relinquish into deep rest and introspection gives way to the undeniable renewal of vital energy in the coming months of Spring. What is so miraculous and has weathered the test of time, is the knowing that when you honor your body’s natural rhythm you feel more restored and ready for new growth and regeneration that begins internally and becomes expressed externally as the springtime arrives.

There are seven points of the body which, when not mindfully witnessed, can hold depletion or the feeling of being scattered. Meditating on these 7 key points brings awareness and conserves valuable energy.

Bring your Attention to these 7 Key Points:

• Right eye
• Left eye
• Right Ear
• Left ear
• Right nostril
• Left nostril
• Mouth

As you bring your attention to one point at a time, pause and feel into the physical sensation you are experiencing and write it down (ex. warm, tingling, dry, etc.).

Invite your breath to slow down and for each point, note:
• What is allowed to enter your body
• What is allowed exit your body

Now bring your attention equally to all seven points and feel into how much of the energy entering your body is being kept in your body and how much is being leaked.

When we bring attention to these key areas of the body we are able to heighten our awareness of any potential energy leaks.  These are points we want to begin to “guard” with a sense of mindfulness.