I am out of balance - But I can change that!

Hello! It's time for my reflection of the second Seasonal Wellness Intensive session:) Let's dive right in shall we?

Takeaway #1 from the session - I’m out of balance… but I have the tools to change that!

I’m sure most of us can relate to the fact that winter is hard. All of a sudden it's freezing, dark by 4:30pm and our motivation is just shot. Add quarantine on top of that, and things can get scary. Though, there's so many things we can do to bring some heat and light into our life ~without~ the help of the sun.

I never knew how many ways there are to check in with your body. I mean listen to what we covered in just one session, all to help regulate yourself… body brushing, tongue scraping, oil pulling, benefits of drinking hot water, winter foods, abhyanga for touch therapy, tapping, and winter activities. Phew! That's a lot of ways to keep yourself sane, can’t complain about that.

So it's no surprise we find ourselves out of balance so often in the wintertime. How are we supposed to keep up the same energy as we have in the summer if we don’t adapt our routines to the polar opposite elements of winter? To make things worse, we live in a society that represses the rest period that winter is supposed to be. So while you’re cuddling on the couch and feel like hibernating for the rest of the winter, you’re being made to feel bad for it. At least that's how I feel.

Takeaway #2 - It's okay to rest! Let winter be a good inhale

Given that nature isn’t the prime focus of the western world, we never really learn how to honor the seasons. Yes, winter is cold and heavy, but does that have to be a bad thing? What if we let ourselves enjoy that heaviness? Ayurveda reminds you that it's okay to nurture yourself. It’s okay to practice more self care, to sleep in a little, and to support yourself in the ways you need. Work with your body rather than against it. Wake up a little later, give yourself some extra time to lay there rather than jumping right up, maybe give yourself a short massage to wake up the body… we can do these things daily! Don’t feel bad for needing a break, because we all do.

Did you need to hear that? Because I did.

Ayurveda wants you to enjoy the season. For the remainder of winter, make it a goal to create peace between your body and the elements. The Seasonal Wellness Intensive will take you through a thorough rundown of the tips I mentioned in the beginning, but a quick google search could help you get a start to incorporating some of them. Your challenge before I’m back with the next reflection- find one way you can provide additional support for yourself throughout your chilly days <3

Written by our lovely intern Hailie from inside our Seasonal Stromme: Skadi - click to learn more about our seasonal workshops and programs!