The Medicine of Winter — Sacred Stillness
An often overlooked gift from Nature is winter. Winter reminds us to rest and restore so we can emerge in the spring ready to create. However, recently, I’ve been reminded of another gift winter has to offer — Stillness. It is a Stillness that is deep, restorative, and sacred- counter to the stillness of body I’ve experienced this winter during Covid.
While walking in the woods recently, the contrast between my surroundings’ Stillness and what I was experiencing on the inside was palpable. Longing for inner Stillness, I asked for help and guidance from the barren trees and evergreens. The answer I received was to soften, let go, and allow the woods around me to entrain my inner state back to Stillness. (If you haven’t tried talking with the trees, you will be pleasantly surprised, suspend judgment and listen with your heart). So I followed these directions the best I could, and I experienced a drop into Stillness.
The openness and receptivity to being entrained by the forest around me created a significant shift. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the biological definition of entrainment is the process of making something have the same pattern or rhythm as something else. In this case, I wanted to feel and align myself with the rhythm of Stillness I was experiencing in the woods. Another example of entrainment that we all experience is our bodies entraining to the circadian rhythms of nature due to light exposure.
The research on the benefits of nature to our well-being has been researched around the world since the 1970’s. The mechanisms involved in the restoration we receive are still theories, but now I’m adding entrainment to this list. Try out the practice below, and let me know it goes.
Entraining to the Stillness of Winter:
- Bring your full awareness to the moment, allowing all your senses to guide you.
- Feel your feet on the ground and take up your space within your body; in other words, feel yourself inhabiting your body.
- Relax your body with breath and intention — allowing your body to let go of tension, thoughts, and burdens.
- Open your heart and connect with the trees around you- gratitude for the trees is a great heart opener.
- Allow yourself to be touched by the Stillness.
While winter is still here, I will be intentionally going out to experience the Stillness this season has to share. It is the remedy many of us are needing right now. Please reach out if you need support.
