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Self-reflection marks winter as the world journeys down into its process to feel for what is next.
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This phase is steeped in lessons that arise from within. Winter is stark and contrasts summer with yin energy. Wintering months are a time to slow down and luxuriate in repose and daydreams. Take this meditation to connect to the transformative power of fire. Candles are a material expression of life, so consider all the ways you express and receive life as you sit by the flame. Light a candle to symbolize your desire or remember someone or something you’ve lost. The flicker of the candle flame is symbolic of the transformation that occurs in the darkness. Linger in the sweetness of the dark by candlelight.
#Winter solstice yin yoga sequence how to
See this Abyhanga Massage by Maria Garre for instructions on how to perform. Other benefits of Abyhyanga include increased moisture to the skin, strengthening body tissue, lubricating joints and internal organs. This practice has a purifying effect on the body and mind as it leeches toxins and improves circulation.
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Its name captures the restoration needed to ignite the fire within -without rest, we cannot assume the strength to move through the final few weeks of cold and slough off the stagnancy that comes with spring. Winter Solstice is also known as the hibernal solstice. As the public sphere contracts with the cold, the private sphere may swell and percolate with the dormant ideas we’ve only visited in dreams. Winter is the perfect time to start a new project, commit to a hobby, and engage in the rituals that infuse our being with fervour. The call during this phase is to go inside and create from the darkness. Now is the time to put your passions to paper and make a plan to breathe life into that little flame you carry inside of you. The wintering months may lack an outwards expression of warmth, thus providing ample space to peruse the private, inner world. Where summer is bountiful, active, expressive, and upward-moving, winter is meagre, passive, dormant, and downward moving. In the past, preparations during colder months would have been a safeguard against cold and starvation. Setting resolutions and planning is a major motif. Join the Practice with Clara Winter Solstice Daylong Retreat to embrace the light and celebrate the end of a cycle.ĭuring Winter Solstice, we are asked to clarify and set intentions for the coming months as the year comes to a close. There are great lessons seeded in extremes, so trust in the sun’s eventual return as you enter the darkness. The longest night is on December 21st, 2021. It is a time to mirror what we perceive in the natural world: solidify your plans, retreat into the silent longing of your heart, dim your lights and relish the privacy that comes with your exploration of the unseen realms.Ī deep sense of longing, letting go, and release are attributed to this phase as the earth’s pole richest the furthest tilt away from the sun. Winter Solstice is an invitation to go inwards.
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Reflection, rest, and refinement in routine are the anchors as we conclude our cycle around the sun. We may witness animals hibernating, and the natural decay of elements as the flora returns to the ground. It is a period marked by contraction, stillness, and deep quiet. The cold season is associated with solitude. We celebrate Winter Solstice to mark the breaking point as we gradually shift from the cold to embrace the warmer, brighter days.
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Winter Solstice marks the shortest, darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
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