Flowing with the Seasons: Winter

By Sarah Sowelu
Winding the clock back an hour before going to bed on Saturday, November 5, I caught myself looking forward to the extra hour's sleep, of course, and also, the longer nights of winter. Smiling, I mused, "That's a shift in attitude." It seems only a few weeks ago, I struggled to release the warm joys and long light of summer. Now I'm looking forward to the dark mysteries of winter. Big surprise! I laughed.

Season's flow, one into the other, each with their own beauty and gifts. We, too, flow with the seasons when our energies are balanced. Seeds grow in the dark. Winter invites us to burrow deep, like a bear in a cave, and hibernate to reflect, allow, and restore. Winter is a time for reseeding and regenerating: finding and nurturing the right seeds for the new growth we most want. Without this important, inwardly focused time, it's difficult to move with our ever-changing circumstances: we can't flow with the natural changes of our lives and the seasons.

In the 5-Elements Theory of Oriental medicine, winter is the season for the Water Element, the most yin and hidden of the Elements. The Water Element is the essence of our Being. Like dark soil covering seeds, the darkness of winter nurtures this essence, the seed of our Core. In honouring our winter needs, we honour the natural flow of seasons. This is real health, meaning, wholeness.

Winter calls for slowing down: long, slow cooking; warm, solid meals; early to bed; long, deep sleeps. Resting. Reflecting. Recharging. The night of day mirrors the winter season of the year. Both give the space to regenerate, especially to regenerate the nervous system, which, in Oriental medicine is governed by the meridians (energy pathways) of the kidneys and the bladder. This pair of meridians flow at peak in the winter as they come under the Element of Water. The long nights of winter also call for reflective actions, like reading, writing, playing music, settling into creative projects, and generally, turning down the noise and stimulation. Respecting and working with the dark hours rather than resisting and denying, actually regenerates the nervous system most effectively, and so, winter naturally requires more sleep, what a healthy body most needs.

Fear is the emotional expression of the Water Element. Although it is understandably instinctual to experience fear when confronted by the long darkness of winter (will I survive?), it is also necessary to allow that darkness to find the inner strength and stamina to live with the challenges of life. Only in the dark, facing our fears, seeing them for what they really are, do we grow real courage to move forward and act on what we want to manifest in the spring. We can't skip steps. Life demands we live through each season. Seeds only sprout in the dark. Real growth and action start in the dark, facing our fears. Honour the mysterious darkness of winter. Allow it to show you your best, most creative seeds. Nurture them with rest and reflection so that in the spring, they grow into healthy plants: the sustaining action to manifest your heart's desires.

Sarah Sowelu is a Tokyo- trained and certified Meridian Shiatsu Practitioner with nearly 30 years clinical experience.