With dark evenings, sheer morning skies and chill in the air, winter has arrived. It’s a time for staying indoors with warmth and soft candlelight. It’s also a time for inner reflection and growth – releasing old concepts and beliefs while allowing new ideas and insights to develop and mature within us until spring.
At the same time, our body is going through changes as well. In my yoga classes I see many stiff bodies. And I think it’s great. Our bodies live in a part of the world that has seasons, so it would be odd if this wasn’t noticeable.
During this time, it’s helpful to take extra good care of our body with soft, calm and gentle movements that gradually expand the body’s comfortable movement zone. This will also help facilitate our inner processes of releasing, letting go, healing and renewing. As we stretch our body, we stretch our mind and our limits as well.
In our yoga sessions, we go into the movements softly, respecting the body’s own boundaries. We breathe deeply and feel the mind calming as we gaze inwards into ourselves. We work with our whole being rather than against it…
Feeling the person we are in muscles and joints, but also in thought – and reaction patterns. Accepting that we are not perfect, but good enough. Respecting our own unique condition and existence as we respect the same in those around us. Feeling the compassion that expands in the room and embracing it with delight.
The form of yoga I practice and teach is called Dru Yoga. True to the essence of yoga, Dru Yoga is not about the positions or sequences that can be executed to precision or look wonderfully photogenic. It’s about the still point within us, the inner and timeless quiet that we can find through movement and breath. It’s about what we do with our thoughts, with intention and conscience. As we turn in, we experience beauty every time.
Whether you practice yoga or not, here’s a question for you to think about: what’s your practice this winter to take care of your body and mind? How can you relax into your stiffness and discomfort while expanding your boundaries to experience more love, joy, peace and harmony in your life?
Vild Prestegard is a shop keeper, yoga student teacher, anthropologist, holistic therapist, Reiki master and public speaker based in Norway. She is a regular blogger for Cycle Harmony and part of a Norwegian Cooperative developing new ways of living and working. You can learn more about Vild and the Coop here: www.allmenningen.org
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