It's midwinter; time to start warming!

Lake Cohasset area of Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio

This winter has been like no other for me.

This year, I allowed myself to do something that I have never done before to this extent:  go along with winter's dormancy rather than try to push against it by forcing activity and action.

I freed myself from my customary beginning-of-the-year ambitions by relaxing the pressure I put on myself to accomplish and achieve right out of the gate. Instead, I allowed things to run their course and experienced inevitable, yet logical endings. I paused, rested, savored and appreciated, and daydreamed about what I enjoy in life, and what I might broadly desire to cultivate in the future.

I've made an actual practice out of observing the entire six-week season of Yule. Because of this practice, I'm in a good place to ease into the next phase of the year.

This is no surprise, especially when we consider the symbolism of the seasons.

“The dormancy of winter serves a vital purpose in nature. During this time, nature transforms the remnants of what has once been into the starting materials of what blossoms next.”

And another seasonal shift is here!

Just as we go through the annual light/dark cycle marked by the turning point of increasing daylight at Winter Solstice, we also go through a warming/cooling cycle marked by the start of the warming cycle on February 1st (Imbolc).

This shift signals the coming spring, both in nature and in our lives. For the remaining seven weeks of the winter season, we prepare for spring's rebirth. We focus on clearing what is no longer needed, and allow dreams and desires to incubate toward their next logical steps:  plans and developments.

This can be an exciting yet tumultuous time as we simplify, prioritize, and release what no longer serves us. During times of transition like these, I engage in grounding practices a little more than usual. Earth Salutations yoga practice is a big part of this as I attune to this part of seasonal flow.

Earth Salutations are grounding.

In my yoga practice, the mid-season transitional days like Imbolc are opportunities to become more attuned to my inner earth –- that supporting, stable, solid part of my being –- through the grounding Earth Salutations sequence.

Earth Salutations are a stabilizing, repetitive flow practice. They are done close to the ground and without ever standing. This generates a steady heat, like slow burning embers that radiate outward from the core. This builds slowly and can feel very soothing too.

“During times of change and transition, Earth Salutations can help to reorient the self when it seems that what we might normally be accustomed to resting and settling has shifted, and leaves us feeling groundless. When we practice physically reorienting ourselves to the changing perspective of ground during the Earth Salutations sequence, we have a model that can extend to everyday life. We know that we can always reorient to that stable place within.”

Wisdom abides in the cycles.

I have been exploring the relationship between the seasons and yogic practice for over a decade. As a result, I have noticed cycles in my life. I have made connections to larger themes. I have utilized the intent and focus that I’ve gained from yoga practice to bring about personal growth. All of these aspects go into my Yoga & The Wheel Of The Year workshop series. Eight times a year — at the start of each of the four seasons and at the midpoint within each season — we approach the period with curiosity, reverence and joy. We honor it with a practice that helps us connect with nature’s rhythms — and our own.

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