Professional Insights: Winter got you down or feeling blah? See what they recommend!
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In this segment, three gifted women share their unique perspectives on what we can do to make the most of what is usually a dreary season of life.
From Maria Saraphina, an International Spiritual Business Coach, Mentor, Catalyst & Facilitator.
If we look at the cycles of the seasons, Winter is usually the time for hibernation, so if you’re feeling like you wanna go hide in a cave and not come out till Spring there’s a reason for it - and so the first thing I want to suggest is that you acknowledge yourself for your intuition and connection to the cycles.
Personally every year when the Winter Solstice rolls around I find myself being called to soaking in a bathtub, loads of candles, my journal and not a whole lotta people. So I honor that and I take scheduled time off, delete all Social Media off of my phone, hibernate and don’t really come out till the new year has been birthed (clearly I’m in the Northern Hemisphere).
From an esoteric or spiritual perspective everything, in this our human experience, moves between polarities. Moon and Sun, night and day, hot and cold, dry and wet, yin and yang, summer and winter, dark and light which gives us the most magnificent opportunity to explore either.
To dive in and harness the vibrations and frequencies. Allow them to share their lessons with us.
Which is all well and good on a spiritual level.
Then there’s the messy truth of everyday life as a human where, at least to me, long, cold, grey and usually wet and without loads of sunlight days can suuuuuuck, unless of course you’re a Winter person, which I’m clearly not.
Here on this mundane human level I would ensure that I’m not only getting all of the right minerals and vitamins (you might want to use a supplement) but also that I’m eating delicious, nutritious food meaning getting as many veggies, fruits, greens and “live” food as possible. Choosing what’s in season so they’re not only packed full of nutrients but usually also cheap.
When I’ve had days like this I also add an essential oils in my diffuser or on my body to stimulate my system during the day. As I’m no expert in oils I use one of two ways to pick. I intuit, listen to my inner guidance and follow that or I use the magnificent muggle method that is Google.
On an energetic level I use EAM - The Energy Alignment Method® to check in that all of my energetic systems are clear, in flow and without resistance and charge myself up for the day.
To summarise:
Acknowledge yourself aka love yourself up and soak in it.
Access your inner wisdom and knowing, harvest the lessons and let your Higher Self guide you.
Support your physical and energetic structure, your body and auric fields, the sacred temple of your soul with practical tools.
About Maria
Maria Saraphina is an International Spiritual Business Coach, Mentor, Catalyst & Facilitator with clients on almost every continent of the world.
She hosts the Shows & Podcasts The Magdalene Voices and The Spiritual Business w. Maria Saraphina both in which she shares her wisdom, knowledge, and experience well as have Sacred Conversations with beautiful, radiant beings
Love is at the core of everything she is and does.
Find Maria Saraphina at Mariasaraphina.com, IG @ xomariasaraphina, YouTube, and her two podcasts “The Magdalene Voices” & “Spiritual Business with MariaSaraphina”
From Reya Anastacia, a kundalini yoga teacher, energy healing practitioner, and a proud participant in the agents of change movement.
I have just come out of a winter funk myself and have a few ideas that might help. I recently reinstated some daily habits I’d been slacking on, and sure enough, I’m feeling better and inspired to share. The first suggestion is incorporate Donna Eden's 5 minute energy routine into your day. (At the end of her tutorial, there’s a link with options, including a sit down version.) She shares a few simple yet powerful exercises to strengthen healthy energy patterns in the body. It’s an especially effective technique to help empaths not take on others’ energies. I always feel more balanced after.
Another helpful tool is just a few minutes a day of a conscious breathing practice. I like to do at least 3 minutes of breath of fire, then a meditation. It’s easier to quiet the mind after a cleansing breath. You could also do long deep breathing or alternate nostril breath. Kundalini yoga has been a gift to me, you can find tutorials online too. There are yoga sequences for any intention you can think of that will elevate and uplift for sure. One of my favorites is the kriya to Master your Domain. This is a nice follow along video.
It is essential for my sense of well being to feel connected to my spiritual side. I like to read my prayers and affirmations then clear and balance my chakras before bed. NIcole Karon has an energy clearing protocol that I found helpful. There are lots of ways to effectively clear your energy, find one that works for you and do it daily. It’s amazing what a difference it makes.
And lastly, my favorite technique to lift my vibe, every morning I drink a delicious superfood drink that is a delightful pick me up. Do not underestimate the power of real food nutrition to help your body and mind run optimally.
The hardest part of all this is the mindset to motivate, but once you’re in it, it works! As a side note we’ve just passed through some monumentally challenging astrological transits. These are transformative times, so be gentle with yourself. 💗Warm wishes for feeling better and better!
About Reya
Reya Anastacia is a mountain mom, she lives off-grid in a cabin beside the salmon river in northern California. She is kundalini yoga teacher, energy healing practitioner, and a proud participant in the agents of change movement. Connect with Reya on Facebook and Instagram.
From Lacy Laubacher, a yoga teacher, horsewoman, and alchemist.
A case of the blahs in winter is a far too common occurrence.
People around the world are diagnosed with seasonal disorders during their respective winters and find themselves less than motivated or having a hard time feeling anything other than ‘blah’.
Unlike the natural world of Mother Nature and animals, us humans have no down season to pause and recharge. Growing up on a ranch and working with horses-both with and without people-honoring natural rhythms garner the best results. Horses naturally grow longer coats, they put on weight preparing for winter scarcity, and when a storm comes they turn their butts to the wind and put their heads down until it passes. Which is probably how many feel, waiting for whatever storm is pummeling them to blow over. When you bring a person to horses and they reflect back the internal state...most messages involve some sort of pause prior to action. When training horses, a deep breath from the rider/horse trainer can shift everything.
In between our breaths of inhale and exhale, there is a natural pause. One we ignore in our fight or flight based society that keeps us in a survival loop.
We forget the pause.
The pause is where the transformation happens, the magic.
Winter forces us to pause and ignoring it can throw us off, causing us to feel down or blah when really it is just our internal clock crying for us to take a break. Guiding us towards a more internal time of being rather than the external doing.
To recover, to replenish, to prepare for the next season or cycle in the year and life. To eat more and do less, shocking advice these days but one that packs a life transforming punch.
How do you honor the cycle of slow down?
Learn to lean into the pause. Take some longer breaths, both on the inhale and the exhale. Pause between them. Then add in box breathing; inhale to a count of 4 followed by a 4 count pause, exhale, and another pause. Repeat four times. The breath controls your nervous system and resetting it will change your mindset.
Pick up an indoor activity. Many cultures around the world that are subjected to harsh, long winters also have indoor hobbies to occupy the time.
Journal out what is coming up for you if you want to dive into what’s behind the feelings of blah and sadness.
Look at the seasonal big picture. Is there a way to structure your entire year in a cyclical manner? Can you shift things into the winter that don’t fit the summer? And the other way? Create more space within what is already happening rather than forcing the same thing year round.
Some of you might reject this, saying you have no time for it. Some of you might take this too far and find yourself needing to be more productive.
Either way, I invite you to lean into whatever pause you can find. To embrace the season of slow down. Spring is right around the corner with her invitation to come back to life and sprout again.
About Lacy
As a lifelong horsewoman who fell into her passion for movement and healing, Lacy Laubacher pulls from her out of the normal life experiences to meet everyone (horse or human) where they’re at with an invitation to grow. From leadership skills in the learned in the Marines to lessons from the saddle to experiential healing in every life moment, she is able to bring that to her work whether it’s in the arena or yoga mat. When she isn’t deep diving with her clients, self, or horses she is adventuring outside or in books, writing, swinging kettlebells, enjoying a bold red wine or bourbon, and playing with her dog- Monster.
Lacey and her work can found at Dark Horse Yoga Studio or Lacy Laubacher on Facebook and Instagram.
Was something here helpful to you? Did one of these ladies inspire you in some way? Let us know—share in the comments below!