As we head towards the Winter Solstice we do start to remember that we will soon be returning to the light, however December is still a month of cold and darkness and the internal shift of emphasis that accompanies this, one of inner reflection (Yin qualities) and contemplation, can often feel at odds with the outer calling for more action and work, especially in the busy run up to the festive season.

… And all movement is wrapped up in stillness. It is only noise, distraction, chattering mind and confusion that tell us otherwise…”

But we should also revere silence, and listen to it. We can find rest in movement. We should recognise the oxymoron of the awesome world in which stillness is never really still, infinity is immediate, and words don’t say anything at all.”

“To practice in this way is to be lulled, to let the breath and the moving become a lullaby and the brain become mesmerized and swooned. There is sinking, falling in, surrender…

Taken from www.returnyoga.org

A more Yin style of yoga is perfect for this time of year as we approach winter and if we extend this view of the cycles of nature to include the cycle women experience each month, there is a definite stage of each monthly cycle that corresponds to winter – the menstrual bleed time

In fact, the ebb and flow of the cycle is so strong it can be compared to the seasons.

–Alexandra Pope

Alexandra Pope states that although the timing of each of the menstrual phases or seasons is approximate, the four phases are generally fairly easy to pinpoint once you start to chart your cycle.

She feels that women who don’t understand the shifts in their cycle and its effects are unnecessarily hard on themselves, expecting themselves to be the same as in the previous phases when they are not. The winter phase is quite a creative time, but Alexandra feels that if your energy levels are low and you feel less able to put yourself out, you shouldn’t force yourself.

The winter phase starts at around day 26 of your cycle. It’s a time for chilling out, so although you probably can’t control what you’re doing at work, you should lighten the load in your life wherever you can. Don’t force anything, take a step back and slow down. Don’t force yourself through your normal exercise regime. Don’t make yourself go out and socialise. Follow the pace of your body, not your head.

Alexandra Pope advises charting your cycle over three or four months until you see your own individual pattern. Record the day of your cycle you’re on and write down your mood. If you understand how your body works, this can help with symptoms such as cramps and headaches.

The winter phase is about letting go … A lot of women feel they’re supposed to keep going, and that there’s something wrong with them because they want to stop.

Alexandra Pope

So with this in mind, try this winter meditation several times as day, wherever you are as a quick mindfulness fix and move into stillness:

1. Take three deep conscious breaths.
2. Pause.
3. Feel your feet on the ground and root down, allow your mind to trace the path of your inhale and exhale, in and out of your body, for three complete breaths.
4. Follow the path of your breath with your awareness as it comes in from outside you, in through your nose, and down into your lungs.
5. Trace the path of your breath back up and out from your nostrils into the space around you.
6. As your mind follows your breath, feel how the movement of your breath causes your body to expand throughout all four sides of your torso, allowing more space in the body for your breath which brings more breath into the body for you.