WINTERING - A YIN PRACTICE FOR WINTER SOLSTICE
On December 21st, the Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year.
It is a time of rest, renewal, and turning our gaze inwards and create a little space for ourselves each day. This matters even more as we move ever closer to Christmas, a season that often feels fast, crowded and full of demands.
The solstice gives us a brief pause. It helps us slow down, reconnect and prepare for the gradual return of light. Lighter mornings, lighter evenings, and a wish for a lighter heart in a world that rarely slows.
This post offers support during this season by exploring the changing elements of nature alongside the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Samkhya philosophy. These long standing teachings offer clear guidance for how to live well during winter and how to stay steady in a modern life that feel chaotic too often.
The Water Element and Winter Solstice
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the element of Water offers us guidance for this time of year and is the dominant force during the winter season. If I had to choose one word for it, it would be flow. water adapts, moving with whatever surrounds it.
Water governs the Kidney and Bladder meridians. These channels are seen as the body's reservoirs of energy and vitality. The kidneys sit just below the adrenal glands, which regulate cortisol levels often referred to as the stress hormone. That winter is a time to retreat and rest does not surprise me. Does it surprise you?
Nature mirrors this instinct. Trees like oak, beech, and sycamore shed their leaves conserve energy. Even heather and gorse, which are so rampant in Scotland, slow their growth and channel all their energy deep into their roots until spring. Energy moves downwards so they can prepare for lighter days and the warmth of spring.
This same pattern applies to us. We are part of nature, so rest and retreat are not luxuries, but necessary for us to stay healthy and have the energy to bloom for spring.
Yin Yoga aligns almost perfectly with the qualities of Water.
Long held postures and the passive nature of the practice offer the perfect invitation inwards, towards ourselves. We soften into sensation and release the tension we have carried through the year.
When practicing shapes that stimulate the Kidney and Bladder meridians, such as Butterfly Pose and Child’s Pose, we may feel a subtle, fluid sense of movement along the spine. It reminds us of the connection between our inner landscape and the natural rhythms around us, bringing us home to ourselves.
Observing the Stillness Within
Do you ever roll out your mat for yin and struggle to settle? Some days your mind takes over, racing with thoughts. You fidget, pick at your toenail polish in Butterfly Pose, or silently count the seconds in Dragon, wishing it would end because your feel a bit sick. Does any of that sound familiar?
This experience is described clearly in Samkhya philosophy, one of the classical systems of yoga. Samkhya teaches that life is shaped by two forces. Purusha, which is awareness. And Prakriti, which is the movement of thoughts, sensations, and patterns that fill our inner world.
Those racing thoughts, the restlessness, the urge to move, the mental noise, all belong to Prakriti. It is the part of us that reacts and drives constant activity. the active, dynamic force of driving movement, change, and the endless doing. And that resistance to stillness? It’s simply part of being human, our Prakritik nature.
During yin practice, we have a chance to shift into the role of the observer, or Purusha. As we settle into stillness, we meet sensations, thought, and emotion without pushing them away. As we notice what arises, we grow more aware and less pulled around by our old habitual habits. Stillness becomes a way to clarity, and right choice and action becomes easier.
The Winter Solstice is a natural pause that helps us see these inner patterns more clearly. We the would becomes still, we can do the same. By observing without holding on, we create space for change. This quiet work prepares us for the return of lighter days and the steady movement towards regeneration and renewal that follows.
Reflecting with Journaling
After your practice, take a moment to reflect. Journaling can be a powerful way to integrate your experience (which is what yoga is all about) and set intentions for the season ahead. Here are some journal prompts to guide you:
What does the Winter Solstice invite you to release? What have you been holding onto that you know, deep down, you need to let go? It might not happen all at once, but awareness is the first step toward unburdening yourself.
How can you create more space for rest and renewal in your life? Can you carve out time just for yourself, knowing that rest will refill your cup and enable you to support others without overwhelm?
What intentions do you wish to carry into the returning light? Remember, your intentions hold great power. With quiet stillness and belief, you can move mountains and inspire those around you.
Yin Yoga helps us meet the rhythm of winter with steadiness. It teaches us to sit within darkness without fear and to trust the slow return of lighter days. This kind of reflective practice is also an important part of training as a Yin Yoga teacher, because learning to observe, integrate, and articulate your inner experience becomes the foundation for guiding others with clarity.
Happy Solstice
Gem x
