What Winter is Really Asking of You

It’s time to put the kettle on, to get comfy and give yourself time just for you as you read through this blog. This month it’s full of seasonal guidance and inspiration.

December arrived with its usual magic, didn't it. There's something beautiful about this time of year - the twinkling lights against dark evenings, the warmth of gathering with people you love, the permission to create cozy moments that feel like small sanctuaries.

And yet... alongside all that beauty, there's also the lists, the expectations, the endless invitations to do more, give more, be more. It can feel exhausting, can’t it.

It's possible to hold both - the wonder and the weight.

But underneath all of it - the festive joy and the seasonal pressure - there's something quieter happening. Something your body already knows, even if your mind hasn't caught up yet.

I wonder - Is winter asking something different of you this year?

Not more productivity. Not more perfection. Not more proving yourself worthy of rest.

Winter is asking you to stop. To settle. To trust.

The Wisdom Winter Carries

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter belongs to the Water Element - the season of deep rest, conservation, and turning profoundly inward. While autumn asked us to let go and refine, winter asks us to go further: to retreat, to restore, to trust the darkness.

Think about what happens in nature in winter. Trees stand bare, their energy drawn deep into their roots. Animals hibernate, conserving precious resources. Even the earth itself seems to exhale and settle into stillness.

This isn't dormancy. This is wisdom.

Your body knows this rhythm too. It's why you crave warmth, why you feel tired earlier in the evenings, why that relentless "go, go, go" energy of summer feels impossible to sustain now.

You're not being lazy. You're being human and aligning with the seasons call.

What December Really Needs From You

Here's what I notice every December with many of the women I work with: we know we should slow down, but we don't give ourselves permission to actually do that.

We push through the exhaustion. We override the signals our bodies are sending. We tell ourselves, "Just get through December, then I'll rest."

But what if winter is asking you to rest now? Not after you've earned it, not after everything is perfect, but right now, in the middle of the mess and the demands and the endless to-do lists.

What if the most radical thing you could do this December is trust that you don't have to hold everything together?

The Gift of Going Inward

The Water Element teaches us that winter is meant for reflection, for going deep, for allowing ourselves to simply be rather than constantly do.

This might look like:

• Saying no to invitations that drain you, even if they sound lovely

• Choosing one quiet evening at home over another festive gathering

• Letting some traditions go this year without guilt

• Trusting that your worth isn't measured by how much you accomplish (yes, even not having the perfect Christmas table!)

Winter isn't asking you to disappear or abandon your responsibilities. It's asking you to move more slowly, more intentionally, more gently through this season.

A Gift for You: Winter's Invitation Meditation

I've created something special for you this December - a gentle 6-minute guided meditation to help you receive what winter is offering.

This practice will guide you to:

• Connect with your body's natural winter wisdom

• Release the pressure to keep pushing

• Discover what winter is personally asking of you

• Find stillness in the midst of seasonal busyness

You can return to this meditation whenever December feels like too much. It's here for you, waiting, like winter itself.

Your Winter, Your Way

This December, I hope you'll give yourself permission to move through each day differently. To honour the twinkling lights and your need to hunker down and go inwards. To celebrate connection and protect your solitude. To enjoy the festivities and trust your need for quietness.

Winter is offering you something precious: permission to conserve your energy, to protect your peace, to honour what your body has been trying to tell you.

The world will keep spinning. Your people will be okay. And you – you will be more yourself when you stop trying to be everything for everyone.

You are not meant to burn bright all year long. You are allowed to dim your light, draw your energy inward, and trust the quiet restoration that winter offers.

This is not giving up. This is coming home to yourself.

So let winter teach you. Let it hold you. Let it remind you that rest is not something you earn - it's something you deserve simply because you exist.

Trust the winter. Trust yourself. Trust that going inward is not weakness, but the deepest wisdom you possess.

Breathe & believe, lovely💫

Lorraine