As the winter solstice approaches, we find ourselves in the darkest time of the year—a season when the sun's light is at its weakest, cold sets in, and the nights stretch long and deep. This turning point in the Earth's cycle invites us inward, calling for introspection, rest, and quiet renewal.
The ancient tradition of coming together in Winter time to share warmth, abundance, and good cheer is a healthy balance to the call to be inward and retreat. This is more about sharing the warmth of heart and hearth than the obligations many of us feel today.
Many people at this time of year suffer with what seems like seasonal depression. It may have something to do with the lack of Vitamin D from the sun. I also speculate on how much societal pressure to conform to the demands of keeping the exact same pace all year round or even revving up more to be in sync with consumerist messaging contributes to seasonal depression and feelings around the idea of not being "enough" when maybe our bodies are actually longing for rejuvenating stillness, rest, quiet, dreamtime, and real connection.
Returning to nature's wisdom as our guide can help us find this balance again. Connecting with Winter's quiet stillness can help us find stillness within ~ providing fertile ground for real connection.
Winter demonstrates rest, and tranquil renewal. Trees release their leaves and withdraw energy into their roots. Animals hibernate, conserving their strength for the coming spring. The Earth herself seems to pause, taking a deep breath in stillness. We, too, are part of this rhythm and can benefit from embracing this inward pull.
The darkness of winter can be unsettling, a time when unresolved emotions or unacknowledged parts of ourselves may surface. Yet, just as the Solstice marks the gradual return of the light, exploring our depths can illuminate new paths toward healing and growth.
Winter’s stillness offers space for deep reflection. It is a time to sit with ourselves, listen to our inner wisdom, and tend to the soul’s quiet yearnings. What lessons lie in the shadows of our lives? What old stories are ready to be released like fallen leaves, making way for new beginnings?
By embracing the dark, we honour the full cycle of life—not just the bloom of spring and the abundance of summer, but also the necessary rest and renewal of winter. In the stillness, we find the seeds of our future growth and can allow the growing light of the new sun to nurture them.
As the solstice draws near, consider creating your own winter ritual. Light a candle to honour the returning sun, sit in silence and breathe. Journal your reflections of what comes up in the stillness. Allow winter’s darkness to be a safe space for discovery—a time to to be held in the cozy, hybernative darkness, let fall away what does not serve, sink into the stillness even deeper. dream, and reconnect with your inner light.
The winter solstice is not just an ending but a beginning—a reminder that even in the deepest dark, the promise of dawn is already stirring. Let this season of stillness nurture your spirit and prepare you for the light that inevitably returns.
If you’re anything like me—or at least like the former me—the idea of sitting still and doing nothing feels about as natural as a fish taking up jogging. Let’s face it: for doers, the ones always chasing goals, tackling to-do lists, and saving the world (or at least believing you are), stillness feels downright counterproductive. Who has time for that when there’s so much to do?
But here’s the truth I’ve come to understand: the busier I stayed, the more I realized I wasn’t solving anything. In fact, I was making things worse. I was the poster child for hypervigilance—a master of spotting danger lurking in every shadow. If it wasn’t real danger, I’d invent it. I even went through a phase where I thought I had life all figured out because of—you guessed it—conspiracy theories.
The darkness I feared wasn’t outside of me; it was within. I was running from my own uncomfortable emotions, convinced that staying busy would keep me safe. I subconsciously placed myself on a treadmill of constant doing so as not to be still. But just as the Earth can’t rush the return of the sun, I couldn’t rush my own healing. It required stillness.
The Chaotic Mind and Fight-or-Flight
A chaotic mind is like a winter storm—loud, relentless, and blinding. In a state of fight or flight, your brain turns into a conspiracy theorist at a mystery convention—constantly on edge, searching for clues, interpreting every signal as a threat. In times like these, you may
consider embracing the spiritual principle of the Buffalo of courage, who, during a storm, while the horses run around in chaos, faces into the cold north wind, into the uncomfortabilities, and all the difficult feelings of it’s own psyche, and feels them fully, so in the end has victory over them. The point is that he has the courage to stay still and feel, eventually leading to inner stillness, calm, and clarity.
Here’s what happens when we stay stuck in that heightened state of hypervigilence / "get'r done mode":
Dopamine, the chemical for focus and motivation, gets thrown off balance, leaving you stuck in a loop of anxiety-driven busyness.
Serotonin, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter, plummets, making it hard to stay calm and grounded.
GABA, the brain’s natural calming agent, depletes, making it difficult to relax.
Norepinephrine, meant for responding to real danger, becomes overactive, leaving you jittery and mentally foggy.
Acetylcholine, essential for memory and attention, falters, making it hard to stay sharp.
And then there’s cortisol, the stress hormone, which keeps everything amped up, disrupting mood, cognition, and emotional regulation.
In this state, you’re stuck in reactive mode, seeing only immediate problems while losing sight of the bigger picture. Like a dark winter night without stars, your path forward disappears in the haze of anxiety.
Why Stillness Matters
Winter’s stillness isn’t emptiness; it’s a space where life quietly regenerates beneath the surface. Similarly, stillness in our lives is not about doing nothing—it’s about allowing renewal to unfold from within.
When we pause, our nervous system shifts out of fight-or-flight mode and into rest-and-digest. Emotions settle, thoughts become clearer, and we reconnect with our deeper selves. Stillness offers perspective—the “eagle’s eye view”—that busy minds cannot access.
Even recently, I was working outdoors and I slipped on ice causing my knee to hyper-extend. I needed downtime. However, there were still cords of wood to be chopped and stacked. The joys of farm life. So I was hobbling around with my leg, bracing so much so as not to re-hyperextend, that I ended up throwing out my sacrum, where it meets the spine, into hypertension, and now even as I write this, I have barely been able to move about my house for a week now. I didn’t say I am a master at this yet, and lessons continue to come at me to confirm my resolve. I am getting more and more willing to hear the call for stillness. It has been a tough journey for this “Doer” sometimes.
Sometimes Grandpa says: “Slow down Grandson” before I do something foolish like push to get a project done within the small “pressurized” window of opportunity I gave myself.
The key is to listen to that voice, rather than fall into old patterns and me "showing him I know better". I find, if i don't listen, the universe seems to find a way to make me listen. Currently, I am finding the gratitude in this opportunity to rest, reflect, and heal.
Stillness enhances our relationships, supports emotional fluency, and opens the door to spiritual growth. In winter’s quiet, nature teaches that what appears dormant is often preparing for transformation.
Techniques to Cultivate Stillness
If you’re wondering how to cultivate stillness without feeling like you’re wasting time, here are practices that align with winter’s energy of introspection and restoration:
Qigong: Gentle, flowing movements paired with breathwork create a state of moving stillness—perfect for those who struggle with sitting still.
Breath Awareness: Try simple diaphragmatic breathing to calm your mind and body. A few deep breaths can create a profound shift.
Mindful Observation: Spend time in nature, observing without giving things meaning. The rustling leaves or falling snow can ground you in the present moment.
Somatic Awareness: Do a body scan to release tension and invite relaxation.
Ceremonial Stillness: Create intentional moments through rituals, turning stillness into a sacred act. Light a candle on the solstice night and sit in quiet reflection.
Here is an example of what Qi gong looks like: Waterfall Qi Gong https://youtu.be/DMvK0kUKWCo
See if you can imagine the level of stillness you could attain with this embodied mediation form. If it calls to you, then here are the opening forms for the practice:
Wu Ji/Tai Ji: Coherence within / Opening with coherent presence to the world
San Dao Jing Li: The Threefold Salutation
You can easily learn this and practice just this much each day. If you like the 5 minutes of stillness and the results you are achieving, feel free to reach out if you want to learn more.
Starting Small
Stillness doesn’t mean sitting cross-legged on a mountaintop for hours (unless you’re into that). It can come with any moment ~ a choice to come to presence with the breath.
It can start with just five minutes a day, waiting in line at the grocery store, or feeling into real connection with whom ever you find yourself with. Pause to breathe before your next task or take a moment to feel into your body, breath, stretch, and reset.
I remember the first time I tried sitting still after my conspiracy phase. I thought “doing nothing” was a waste of time—and who would stand guard for danger? But after a few minutes, I felt something I hadn’t experienced in years: calm. With that calm came clarity. For the first time, I saw how my busyness was keeping me stuck.
The Light Will Return
The Winter Solstice reminds us that darkness is temporary and necessary for growth. The dark can hold us in stillness and create space for light to return within. For me, I liken the time of Winter Solstice to taking 3 days inside of a float tank.
Stillness isn’t the opposite of action—it’s action’s greatest ally.
Stillness and intentional rest replenish our strength, and the ability to move forward with purpose. So, to all the doers out there: Let's take a breath, pause, be still, take some breaths into the Solstice, and imagine you are a bear in hibernation taking in all the deep wisdom from the Earth in this time of stillness, spiritual connection, and revitalization.
Winter calls us to stillness and in the quiet moments we find clarity, the ability to be fully present with the people in our lives, nurturing our relationships ~ the true determiner of the quality of our lives.
LoveAlive