“As long as we are alive, we feel fear. It is an intrinsic part of our makeup, as natural as a bitter cold winter day or the winds that rip branches off trees. If we resist it or push it aside, we miss a powerful opportunity for awakening.”
Tara Brach
During Winter, our bodies reflect the contracted, immobile state of “cold.”
Sometimes cold penetrates so deeply that certain parts of our bodies remain contracted, even after Winter is over – we can experience a “frozen” shoulder or stiff, contracted muscles, arthritis, or aching joints.
On the mental level, too, we can become static and contracted, afraid to make a move (which runs counter to the reflecting and planning time of the modern calendar).
Emotionally, we can experience an inner coldness and contraction, difficulty “warming up” to people or in “coming out of our shells.”All of these things show a condition of coldness and could point to an imbalance.
How can you address this imbalance? Just remember two words: “Warming Reflection”
- Observe, recognize and accept fears
- Take time to recharge and reflect
Eat warm and warming foods (such as root vegetables, grains, and small amounts of meat or fish protein, drink lots of water and herbal teas- Dress to stay warm. Keep a scarf around neck – as well as around the kidneys.
- Supplement with “warming” herbs if they work for your constitution. Add warming oils/salves to aid in aching joints, etc.
- Stretch your body – combine stretching with prayer/meditation (reflection)
Excerpts from Five Elements