Living Seasonally

I want to talk about living by the seasons. I’m sure you’ve heard of eating seasonally, eating by what is in season in your regional area. Just as that is best for your health and will give you the best crops available, living seasonally can be very beneficial. In case you haven’t noticed, we are dead in the middle of winter. The winter solstice, the shortest day of light of the year and the longest night, occurs at the end of December. Yet despite this change in environment, most people try to act the same as they would if it were midsummer.

In fact, with “new year’s resolutions” people seem to get even more active and push harder at this time. I wanted to write this post because the new year just occurred. We wonder why so many people fall off of their habits, perhaps it is because you are pushing against the rhythms of nature. Winter is not the time to start a new workout routine, burn the midnight oil, and accomplish all your goals. Winter is the time to rest, contemplate, reflect, and recover from the past year.

I like to set my goals more on a month to month basis. So if you must engage in new year’s resolutions, make them specific to each month. That way you can tailor your winter goals to reflect the time of year. Perhaps a meditation, stretching, or sleep related goal? Something peaceful that will aid in your rest and allow you to live with the darkness, not against it. Mother nature is resting, the mammals are hibernating, so you should too.

The best time to start a new goal would be in the spring. I want to follow the astrological new year, which starts in March at the Spring Equinox. Spring has much more energy. We have reached a point when day and night are equal, and we are beginning the transition to longer days. Longer days means more daylight, and we will have more desire to be up and out for longer periods of time. So instead of pushing really hard for the next few months, fighting the natural ebb and flow of light and energy, try waiting until the spring. Take these next few months to take stock of how things are going and make plans for the “new year” that starts in the spring. Let the light and the energy work with you. Enjoy the winter, maybe doing a little more, bit by bit, as the sun slowly rises earlier and earlier. Nature moves slowly, as should we.