Emerging from Winter
In this period we are making the transition from winter into spring, it is during this period that we draw on our reserves or begin to feel like we a running on empty. The days are getting lighter, we are seeing nature wake up. This can also be a time when if we are running on empty we can fall ill, our bodies are stressed and our immunity is low. Over the coming weeks, we will focus on activating our parasympathetic nervous systems and you will be encouraged to take extra great care of yourselves.
You are invited to be deliberate with how you take care of yourself, this will have an impact not only on your overall health but those around you.
May this transition be a space to feel nourished, soothed and calm, with this series supporting your mind, body, and soul.
Settle in, have a cup of tea (perhaps in a heat protecting cup) at the ready, and any journalling tools you may find useful for the inquiry into the practice. The sessions were recorded with a group once a week over 6 session. You are welcome to follow this format or your own pattern, perhaps even one a day for 6 days. If you need any help with the practices for example posture or any challenges you experience please do reach out josephine@thewellbeingatelier.com.
The atelier follows the following format:
Meditation
Poem
Tea meditation
Reflective Inquiry with journal prompts (opportunity to pause, reflect or journal about your direct experience of the practice)
You are welcome to email me about anything that you may wish to explore josephine@thewellbeingatelier.com)
A closing Meditation and invitation for home practice
What do I need to prepare?
Each practice will be either a sitting, movement or lying down, for meditation hints and tips have a look at this handout HERE. In advance of the session, you’ll need:
Use a chair, cushions or a stool
Enough space for an exercise mat on the floor
Enough space to move your arms around your body from standing
Any props for comfort and warmth (see the handout mentioned)
A glass of water or warm drink for the tea meditation.
Week One
Survival
In todays practice we explore the impact of stress within the body, harnessing the frequency resonance between the breath and the heart. We begin by quickening the breath and then move into the antidote of lengthening the breath. This is then followed by us practicing widening and narrowing our attention into the noisy and quiet parts of the body?
Take great care of yourself.
Home practice:
3-5 x Breath in for three breath out for three, followed by
Minimum of 5 x breathing in and then extending the out-breath
Week Two
Small Moments
In this session we build on last week’s practice by bringing our attention to the felt sensation of some of the small moments of joy that we experience and how the body feels these. the majority of the time we’ll mull over the negative experiences, and whilst exploring joyful memories can also be tinged with sadness they often get less of our attention than the harder times we’ve been through. We’re building up the grey matter of our brains to begin to focus more on the joyful moments than the negative, you may notice there are far more of them. As an example, there are far more good drivers than bad drivers. As always take great care of yourself and do reach out if you’d like to explore anything.
Home practice:
Joyful moment ‘snack breaks’. At regular intervals, I invite you to drop into the present moment of pleasant experiences of your day, simply take a few seconds to notice what the body experiences.
Some examples: Lighting a candle, a parking space just when you need it, that first sip of a cup of coffee, a bite into a meal.
Week Three
A bigger picture
In this session, we continue to first narrow and then widen the lens of our attention exploring what’s noisy and quiet within the body and then our days. How to see a bigger picture.
Home practice:
Mindful ‘snack breaks’. At regular intervals, I invite you to drop into the present moment of pleasant experiences of your day, simply take a few seconds to notice what the body experiences.
Some examples: Lighting a candle, a parking space just when you need it, that first sip of a cup of coffee, a bite into a meal.
Week Four
Spring Clean
As the days grow longer and the air begins to gently warm, the departure of the cold, sluggish weather signals the start of a fresh cycle. The change in seasons prompts a reevaluation of daily habits. It's time to stow away the winter coat, swap the heavy duvet for a lighter blanket, and engage in the essential tradition of spring cleaning. Seasons inherently inspire transformation and rejuvenation, and a comprehensive spring cleaning can offer more than just a chance to tidy up the shelves. This meditation is an invitation to observe our thoughts, to recognise what is helpful and what’s served it’s purpose and is meerly clutter for us now and needs to be moved on.
Home practice:
Mindful pauses to observe your thoughts and note if what’s there is helpful, kind and necessary for your health and wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. You don’t need to change anything, noticing is enough to support us to make shifts.
Week Five
Human
Within this week’s sessions, we are closing the winter season with some of the learnings we may have found over this season of dormancy and reflection. We delve into what it is to be deeply human and part of communities, actively digging around what it is to be wronged and to do wrong. Be extra careful and do reach out if you need a debrief! Your body is constantly managing the stresses of responses to information and behaviours of others, learning to listen to and pay attention to its needs can mean that we take better care of ourselves. This has a ripple effect on our overall health and wellbeing and on how we interact within our communities.
Home practice:
Mindful pauses and breathing spaces after feeling challenged
Week Six
Spring
You did it. Winter is over.
Nature demonstrates that survival is an ongoing process. At times, it thrives - accumulating reserves, adorning itself with foliage, producing ample honey - while at other times, it simplifies existence to the essentials to persist. It doesn't undertake this process begrudgingly, expecting eventual perfection and seamless outcomes. Instead, it cycles through winters repeatedly, tirelessly attending to this task every day. For both flora and fauna, enduring winter is an inherent aspect of their existence. Likewise, humans experience the same reality.
Well done for taking the time to complete this meditation series. You have taken an active step in taking care of your own health and wellbeing and this will have ripple effects on you, your loved ones, your communities and our environment. Thank you.
Home practice:
Mindful pauses and breathing spaces