Release Fear in Winter with Seasonal Self Care

By Hannah | December 4, 2023 |

Release Fear in Winter with Seasonal Self Care

How to optimise digestive health and boost your immune system and take care of your needs so that you feel nourished, not depleted.

In this blog, seasonal living Sisters Hannah Carr & Sarah King will explain how you can use nutrition and seasonal living to support your health during Winter aka Yule, through the teachings of natural health, Yoga and nutrition.

For an in person experience, you can join 5 Day Gentle Winter Cleanse.

 

What health challenges may occur in Winter?

Winter- what feelings does this word evoke for you?
Dashing through the snow with a gleeful smile then home to cream topped hot chocolates as you settle in with loved ones to a cosy night?
Or is it more an expectancy of the usual annual illnesses that steal joy and energy from you as try to solder on with social obligations, Christmas shopping whilst working and trying to appear cheerful?
During in Winter, we are meant to be resting more but the pace of life doesn't seem to slow down despite the change of weather and long, dark nights.  The pressure to be 'on' despite not feeling our best or a desire to be more introverted that we may have to by pass and keep  showing up means we often neglect our needs and we end up under the weather.
Yule Season is the 6 week period from Winter Solstice (around 21st December)  until Imbolc at the start of February where the inward energy of Winter begins to draw upwards again and the first signs of Spring may appear in the snowdrops that begin to arise from the ground.
On the 2 weeks leading up to the seasonal change and 2 weeks after, your body will undergo a natural cleanse. Old toxins need time and space to leave the body so that you can rest and repair, ready for a new year.

This short 6 week season is super important to nourish your body when low energy,  colds, flu's and viruses can be very common.

Winter is ruled by the water element which governs your kidneys and bladder. The kidneys are where fear is held

So if you find yourself:

👉 Sensitive to sound/ Tinnitus

👉 Worry, fear or anxiety

👉Low motivation, fatigue and exhaustion

👉Autoimmune flare ups

👉Hair turning prematurely grey

👉 Bloating, excess belly fat 

👉 Menstrual or fertility issues

👉 Knee or lower back pain

You may also experience nausea, stomach flu, IBS, weight gain, blood sugar disorders, or low energy.

 

 

Use this 6 week window to refine your self-care practices, make some adjustments to your diet and practice some nourishing Yoga poses to support the Water element.

 

Supporting your body with nutrition in Winter

The Kidneys and Bladder resonate with Winter’s energetic vibration in traditional Chinese medicine.

If these organs is low on energy then illness may arise.

Kidneys are a special filter system for your body. Kidneys remove waste products from the blood and produce urine.

The adrenals sit on top of the kidneys and release adrenaline, a hormone produced in response to your fight or flight nervous system. During the Winter time, it is important that they rest and replenish after what may have been an exciting or stressful Summer.

If you have felt stressed out, busy or under pressure, your kidneys may be releasing too much adrenaline and your feel exhaustion, fear, worry, concern or anxiety.

They also help to control your blood pressure and produce Vitamin D.

You can look to change your diet and support your kidneys and bladder by adding in purple, black and blue foods which are rich in vitamin  that will boost your immune system ready to face the cooler months as your best.
Fill your pantry and plate with vitamin rich seasonal foods such as blueberries, blackberries, red cabbage, purple corn, purple potatoes, purple broccoli, red kidney beans, and spouted aduki, black seaweed, black sesame seeds, black eye beans, dried fruits and pomegranate to name just a few.
Make a note of the foods in season and begin to add them to your shopping list. These foods should feel nourishing and restorative helping to support the feeling of caring for yourself and a warming feeling.

 

Although we may be taught that a rainbow of foods is best for us, traditional Chinese medicine says that you don't need to eat them throughout a day, but you eat them throughout the year. So, in Late Summer you are focusing on blue, black and purple foods - not solely these colour foods, but make sure you’re getting an abundance of these because they are supporting the bladder and kidneys at this particular time of year, helping you to avoid poor digestion, low immunity and low energy.

Naturopathic Nutritionist Hannah has recorded a seasonal eating workshop. You can watch the replay for free inside our membership The Holistic Health Circle. Sign up here.

Winter movement practices to support your body and mind.

Winter is also the time to balance our movement and rest, with an emphasis on the rest. As opposed to Summer’s long hours of daylight which encouraged long hours of movement and activity, Winter’s shorter days and increased darkness encourages us to change how we exercise.

Think of Winter as a season of extremes. Dallas Hartwig, the author of The 4 Season Solution, explains that in Winter, humans have evolved to engage in short, intense bursts of activity, mimicking how we might have hunted, built Winter shelters, or hurried out of our homes for food and back again. After this intense burst of activity, we’d then spend much of the time resting and recuperating.

Winter is also about building strength, especially around the joints, which support injury prevention when we jump back into outdoor adventures in Spring and Summer.

Think of your Winter workout as a short strength-building yoga class, followed by slow stretches and a long Savasana. Find balance by planning a 30 minute strength-training session with weights a few times a week, but swapping your run or spin class or a restorative yoga class instead.

Much like our brains, our bodies need time to recover from the past several months of activity. Find a class that helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the ‘rest and digest’ part).

Extract from www.ekhartyoga.com

 

Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher, Sarah has recorded a gentle breathwork and Yoga Session which is available inside our 5 Day Winter Cleanse

The benefits of cleansing

The effects of a sloe and gentle cleanse can be a transformation:

  • Gently cleanse the damaging toxins from your body.
  • Re-build a strong immune system and reboot your adrenals.
  • Improve your hormone balance and feel less stressed, exhausted, and rundown.
  • Dramatically improve your gut health so you can enjoy healthy, regular digestion and an additional immune boost
  • The Transformation
  • Feel more confident within
  • Improve the look of your skin, hair, and nails, naturally
  • Shed the toxins that lead to weight gain, bloat, and belly fat
  • Enjoy real, delicious, nourishing foods that energize and revitalize your mind and body!

 

5 Day Gentle Winter Cleanse includes:

 

 

Winter Solstice Cacao Ceremony

Wishing you all the very best of health this Winter

Hannah & Sarah

Gentle 5 day winter cleanse
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