Winter is a time to rest. Look around you … if you live in the northern hemisphere, you will see nature is resting, settling into itself. Winter is not a time for high energy, it is a time for reflecting, gathering resilience, taking notice of ourselves, discovering how we are, what is going on.
I have been resting and relaxing. I have had no choice. My body said stop.
It is a time now, when more than ever, I look within rather than without. I go to the mat and practice, honouring that by a deep listening within, I can discover peace and heal my body and my mind. My intention is I will continue this practice as we transition into spring, summer and autumn, moving with mother nature and taking her cue.
Writing, yoga, mediation and art continue to be my solace and I am grateful I have these things in my life.
During this time, I painted a reindeer in the landscape and wrote this poem about a swan I saw on a recent walk in one of Norfolk’s marshlands:
Coming Back Home
In a moment of darkness,
some kind of beauty
is flickering in the reeds,
catching my eye.
Winter is with us
and grey clouds
hover at the edges
of my mind.
I yearn for warmth
and muse about
better times, somewhere
between earth and sky.
A swan glides by
wings puffed and fluttering,
she is some kind of miracle,
stopping my mind
She calls me home
to my wintering
where I can smile,
pause and breathe.
A time to slow down,
for there is no hurry
to take my woos to the wood.
Here in the marsh,
I have everything I need,
in this present moment,
this wonderful moment.
Seasonal greeting to all. May you discover your own peace within and find your way home.
Thich Nhat Hanh
LyndyH 