Embracing Winter's Stillness: The Art of Restorative Self-Care, Silence & Spiritual Alignment

This season I've found myself wrapped in the warm embrace of introspection. This episode takes you through the heart of winter's call to align with Winter's rhythm, offering a sanctuary for our nervous system to rest, repair, and digest the complexities of life. I share deeply personal reflections and the wisdom of Ayurvedic and Hindu Balinese traditions, inviting you to slow down, invite introspection and listen to the subtle signs of healing within your own body.

We touch upon the spiritual significance of nurturing our nervous system, key to unlocking the growth of our higher chakras and finding balance in our spiritual journey. Embracing the art of stillness through yoga nidra, breathwork, and other restorative practices, this episode is a guide to transforming the cold darker months into a period of profound self-care and mental health. As the conversation comes to a close, I can't help but feel immense gratitude for your companionship on this path of conscious living; your support fuels this exploration into a life more attuned with the world around us.

So here is your Call To Action:

There is one date left to register for the at-home Winter Silent Retreat, a sacred pause for the busy modern human! Deadline to register is 2/20/24 and your retreat day starts 3/6/2024, the 11th day after the full Moon.  You'll receive all you need before then! Click the hyperlink to register! Afterwards, you'll receive an email from me welcoming you and another link to complete your Ayurvedic intake so I can determine your Dosha profile, curate your box and recipes! 

Chapters

• 0:00 Winter Season and Nervous System Regulation
• 13:34 The Importance of Nervous System Care
• 30:44 Thank You for Supporting the Show

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Now. Now become aware of the breath, become aware of the body breathing itself, the being, the being, the being, the breathing itself. Greetings all, and I hope that the new year is treating you well so far. It is February 1st that I am recording this episode, so we are a whole month into 2024. But I want to get on here. As you know, it is winter season, so everything that we talk about, everything that blue lotus drops, is going to be tailored to the winter season and the energies that winter bring, with the energy of deep self-reflection, rest, solitude, silence, introspection, that kind of thing. So I hope that you guys remember from the last couple episodes.

Speaker 1: 1:11

Now, before I get into what I want to talk about today, first of all, what inspired this episode, as well as this season's highlighted tailored services, was my time in Bali. So during my time in Bali, I learned that, one, their new year is observed in March. And number two, during this time the island initiates a day of complete silence and during that time the entire island shuts down. The island of Bali turns off all the lights and sounds, stops all traffic, no incoming flights, deserts all worldly activities and meditates while complete silence and serenity reigns over the island. It's called Nipi and it's considered the first day of the year, so it's Bali's new year, from March 11th to the 12th those are the dates for this year. Nipi translates into to keep silent in the local language, and each year falls on the day following the dark moon of the spring equinox. So much meaning, you know, to unpack there spiritually and everything. But Nipi is a day for the Hindu Balinese to dedicate themselves completely, to connect more deeply with God through prayer, fasting and meditation. It's a moment to go inward, for introspection, to evaluate the personal values that they would bring into the new year. You know we do New Year's resolutions, something like that, but a little bit better. It's very different from most countries that spend the new year with, like, a lot of noise and festivities and sparkling activities, and you know the whole shebang. So this is why I love this island so much. It really just fits me, because I much rather prefer a nice, silent, deep, introspective transition into the new year than one with a lot of noise and stimulation, honestly, to the senses, anyways. So it's also, though, the way that this all ties in and why it was so inspiring to me. I was not there in March, so I didn't get to, have not experienced this day Nipi Day myself, but I heard all about it while I was there. But it's very inspiring because it's also a practice at RU VEDA to plan and prepare for this introspection, solitude and fasting as we enter the winter season.

Speaker 1: 3:51

I'm sure you guys have heard me say this over and over and, if you follow my social media, I've been talking about this all season, this introspection and solitude. We've been doing classes online that are designed around that flow, around this introspection and solitude. So this is this season's theme. Winter is all about introspection, solitude, rest, reflection, deep self-care. Just think of nature. In nature during this time, there's not much fruit or flower that's being produced on the surface of our plants and things. Everything kind of looks dead on the surface, but the roots are very busy, very alive and gathering nourishment for the upcoming seasons. So it's the same for us, because our Uvedic living is all about sinking with nature, living in rhythm.

Speaker 1: 4:40

I hope you're subscribed to the blog Living in Rhythm. This is our time to tend to our roots, to go inward and nourish from there. We are born through nature, maintained through nature, and in order to reach our highest human potential, we must continue to remain in sync with nature, which means adjusting our lifestyle accordingly per season, something that we are not used to on a collective, but I've made it my mission to raise everyone's consciousness to this level of living in rhythm. So what does all this mean? You're wondering why am I talking about all this? Winter is the ideal time to really focus on nervous system care, regulation and repair. So if we're following the seasonal routines, you should notice your stressors in the winter are lower than in the other seasons if we're following the seasonal routines. So emphasis on if we are following the seasonal routines of living in rhythm. So if you're new here, before I continue, if you're new, you can catch up on this Living in Rhythm. Are you ready for philosophy? I'll insert the link in the show notes to the blog and you can also subscribe from there so you don't miss any blogs moving forward. That's part of this Living in Rhythm blog series. So this means that during this season, you have a little more space and opportunity to actually prioritize your self-care and the nervous system.

Speaker 1: 6:13

What does it really mean to regulate the nervous system? Let me just briefly explain that before I move forward with you know, winter offerings and practices, nervous system regulation. The nervous system is all about rest, digest and repair. These are the natural functions initiated by the parasympathetic nervous system. So think of this as your brake pedal. Now. The fight, flight or freeze are natural survival functions and safety features that we've come with, governed and initiated by the sympathetic nervous system. So think of this as your gas pedal. Even if your response is freeze, just stay with me. Brake pedal, gas pedal.

Speaker 1: 7:00

Now, when we're under chronic stress, which means it's long going, there's not much time in between stressors and reactions. It's just like chronic, constant, almost constant stress. This wears and tears on the nervous system, making it harder to regulate the daily stress, causing you to over respond to small stressors or perceived threats. And that continues to accumulate because you never really come down, you never really pump the brakes. You know, come down out of survival mode. It's like constantly revving the gas pedal with the car in park. So eventually you're just going to run out of gas and you've literally gotten nowhere. So you're going to burn out.

Speaker 1: 7:46

And this stress-induced burnout is a result of various body systems and organs response to your constant stress. Your body is like okay, you won't stop, we're going to have to make you stop and this happens in a systematic kind of way. It's a communication between all of your cells and all of your organs. They can no longer take all of the revving and this is when you begin to experience the health issues that are associated with stress, that we know of, which are weak immune system. The first to go, it seems. When, under stress, you get kind of sick. You know you catch a cold. You notice those things. When you're like really really stressed out, you seem to get sick or fall sick easily or more often than normal for you. Other causes high blood pressure, which leads to other serious events if not managed. Autoimmune diseases, inflammation in the body also linked to the immune system, dysfunction in relationships and in effective communication, and these are just a few examples of the effects of chronic stress. Really, they don't do much good for us when we don't have a regulated nervous system.

Speaker 1: 9:01

The stress system is actually designed very well. We just have been overusing it and it's not entirely our fault. You can revisit any of my episodes if you want to hear more about that. Chronic stress affects clear thinking, perceiving, response appropriateness and problem solving abilities. It affects the ability to maintain attention and focus, to regulate emotions and behaviors, to reason, plan, adapt. You know, when you're under stress we really don't make the best decisions like daily life decisions. If you're under stress and you're making a decision as a response to the actual threat or thing that's happening it has to be actual then that's great. You respond to the stress. But when it's perceived stress or threat, right because of the kind of society that we live in, your responses are inappropriate, because the perception is inappropriate and your ability to reason, it just kind of goes out of the window.

Speaker 1: 10:10

So regulating the nervous system can be looked at like learning how to drive. First of all, if you've been revving, revving, revving, you need to pump the brake, take a breath and keep listening. The idea here is to learn how to operate smooth and balanced experience between the gas and the brake. So it's just like driving. So ideally, your nervous system should be able to effectively detect and respond to environmental demands by initiating the appropriate mind-body response to a threat and then return once the threat is no longer. There's the part we're missing return. We don't return. We stay there and it just piles over and we just go from one stressor to the next, to the next. We don't return and that's why a lot of these classes that I do one-on-ones that I do, you know, seasonal programs that I do is to help you guys find the space to even allow yourselves to return. But this return responding to the threat and then returning this is how balance is maintained. This is regulation. This is how the body can undergo damage and repair itself.

Speaker 1: 11:29

So the next question you're probably wondering like okay, that's all great news, it makes sense. How do we regulate nervous system? One of the quickest, best and easiest ways you guys I'm not being Silly it's the breath Change and regulate the breath Change and regulate the mind Change and regulate the nervous system in that order. And it also works vice versa Breath, mind, nervous system, nervous system, mind breath, practicing breath work and deep relaxation techniques on a regular activates your brick pedal that you probably forgot that you had. You're probably out of brick fluid, though, even so, we might need to take care of that first. And if that's you, if you're like, yeah, I'm definitely out of brick fluid, then just keep listening. I've got a little something special and I'll talk about it at the end.

Speaker 1: 12:23

It's the winter silent retreat. I'm not going to keep you guys like in suspense. It's my winter silent retreat that's going on right now. It's an at home really cool, accessible thing and I'll talk about it in a bit. But you can literally change the wiring of the mind through the breath. You can soothe and regulate your nervous system with breath work practices which open up the window of opportunity for repair and restoration to the nervous system, really just allowing the parasympathetic nervous system to do its job. You're not doing its job, you just have to get out of the way so that it can do what it's programmed to do. You get out of the way by relaxing with rest, with self-care, and that's in any scenario. So it's kind of good to make it your life theme. I know I've definitely caught on in doing these kind of practices and then kind of, you know, integrating them in life and noticing where I can get out of the way a little bit more in real life so that things can actually happen, so that things can actually come together and all of my efforts can come into fruition.

Speaker 1: 13:34

Sometimes it does take a little bit of getting out of the way. Too much doing, doing, doing, revving, revving, revving. Anyways, once you are relaxed and your mental stress is out of the way, your heart rate goes down, your blood pressure goes down, your respiratory rate goes down and all of that is literally proof that your system's healing functions are kicking in. Like yawning, you know, when you take big size. If you've taken like yoga and shavasana or meditation or something very relaxing, even maybe doing psychedelics, you ever notice you yawn a lot or take big size. That is literally signs and proof that your nervous system is kicking in to do its job. Your system's healing functions are kicking in, muscle twitching also a sign. So these are signs and symptoms of the parasympathetic nervous system regulating you. Okay, so all of that that I just described, that part was the physical part.

Speaker 1: 14:33

On the spiritual note, as above, so below on a spiritual note. Here's why a properly functioning nervous system matters. Reving on the gas is all about survival, right Meaning. The sympathetic nervous system serves to keep us safe and alive. This has to do with your lower chakras, your basic human, physical and emotional needs. Those are the lower chakras, just like on Maslow's hierarchy. Okay, those lower Levels are your basic human needs.

Speaker 1: 15:06

So when you are continuously in survival mode and for extended periods of time, chronic, when your alarms are constantly sounding off, even in response to just the small daily stressors or triggers or perceived threats, there is no energy to put into your higher spiritual centers, your higher chakras or your higher psycho spiritual needs to support your spiritual path and practices. Or, if you are very modern and you speak that language, the higher levels and Maslow's hierarchy. This is the kind of experience when it's like you know you're on the path but you're struggling or failing to see or feel the results of your efforts of going down your path. You may feel you are doing something wrong, but it isn't obvious as to what it's like. You're not getting anywhere, but you're doing this stuff. So that's kind of a hint that you might need to definitely prioritize the lower chakras, your basic human, physical and emotional needs. I'm telling you that this is a lifestyle change and part of that is minimizing stressors. That's not sometimes that's easier said than done, depending on what your stressors are. Okay. So minimizing stressors and performing self care as a routine not a sometimes thing, a routine and that's for your mental health and your nervous system care.

Speaker 1: 16:30

Hopefully you guys are subscribed to my blog, the Living and Rhythm series, like at bare minimum, because I send seasonal lifestyle Ayurvedic tips to support and inspire you in this journey. That's what that's for. And, in addition, I hope that you guys are enrolled as members in my online studio, where we have weekly classes tailored to the season and nervous system care. We have three live classes a week at the studio. If you have not checked into the studio yet and started your free trial, you can get that link from the show notes to kind of browse the membership options and join their three options, three tiers that are very different from one another, depending on what you need. So read thoroughly and choose wisely.

Speaker 1: 17:16

So during our Wednesday yoga nidra night in the virtual studio, we practice nervous system regulation through yoga and breath techniques, restorative techniques that stimulate the vagus nerve and techniques that induce a calm, meditative state of mind and introspection, syncing yourself to winter's rhythm. So join us a couple times a week as we move in rhythm with winter's natural flow. Look at this as your way of syncing with the rhythm of nature. That's literally what we're doing Syncing your rhythms. Now, for those of you who are out of break fluid completely, and you all know it, I have something special for you, because you may need a little top off, you know, and that's okay, we all do sometimes. So, as I mentioned earlier, winter is about introspection, quietude, nourishing roots, stillness, rest, reflection Okay, these words.

Speaker 1: 18:18

So I both practice and always advise that we take at least one day to honor silence, detox the sensory system Okay, this is connected to your nervous system, so your nervous system will love you for this and devote that sacred day of silence, that one sacred day and this is for, like the modern, you know Person that lives in the modern world. That's why it's one day. It's doable, but the idea is to devote that sacred day to self-care practices and routines totally undisturbed. I mean like total devotion. So I've set up and I know that that's hard for people to do I've watched people claim that they have done that and I'm looking like that's your idea of Science and detoxing and having a day of self-care no, anyways. So I've set up an affordable package for you guys to have the perfect at home 24-hour silent retreat. Yes, at home. You don't always have to do the extreme by expensive plane tickets to faraway places, like someone I know you know to. To Honor this silence, to have this time, sometimes we need to bring the retreat to us. So before I get into like, the details of this really cool retreat at home retreat, let me just go over a few points I think are worth mentioning, like the why.

Speaker 1: 19:44

Why practice silence and fasting? Well, deep self-reflection is the very first reason. The mind needs solitude to digest life's Experiences, to honor all that's been cultivated over the year, to recognize and integrate life's lessons and to make space for what's to come ahead. Silent contemplation and introspection Leads to self-discovery. When there has been excessive output, like a lot of time traveling, talking, socializing, holidaying, just the overstimulation of sensory output, your nervous system needs a break. Like I said, your senses connected to the nervous system I'm sure you guys know that, just reminding you but it does need to rest sometimes. We are human beings, not human doings. All right, so take a time to be maybe I don't know Welcome stillness and inward reflection every once in a while. It won't kill you.

Speaker 1: 20:40

Another reason that that Practicing silence and fasting is beneficial is because it nourishes the mind and body. Nurture your mind and body by focusing on on a holistic Self-care practice, by focusing on releasing stress and tension. I say holistic self-care practice meaning it's, it's Self-care for the mind, also for the body and the spirit, though it's not just a food fast. This is literally, specifically right now, we're talking about a sensory Fast. Okay, so that's fasting the senses. It's like fasting your stomach when you're doing a physical one, except this is for your senses. So, um, but this is necessary for the nervous system care.

Speaker 1: 21:29

Okay, your special package will include all you need to get this done, guys, including guided meditations, vedic deep rest practices, cues for introspection, journaling, access to the virtual studio for the entire month. Your retreat is one day, but you'll have access to the studio for free for the entire month where you can attend live meditation sessions yoga, nitra meditation and you know am yoga and meditation and even some tips and troubleshooting for the challenging moments that come up during your 24 hours silent fast. So, because you are fasting and not just fasting from your regular diet, because it's not a you're not going to not eat Well, I'll get into that in a minute but you are going to refrain from the normal diet that you have if it's not that healthy. But since you're fasting not just food your mind and body will have some space to replenish its reserves, use its energies and and use its energies to repair any damages and provide you with a reset. Your special package includes supporting herbs and nourishing our Vedic recipes to provide you with a gentle, very gentle cleansing from any holiday indulgences, while also nourishing your body. I mean, our last holiday was big one, new Year's but you know I'm sure you guys are doing pretty good, right? You know you're going to be with this New Year. You didn't come into the New Year with all the junk. If you did, it's okay. That's why I'm here.

Speaker 1: 23:15

Nervous system regulation is another benefit that I've been talking about this entire time, but I'm going to talk about it just a little bit more. So, restoring your nervous system. For proper functioning, it's necessary to care for the nervous system so we can carry out his duties to detect stress, respond accordingly to protect you and return to repair and rest when the threat is neutralized. Currently, our nervous systems are totally hacked, totally hacked. They had, they've hacked it.

Speaker 1: 23:47

A lot of us perceive a constant and continuous threat. I'm some of. I am also included so many. We have so many programs telling us what to fear ahead Like. All of that is constantly circulating, what to fear ahead in the future, and COVID has intensified this sense of threat to survival. False perceptions of stress, scarcity, urgency and survival have been fed to us, and it is so bad that most of us feel guilty when we relax Really and experience that internal struggle of needing to feel productive, to have enough and survive, while deeply desiring to feel stillness within and just be content.

Speaker 1: 24:33

So, yeah, the focus of the season and of this silent retreat is to soothe, repair and regulate the nervous system. Now, before I keep going I know I have like no order, guys but this one day silent retreat, there's only one date left for the winter season. I had three dates One was in January, one of February, wait, one was in January, february, yeah, and the last one's going to be in March, but you have to sign up by the 20th of February. It falls I have them plan to fall on a very specific day and that day is the 11th day after the full moon, right Each month. So that's why there's only one date each month of the winter season where this silent retreat is performed. So here's why it's on a specific date, why it's on the 11th day after the full moon.

Speaker 1: 25:33

The time from the full moon to the new moon is called the waning moon, if you didn't know the period when the moon's growing darker, the energies during a waning moon signal a time of releasing and lingo. This is usually what new moon ceremonies are all about, or rituals. It's a favorable time for the mind, body, spirit to organize and to create space for quiet contemplation Goes very well with what we've been talking about, right, that's why I put the two together. So for women, during the waning moon phase, we're naturally more in tune with our inner knowing and with what isn't working in our lives. So naturally you may feel inspired to organize and close loops on projects or people so you can prepare for rest. That's why this is perfect for a silent retreat Known as Ikidashi and Vedic tradition.

Speaker 1: 26:25

The 11th day after the full or new moon is an optimal time for fasting, and because winter is not the ideal time for, like the extended fasting, deep cleansing that we do in spring and fall If you guys have been with me one day in the winter for a fast is plenty to get the job done without sending the system out of balance. We don't want to stress out the system, we're trying to do the opposite, and so in the winter time, since about that is high during this time, so in the winter time, since about that is high during this time, we don't want to aggravate it more with the extended fast. Like I said, like we do in our spring 21 day cleanse you know, not during this season. So this is a very gentle fast and it's more sensory focused. Okay, you do get a like recipes for that day, but that's just so to keep your intake, your food intake, very clean and whole and nutritious to support the silent day. So here's the best part that you guys have been waiting for what all is included in this package. What you'll get is one an Ayurvedic winter wellness herbal box, curated for the season and the reason that's your intention with herbs, oils and other essentials that you'll need for your 11th day silent lunar ritual.

Speaker 1: 27:52

Now, the reason I'm not detailed about what exactly is because that all depends on your dosha profile, which you'll have a full Ayurvedic intake, and you'll get your full Ayurvedic dosha profile as part of this package. So you'll also get a specialized menu for your lunar fasting day with the recipes included. Everything is tailored the herbs, the foods, the recipes, tailored to the season and your dosha profile. You also get that free access to the virtual studio for a whole month. So weekly live classes, you know, meditation, yoga, all these things and also access to the on demand library too, so you can practice anytime you want. You'll get a guided itinerary with instructions to help you plan and initiate your day of silent fasting, with supporting audio and video content, which will include audio guided meditation for morning, midday, evening, sunrise, yoga nidra video specifically designed for this per this program, contemplation and journal cues to support your inner dialogue and reflections and even, like I said, troubleshooting, if carving out the space depending on like your lifestyle, your household and all that carving out the space may be difficult. So I do have solutions and troubleshooting for you guys, if you have, you know, if you can foresee some difficulty, like how am I going to get a whole entire day? Don't worry, it doesn't have to be an empty house. You don't have to. It's not as hard as you think. That's why I'm here helping and guiding.

Speaker 1: 29:23

All right, this is the time of silence and stillness where we can connect to our essence and find our way back to ourselves. During this time, we can take a step back and reflect on our lives. We can ask ourselves important questions like am I living the life I want to live, or what changes can I make to improve my well-being? By connecting to our essence, we can tap into our intuition and inner wisdom which can guide us towards a more fulfilling life, a more authentic life, a more focused life, a more life of, you know, living by intention. This can be done through activities like meditation, journaling or simply spending time in nature. When we find ourselves lost or feeling disconnected, it's important to remember that stillness and silence can be powerful tools for finding our way back to ourselves. So, whether you are needing to just subscribe to the blog, the living rhythm, so that you can sync to the rhythm, or join me during live classes online, or treat yourself to a silent retreat at home, check the links in the show notes and you'll find a guide, a little directory to these different things, depending on your needs and your intentions.

Speaker 1: 30:44

In this moment, and before I head out, I want to thank you all for taking the time to tune in and listen. Thank you for supporting the show. Of course, follow and rate the show if you haven't already on your way out. That's like the best way to support me and I really appreciate it. You can email me with any questions or requests for the show, also with any questions regarding anything that's been discussed during this episode. I hope you've, guys, been having a smooth, happy, joyful but relaxed, restful, fulfilling introspective 2024 so far, and let's see where this chapter takes us. I'll see y'all on the other side yes.