The Winter Wellbeing Guide

As the winter months bring a drop in temperature and as the environment changes around us it’s important to adapt our wellness regime to suit the seasonal shift.

If you are reading this from a country where Winter ushers in seasonal change, where wildlife goes into hibernation, temperatures plummet, the leaves fall from the trees and the energy of plants is taken below the ground instead of blossoming above it, then it’s only natural to make changes in your self-care regime too. We as human beings have evolved amongst our natural surroundings, and in order to feel well and stay healthy at this time of year we shouldn’t ignore the seasonal signals that we are being naturally pointed to.

Summer calls for high energy, longer days and cooler foods. However, as Katherine May explores in her beautiful book Wintering, the dark season beckons us to slow down, rest, and surround ourselves with comfort and warmth. Her book is also a soul affirming meditation on the fallow periods of life, times when we must retreat to care and repair ourselves.

Here are some ways to slow down and recharge ourselves over the winter months…

1. Learn to micro meditate

How often do you sit with yourself in silence? Most of us are so wrapped up in the humdrum of daily life, distracted every second by digital devices, that we have lost the ability to be alone with ourselves. One study in the journal Science showed that through eleven studies, participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves. Not only would they prefer to perform mundane activities, but they also said they would rather administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left with their thoughts.

Banker turned monk Rajesh Ramani of Mindfulnessandbeyond.org says it’s vital we are able to sit with ourselves with no distractions. It’s hugely important, he says, to tune into ourselves, but also to give our nervous systems a much-needed break from the incessant ping of modern life. His advice is to sit for 2-5 minutes a few times a day in silence and either to focus on your breath or just observe your surroundings. A few minutes early for a meeting? Sit with yourself in the car. It may feel uncomfortable to begin with, but we promise it gets easier.

2. Self-massage is self-care

You may have heard the phrase ‘We hold our issues in our tissues.’ It refers to the notion that our emotions are potentially ‘stored’ in our muscles and fascia, which is why postures such as Pigeon Pose in Yoga may cause emotions to rise to the surface. Whether you believe this or not, releasing our fascia (the connective tissue that wraps around the entire body under the skin connecting blood vessels, bones, muscles, and nerve fibers) can release physical tightness and make us generally feel lighter. The good news is that you don’t have to book a masseuse to reap the benefits of massage – we can do it ourselves. Here's how:

Warm some Rescuing Body Balm between the palms and using the thumb and forefinger kneed into the skin like dough. Starting from the base of the spine feel up through the legs, the hips, chest, neck, shoulders, upper back and arms. Use your thumbs to massage into the tighter areas and notice the warm glow it brings to skin.

If your back is tight (or anywhere in fact), we can’t recommend a Cork Peanut Massage Roller from Yoga matters, £17, enough. Lie on the floor and place it under the grizzliest spot. Hold the roller there and allow your body to relax into the sensations. Super light, it is perfect for travel or massaging weary feet under your desk too!

3. Breathwork to go

Most people today live in a state of fight or flight, where the nervous system is in a constant state of hyper arousal. For some people this manifests itself in a feeling of constant stress or anxiety. Other people have racing thoughts, feel they can never switch off their mind or may find it difficult to sleep. For some it leads to burnout and/or depression. It is incredibly important that we ‘down-regulate’ our systems daily and bring our nervous system into balance. One way to do this is to do breathing exercises a few times a day.

Start by spritzing your face, neck and hands with the Reviving Face & Body Mist. Place your hands gently over your mouth and nose, close your eyes and take a slow, low deep breath feeling your lower ribs expand. Containing calming and terpene rich Rosa Damascena as well as balancing Geranium and mood enhancing Wild Indigo its’ gentle scent will stimulate relaxation pathways in the brain encourage bountiful breaths.

Exercise 1: Elongate your out breath – take a deep breath in through your nose from your lower lungs inhaling to the count of four. Exhale slowly to the count of 7. If you can, breathe out through your nose too. Continue for 5 minutes.

Exercise 2: Bumblebee breath – do the same as above but this time hum whilst you exhale on the out breath. Humming increases Nitric Oxide in the nasal cavity which opens your airways and delivers more CO2 and therefore oxygen around the body helping you feel calm yet alert.

4. Integrating Ayurveda

Ayurveda is an Indian method of balancing the body based on 5,000 years of tried and tested knowledge. ‘Ayur’ means life and ‘Veda’ means knowledge. Its slow and gentle practice makes it an ideal antidote to the frenetic pace of modern life. One of the key understandings of Ayurveda is that food is medicine. As we go from Autumn (Vata Season) into Winter (Kapha Season) Ayurvedic expert Claire Paphitis suggests eating ‘Cooked, warm foods – include plenty of bitter greens in your diet along with digestive spices such as cumin, black pepper and ginger’ in order to counteract the cold heaviness and damp in the air. She suggests avoiding cold foods especially cheese, yoghurt or ice cream. In her book ‘Balance your Agni’ she also recommends calming activities such as breathing exercises and gentle yoga.

5. Light therapy

Getting enough natural light in the mornings is vital for keeping our circadian rhythms (our internal body clocks) in sync. Light signals when to be alert and when to rest but is also vital for our mood and our general wellbeing. In Winter the shorter hours of sunlight can suppress our happy hormone serotonin as well as melatonin which helps to regulate our body clock. For some, this leads to SAD syndrome, (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which is characterised by poor sleep, depression, irritability and social withdrawal. The key is to get as much natural light as possible. If you can’t get out before work in the morning, get outside at lunchtime. Otherwise look into investing in a Lumie Lamp (lumie.com) which delivers white light therapy for Winter blues relief.