Winter brings the qualities of kapha – cold, heavy, dull, etc. We can find our mood mirroring the environment and may have a tendency to feel depressed during this season. Here are a few tips.
Move. One of the best ways to bring balance is to keep moving, despite a tendency towards inertia during this season. Movement increases circulation, generates heat, and clears blocked prana. Fresh, oxygenated blood bathes the extremities and brain, bringing a lightness and sharpness to the body and mind. (It’s also great for keeping up your metabolism to burn off some of the extra calories from heavier foods, which can also dull the mind.)
Breathe. Pranayama (cleansing breathing practices) such as kapalabhati and those that bring energy upward are also excellent during this time. They, similar to exercise, clear blocked prana and uplift the spirit. If you don’t know pranayama, focus on extending your inhale and exhale during exercise. Unresolved grief sits in the residual volume of the lungs, so deep breathes which penetrate and decrease the residual volume work wonders for mood and emotional release.
Soak. Take hot bathes, take hot showers, sauna, and let the sun shine on you when it’s out. Heat is a number one alleviator of kapha, stimulates metabolism, and clears stagnation. Depression is emotional stagnation.
Spice. Spice up your food. Fall/winter recipes usually call for this, but the added awareness can be helpful when planning meals. Heating spices such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, and red pepper stimulate metabolism and burn through kapha. Spices contribute to the digestibility of rich foods and keep agni strong, which can also prevent winter colds. Heating spices can also be steeped as teas in between meals for added digestive support. Good agni = good thought/emotional digestion = happiness.
Connect. Unfortunately during the holidays, a time of family and connection, many of us can feel disconnected and misunderstood. Connection is a very personal relationship that begins with you and your Creator/Source. No one person or relationship can substitute for this or provide you with what you need. Your love and abundance comes from your Creator. Fill up your tank first, and share your abundance.
Believe. Faith is a beautiful thing. It’s a return to innocence. It’s belief without concrete evidence. It’s intuition. It’s following your heart. It’s true knowing. Your heart knows what your brain cannot dissect. Be a child again. Create the childhood now that you never had. Believe that you are loved, provided for, and held no matter what. You are important. You are here. You have special gifts to share.
Yesterday doesn’t matter. You are alive today and have a chance to recreate yourself in this moment exactly as you wish.
Talk. If you feel stuck, all you have to do is ask your Source. Ask to be guided. Ask for signs. Let go of your attachments and ask to be guided to your highest good, trusting that the right time and the right manner has already been selected and will come. Embody gratitude for your highest good that is to come and all that you have now.
Flow. Release your grasp on life. Let what wants to come, come, and what wants to leave, leave. What stays is what was meant for you and serves your highest good. You don’t need to struggle anymore. Stop muscling your way through life. Just surrender to what is. Let your every decision and action be guided by your Source versus what you desire. Desire nothing. Be ok with anything. Then see, what miracles of beauty, spontaneity, and coincidence come your way. You will lack for nothing. Everything that is meant for you in every moment will manifest.
Bless. Muli-tasking, party-planning, and travel can lead to unnecessary holiday anxiety, stress, and impatience. If you find yourself waiting in line, on the road, in an airport, or anywhere, instead of stressing about your wasted precious time, say a prayer. Pray for anyone and everyone. You really can make a difference with something so simple.
Your mood and happiness ripples and has an exponential effect on everyone and everything in your vicinity and humanity in general. Give the gift of your happiness. It’s an amazing blessing to everyone.
I hope this helps.
Happy Holidays,
Love, Nisha
Please note that this content is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.