Embrace the YIN

TAP IN WITH YOUR ❤️

It's cliche, I know, with February being the month Valentine's Day falls on, and it’s such a Hallmark holiday and all!

Let's focus on heart energy, though. Specifically, opening up that heart energy and what that feels like.  

What IS heart energy exactly?

It's the energy of unconditional love. Love with NO conditions.  

If you're a parent, you know what I'm talking about.  

If you have a dog, you know what I'm talking about. Dogs are conduits of unconditional love.  

It's a feeling that OPENS you up. You feel less resistance in your body and feel like you're in a lovely flow where things don't seem so hard.

You can access that in nature so easily. Once you're out there, away from the noise living in a town or city offers, things seem way less frenetic. Because it is way less frenetic. You can drop into your body, into your heart. Things feel right.

Being in the woods, beach, or wherever your favorite natural respite is, don't you feel more connected to yourself and all that is? Do you feel more connected to nature and the world at large? If you answered yes, that is your heart vibe!

If you live in a cold climate, as I do, you know the resistance that comes along with the cold! It's tempting to avoid the cold and go from cold to warm as quickly as possible!  

Wait, though, I invite you to ponder something. Stay with me.

We are in the thick of winter right now. Winter is a magical time underappreciated in the Northern Hemisphere, ESPECIALLY in the very Northern parts of that region. I live in Minnesota, where the dominant topic of conversation when the temps dip into the nether regions is the weather!  

It is now dark and cold, and it is time to rest, be cozy and germinate your seeds for Spring! It's a time of deep hibernation, going within, and not being all into crushing goals right away! It's a time to rest, plan your steps, order your seeds, and get some excitement about the coming months, but it isn't time to plant the garden yet!!

In nature, things are resting and restoring. Soon, there will be movement and life force shooting up towards the surface, but not just yet!

SAVOR this time. Take advantage of the nudge to rest and restore yourself. Take that bath, or that nap, read that book by the fire, watch the movie. It's not a time to DO. It's a time to BE.

We are in the deep YIN, and let yourself receive it by BEING and not DOING.

Yin is cold, and Yang is hot. Let's talk about the cold! How can we practice accepting and embracing it more?

Do you tense up in the cold? Do your shoulders go right up to your ears? Do you almost feel pain in your body when in the cold?

Drop your shoulders and relax INTO your body. Shrug your shoulders to get yourself down INTO the body (I'm totally serious).

There is something incredibly beautiful about the cold.  

It's quiet, and it makes you go silent and contemplative. It forces you to go within. 

Think of a winter forest and how quiet it is. Way different energy than a summer forest. 

The cold taps your heart vibe differently than the warmth does.  

The cold brings in so much appreciation for the warm things. For fire, heat, hot baths, hot tea, a warm home, down sleeping bags, hot soup, saunas, and the list could go on for pages.

How to embrace it if you're cold-averse? Here are a couple suggestions:

SET AN INTENTION BEFORE YOU GO OUTSIDE

Seems simple, and it is. Until it isn't. This is an easy thing to forget or overlook. How you intend to do anything can DRAMATICALLY improve your experience. Going out into the cold temps is no different! Decide before you go that you will notice at least 2 beautiful things. Make a decision that you will make an effort to let go of some of your resistance to being out in the cold. Set that intention; it can be as easy as "when I walk home from work today, I am embracing the quiet, cold, and calm vibe."  

Oh, and P.S.- the proper clothing is a support system that must be put in place! Layers, wool, fleece, cute hats and gloves, and cozy boots are all part of the experience!

RELAX INTO YOUR BODY

Not to be redundant but drop those shoulders down! Take some very deep breaths from the belly. A fully oxygenated body is easier to relax, and one of the easiest and quickest ways to get there is to breathe deeply from the diaphragm. Relaxing the body allows the blood to move freely instead of being blocked by pinched-off blood vessels and tight muscles on edge! Once that blood is free-flowing, you'll feel warmer and more relaxed. Keep things moving, swing those arms, and walk faster than you usually would. Do this, and you might even get too warm!

Once you get back home, or wherever you are going, you will feel amazing. You'll feel connected to yourself, your body, and the cold and perhaps even have a little appreciation for it building in your heart zone!

Please share your experience with me in the comments below!