Hello friends,
Happy Solstice to you! For many of you, the Winter Solstice is possibly just a date you zoom past in your calendars. That was me for many years. I had a vague awareness of the solstice and equinox dates each year but they held no meaning to me (that I was aware of, anyhow).
As I mentioned in my December newsletter, last year after a period of disconnect from my deeper inner life, I found that the time of the Winter Solstice brought me back in many ways to my true self, to the light, and offered a way for me to connect to something of greater value and meaning to counteract the hustle and bustle of the more materialistic aspects leading up to Christmas and New Year. The aspect of the solstice that is so lovely is that in its very nature—the darkest night of the year—it is also heralding in the light. It reminds us that all light is borne out of first going into the darkness; all seeds that eventually sprout must first be planted in the depths of the dark soil in order to thrive, and in that way so much of what we eventually come to enjoy and thrive in also first has to come from a period of darkness or hardship. But the Solstice offers us an opportunity to learn how to go into the innermost caverns of ourselves—in even the darkest of times—which is where inevitably we will always find the light.
Today, I’m going to share with you a meditation practice that you can do so very easily to support you during this time and one that I have been practicing myself all month. I hope that it offers a sense of calm, peace, and guidance as we move into the solstice and the winter break.
I’m also including A Holiday Survival Guide that offers some of my all time favourite meditations, yoga practices, books, and podcasts from other teachers whom I greatly respect and admire—and some that are just for shits and giggles! All of these have gotten me through, whether by making me laugh or reminding me that there is much more going on in our lives than meets the eye and that we are—all of us—supported by something greater, even when it doesn’t always feel like it.
Winter Solstice (or any time) Walking Meditation
The great thing about a walking meditation is that you can habit stack, getting the benefits of fresh air and movement at the same time as going inward to connect to your self. You are welcome to do this practice with pen and paper or just as your move about your day in other ways if going out for a walk is not available to you, but I know that for many of us at this time of year getting outside for even 20 minutes into the cool air acts as a medicine and a soothing balm to the nervous system.
I have the benefit of living near Evergreen Brickworks and the Moore Park Ravine, so this is often where I will do this practice. If you have any kind of nature space near you, I encourage you to do this practice amongst the trees, as nature is a great healer and holder of space.
As you get ready for your walk, make sure you leave your earphones and phone tucked away. Start just by walking and breathing (or if you’re at home, puttering or sitting, and breathing), noticing your breath as it passes the tip of your nose on the inhale, and then the way it travels down your lungs. Practice bringing it deeper into your belly, feeling the expansion of your abdomen on the inhale and then the release as you exhale. Do this until you feel your breath smooth out and you notice that you’re calmer—even 10% calmer. Now, ask yourself a question that you’ve been longing for an answer to. It can be anything, perhaps something to do with your health, your work, your family, your purpose or direction in life. Just anything that has been pressing on you. If you don’t have a question in mind, here are some great ones to ask, especially around the Winter Solstice:
What am I ready to let go of?
How can I Iet more light into my life?
Once you have the question, ask it either in your mind or out loud. Offer it up to the universe, to the trees, to the sky, to a higher being, whatever resonates for you. And then set the trust and intention that by the end of your walk (or your puttering or writing session) you will receive the answers, guidance, and wisdom you need to know right now.
I promise you that you will feel better and more grounded by the end of this practice. Just trust it and see what comes through.
Holiday Survival Guide
Here is a list of my favourite things to watch, read, and listen to. I’ve annotated each one so you have a sense of what it’s good for. In the spirit of giving, I’m sharing these resources as gifts to you as well as a way of giving back to these creators who have helped me through their work. I hope they prove to be as enlightening and entertaining to you as they have been for me!
Free Meditations
Winter Solstice Meditation
This is a great guided meditation for the solstice by Mindful in Minutes. It’s only 10 minutes and is super calming and full of light. This is also a great podcast resource for brief, free guided meditations, and she has such a nice voice to listen to.
Free Yoga
30 Minute Yin Yoga For Your Nervous System
Whether you need a reset after the intensity of the work and school year so far, a way to counterbalance all of the frenetic gift buying energy, or to decompress from family time, this is a wonderful practice and is only 30 minutes. Yoga with Kassandra is an excellent resource for free yoga, and my new favourite yoga teacher (yes, yoga teachers have yoga teachers!)
Podcasts
Armchair Anonymous (by Armchair Expert Dax Shepard) is my favourite Friday podcast. Anonymous listeners of the podcast call in and share stories on a theme. They are a mix of funny, heartwarming, and relatable. If you need something to accompany you on a long drive or walk, I highly recommend going back and diving into the wealth of stories here for a dose of humanity.
Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald is my mainstay podcast. It was the second podcast I started listening to after Serial and it’s got everything pop culture, but with a depth that goes beyond just surface level topics. If you’re a Housewives/Bravo fan and love everything pop culture—which I’m not ashamed to admit that I do—you have to listen to this!
Why You Should Use Your Middle Space This Holiday Season
The Aligned Podcast is a spiritual podcast the goes deep into what is happening with the energies each month. I love it for the monthly guidance she channels from the Akashic Records, but even if this is not your jam, I highly recommend this recent episode about how to stay neutral while navigating family and friend dynamics over the holidays.
Good Inside with Dr. Becky
For all things parenting! Her approach, especially about repair if you’ve had a low parenting moment, is game changing. She also has a great episode about setting boundaries for the holidays here.
Books
If you need a great book to dive into over the winter break, these are just a handful of my all time faves that are the best if you want to get sucked into another world for a time (which all great books do!)
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
This is the quintessential read if you want to escape to Scotland with a steamy romance, Highland war and adventures, and a bit of history mixed with time travel (and who doesn’t want all of that?!) But for real, the first three books in this series are possibly the books that are dearest to my heart for many reasons, the chief of which is that they are so well written and engrossing you are truly immersed in another world. My Granny discovered them many years ago and they were passed down through the women in my family, which is how they came to me. Bonus: Once you read the books, you can binge the series on Netflix, which is almost as good as the books.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
If you love stories of love, survival, and historical fiction, this one is one of the best (if not the best) I’ve ever read. It’s so good that after it came out, I put my own WW2/French Resistance historical fiction manuscript on the shelf, because she had done it so much better.
Circe by Madeline Miller
This one surprised me. It takes a story from Greek mythology and turns it into a memoir that is so gripping and life like, you might wonder if it actually happened. Could not put it down.
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
This is more of a summer read, but it’s truly an any time read if you want to be absorbed into a juicy love story that hits on all the tough subjects (infidelity, childhood trauma) but in a way that is full of compassion and somehow cathartic.
Warrior Goddess Wisdom by Heather Ash Amara
If you’re drawn to the ways of the Divine Feminine, this is a way to connect daily, quickly, and easily. Each page sets out a theme to work with or work through as a woman to become the most empowered, compassionate version of yourself.
TV
The Crown
Even if you’re not a Royalist like me, this series is SO good. It has everything drama, history, pop culture, and will definitely make you feel like your family is way more normal than you did before watching it.
Love Island UK
I know, I know. You say you don’t like reality TV. You say you don’t like trash TV. But I’m TELLING you—if you need to just dive into something that will help you turn your brain off, entertain you, and give you a relationship to dissect other than your own, this is the best there is.
The Last Kingdom
All I will say about this one is that my best friend who does not like Vikings, or historical fiction, or war stuff, LOVED this show. Basically, if you like good TV, this is it.
Platonic
I love Seth Rogen’s brand of comedy, so this might be biased, but this show was a sort of sneaky, easy watch that had me laughing out loud. It’s so relatable, especially if you are a woman with a platonic guy friendship that has spanned years.
John Mulaney: Baby J
If you’re in need of a good laugh—I mean like a crying laughing out loud kind of laugh—please do yourself a favour and watch this. Whatever stress the holidays and winter break present to you, I promise this will do so much to reset it.
Wishing you all a wonderful and peaceful rest of this year.
Until next time…
All good things your way,
Allison