Happy Winter Solstice!
This year the Winter Solstice, arrives on Sunday, December 21. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year (the day with the least daylight and the longest night). It is also a time to celebrate the return of the light as the daylight becomes longer after the Solstice arrives. I must admit, I find that it is difficult to notice or feel a difference, however, just knowing there is a change in light, keeps me positive. The power of the changing angle of the Sun at the Solstice also intensifies the potency of our intentions and thoughts. I like to use this time to focus on my intentions and what I would like to bring into the light as I get ready to move into 2026.
The holiday season is filled with gatherings and though, exciting and fun, it can be hectic and stressful at times. This current can take us away from our center and a feeling of being ungrounded. Many feel depleted, stressed and overworked with the many distractions this time of year can bring.
At the moment, I am thinking about the qualities of water and their currents. There was a time I was swimming in Santa Monica with a friend, we swam out past the swell of the waves and found ourselves talking and paddling around. Suddenly, we saw a lifeguard on a red surfboard swimming quickly toward us. When he got closer he said that we had been caught in an undertoe that took us quickly further out to sea and away from the beach where we entered the water. We did not notice the pull of the current in the ocean. Neither of us realized we had literally been swept away.
The current of the holidays can pull us out of serenity and our center without us even being aware it’s happening. The flow of late nights, socializing, and eating foods we normally don’t eat can stress our systems and pull us in many directions away from ourselves. One way to stay in the inner current of balance is to focus awareness on the breath. How can you intentionally make time to come back to the current within and toward the flow of joy and peace the holidays are meant to bring?
In other words, the breath enables us to come back to the shore and place our feet back on the ground to remember the inner current of our True Nature. Here is a tip for the holidays: simply take a few deep breaths a few times a day for one minute or sit quietly for five minutes with no distractions. You can add a counting breath, breathing in for five counts and exhaling for five counts. Check in and notice the current you are in before and after.
Wishing you and yours a peaceful and joyful holiday season, filled with serenity and light.
XO,
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