A companion for the quiet months
Notes for the
Wintering Body
Winter gathers us slowly.
The light draws in, the body instinctively softens, and the world becomes just quiet and still enough for us to hear what has been beneath the surface all year.
These notes are a small extension of my seasonal newsletter. A place to land if you want to understand this time more deeply, in your body and in your inner world…
After the Descent
Autumn is the season of descent, of falling, of letting go, of downward movement.
But winter is what comes after. It is the place the descent brings us…the underworld, the roots and dark soil, the stillness beneath activity, and the depth beneath the release
In myth, this is the realm Persephone inhabits when she is fully below, when the descent has ended and the deeper work begins.
Winter is not the falling. Winter is the being with what remains.
The gathering and the resting, the unseen gestation.
Winter teaches us that depth is not emptiness…it is preparation.
What This Season Asks of Us
Winter invites us into a different rhythm, one that is less outward, less performative, less fast.
This season calls us toward slowness instead of urgency, warmth instead of overstimulation, rest instead of constant input, nourishment instead of depletion, reflection instead of striving, softening instead of pushing, presence instead of production.
Your body knows what winter asks. You feel it in the instinct to cocoon, to rest earlier, to protect your energy, perhaps you crave coziness and simplicity.
This is not withdrawl from the world, but seasonal intelligence.
The Nervous System in Winter
Winter communicates directly with the nervous system.
The shorter days and colder temperatures shift our internal landscape toward a desire for steadiness, increased sensitivity, a need for warmth and gentle textures, slower digestion, earlier fatigue, a heightened craving for safety and comfort, and an instinct to move inward.
Your system is aligning with the season. Supporting yourself in this season means paying attention to what your body is already trying to do. Perhaps you feel more inclined to slow down, to draw or conserve your energy closer, to turn inward. What would it feel like in you body, in your life to let yourself move with that rhythm instead of resisting it?
How to Support Yourself
Through this Season of Stillness
Warm, Nourishing Foods
Soups, stews, cooked grains, soft vegetables, warm breakfast bowls.
Food that comforts and nourishes.
Your digestion prefers heat now so don’t be afraid to lean into it!
Let Your Evenings Have a Little More Ease
Let dusk mark the shift into quiet.
Lower the lights, maybe you light a candle, take a minute to slow your breath.
Winter evenings are meant to hold you.
Moments of Stillness When You Can
Just one minute (or longer) each day to sit, breathe, and notice the atmosphere of the season.
Your nervous system truly does attune from these micro pauses.
Winter Body Care
Warm oil on the skin…
A nourishing bath with chamomile, ginger, clove…
Layering soft fabrics…
Nourishing reverent touch, bodywork, a scalp or face massage in the shower..
Reduce Overstimulation
Less noise when you can! And give yourself more space between demands.
Your system is asking for room to recalibrate.
Let Things Be Simple
Winter does not require elaborate rituals. It requires only presence, curiosity, warmth, and consistency.
A Daily Winter Invitation
Choose a moment each day.. ideally at dusk… though truly whenever you remember to pause and give yourself a little time to feel the season. Notice what it stirs in you. What images, emotions, thoughts, or memories appear?
Perhaps you sense the quality of the light and how it lands on your skin. The temperature of the air. How your body, your posture, your tension, your breath, responds to a moment of mindful stillness. Notice the instinctive slowing, the softening, the small cues of what your body is asking for.
Let winter speak to you. Let it show you its wisdom through sensation rather than thought.
Winter, all seasons, really, has something to say.
You only need to notice :)
A Few Journaling Invitations
What part of me feels ready for a downward shift, for rest?
Where is my body asking for warmth or comfort?
What wants to be simplified right now?
What wisdom is emerging from this stillness? This quieter time?
What am I pulling in close for the year ahead?
Thank you for spending time inside these Winter Notes.
May this winter bring you warmth, steadiness, and a deeper relationship with your own inner rhythm.
💙
Anika
