Wintering: Tap Into Your Inner Wisdom

Let's embark on a transformative journey through the concept of Wintering — a profound exploration of nature's quiet and reflective period.

In this episode, you will:
-Learn how to cycle with nature during the winter season using nature's blueprint for navigating the world within.
-Explore the wisdom of nature's hibernation, understanding it as a strategic retreat and drawing parallels to our own need for reflection and renewal during the winter months.
-Discover the art of supreme non-doing and learn how to navigate life with the least effort and full consciousness.
-Consider the importance of nurturing our own roots during winter, preparing for a renewal of growth.
-Understand that wintering isn't a pause but a deep cleanse, allowing for a renewal of growth.
-Explore your yin traits and trust the cycles of life, while enjoying the quiet beauty of self-discovery.
-Learn wintering Feng Shui to help sustain you with supportive energy during the winter months.

Transcript

The ultimate gateway to ignite your spiritual journey and unlock a life of harmony,

Purpose,

And conscious living.

My name is Amanda Machado.

I'm your guide in this quest for self-discovery.

As an epidemiologist and devoted teacher of consciousness,

I take my inspiration from spirit,

Science,

And nature and make conscious living practical for your everyday life.

In this sanctuary of knowledge,

We will blend the robust foundation of scientific truth with wisdom woven by diverse communities,

Disciplines,

And niches across the globe.

We're not just connecting the dots here.

We're simplifying the intricate patterns of our world in order to fuel your transformation like never before.

Before we embark,

A quick note.

While I'm deeply passionate about well-being,

I'm not a medical expert.

If you're facing psychological or medical challenges,

It's essential to seek the guidance of a qualified professional.

Your health and happiness matter.

So to all you seekers,

Dreamers,

And curious souls yearning for growth,

This podcast is your catalyst.

All starts and ends with the spirit.

Your spirit holds the key,

And today we unlock its infinite potential together.

Welcome to another episode of our journey through the seasons of life.

Today we're venturing into the concept of wintering.

As you know,

I love to align my life with the cycles of nature and share that wisdom because I just believe that exploring the beauty and the wisdom that nature offers us during quiet,

Reflective periods like winter,

It allows us to truly optimize our spiritual wellness and our wellness in general.

So just like cycling with nature,

We'll delve into the silent realms together today,

Reflecting on the art of letting go without force and also drawing from really cool inspirational practices like hibernation that we see mirrored in the natural world.

So let's imagine the crisp winter air as we're moving through nature's serene landscapes on a nice winter day.

We can probably picture snow-covered trees,

Their branches forming intricate patterns in the sky.

Have you ever looked at trees during wintertime?

They actually mirror our human lungs,

Which is super interesting.

But just this beautiful sky and the bare bones of a tree on a nice winter day.

And so as we're moving through this winter sensory experience together,

Maybe we can hear the crunch of snow beneath us and the subtle whispers of the wind.

And just think for a moment that as the cold air starts to fill your lungs,

You start to become attuned to the season because what's mirrored in nature is also mirrored within us.

And so getting really present with nature during this season and each season is actually such a gift for us.

A lot of my research,

My work,

My forever curiosity,

I'd say,

Is really into the seasons and cycles of nature because we know that we're not separate from nature.

And so nature offers us this beautiful blueprint from which we're able to navigate the world around us by going inward and navigating the world within.

And like many of us,

We can be somewhat good at maybe navigating the world around us or we have the perception that we are.

But yet we feel like nothing goes right for us.

We feel like we're always chasing life.

We maybe feel behind in some of the things that we'd like to accomplish.

And that has a lot more to do with being able to navigate our inner world.

And so using nature as a blueprint,

We can actually dive into this concept of wintering or the winter season and what it can bring to our lives when we embrace it more fully and completely.

One of the things you may have learned as young as a child,

I'd say,

Is this idea that nature hibernates.

So when we're young,

We're taught that bears go to sleep amongst other animals in the winter and we see the trees lose their leaves in our natural environment.

One thing we're not taught a lot about is that nature's hibernation is not about being dormant.

It's actually a super strategic retreat.

And so let's imagine for a second what this means.

Let's imagine that a tree is doing what is known as withdrawing its sap.

A bear is starting to slow its heartbeat.

And winter for mother nature is really truly this idea coming to life that nature and us being part of nature can take time to conserve energy and regenerate our strength.

So when I first heard this expression of a tree withdrawing its sap,

I was thinking,

What does this actually mean?

What does it mean for a tree to withdraw its sap?

Basically what happens is this.

In deciduous trees like maples,

Birches,

And oaks,

During the winter season something is triggered within the tree's process that changes the tree's physiology.

And so what happens is in winter we know the temperature starts to drop and daylight starts to decrease.

And this signals trees to prepare for winter by undergoing a process known as dormancy.

But this tree isn't really like dead,

Right?

We know it's just it's kind of asleep,

It's resting.

And so what it's doing is the tree is taking time to withdraw its sap,

Which is a mixture of water,

Sugars,

And nutrients that are circulating within the tree for its self-preservation.

And so the withdrawal of its sap actually serves as this protective function because when the water starts to freeze,

The sap will start to freeze in the environment and it can form ice crystals that actually can damage the tree.

And so by reducing the water content in cells and withdrawing sap,

The tree minimizes the risk of ice crystal formation and then that protects the tree against any potential damage.

And so this process altogether helps the tree conserve energy and resources during the winter months when conditions are less conducive to any sort of active growth.

So this concept of a tree withdrawing its sap refers to this adaptation that trees have as part of their winter survival strategy.

It's a way for the tree to endure the colder months and prepare for the renewal of growth in the spring.

And the reason why I'm bringing this up is because when you think about it,

We are not much different in the sense that in the winter months they can truly be that invitation for us to withdraw in order to conserve our energy,

In order to reflect,

In order to go inward,

In order to prepare for this renewal growth that's going to bloom in the spring just like flowers do,

Just like trees start to regrow their leaves.

Women who get a menstrual cycle actually go through this on a monthly basis where we are called inward to reduce our doing and hold space for our process.

And we know that when we don't do this,

This can lead to health issues and we know a lot of women out there in the world are having some issues with their menstrual cycle.

And so while we may be more still during winter or quiet,

It's actually a state of non-doing during this time that's very similar to nature in the sense that during winter,

Beneath the snow even,

The ground is still teeming with life.

There's still processes going on.

There's just like there was processes going on with the tree that we talked about.

But there's this silent preparation for what's coming in spring and it's due to this natural process that's happening without any force that we learn that we can actually lean into the coldness of winter.

We can lean into the darkness.

We can lean into the yin aspects of winter,

Knowing that the lighter days will follow.

And it's this beautiful reminder that even in stillness,

Life is still pulsating and things are still happening beneath the surface.

And nature has this beautiful way of mirroring that process back to us to show us like,

Okay,

This is what we're all doing right now.

And though,

You know,

We're not a tree and we're not,

You know,

We're not withdrawing our sap per se.

Metaphorically,

We are.

And so,

Can we really be here now with what is happening during the winter season without needing it to be more?

And other animals within the natural world also sort of mirror this beauty to us when we think about the medicine of the bear,

Which the ancient elders have been,

You know,

Looking into and creating stories around for thousands of years to really understand aspects of ourselves that we carry within each and every one of us.

We can further explore the traits of an animal like the bear and abstract its medicine in understanding its traits so that we can understand ourselves better.

And so,

We know that bears are masters of supreme non-doing.

They effortlessly navigate the cycles of nature.

They teach us about the art of doing with least effort and full consciousness.

And so,

When we think about how bears find their food,

For example,

What is known as foraging,

Bears are super,

Super selective and yet they also consume a super balanced diet with a wholesome variety of foods within their natural habitats.

They use the skills that they were born with to efficiently forage to meet their nutritional needs without any unnecessary exertion.

So,

They're not over-exerting themselves and getting burnt out,

Which we know that at some point in time,

All of us have either been there or have been close to there and had heed the warnings of getting close to burnout.

And it's such a beautiful thing because when we think about the medicine of the bear,

They don't walk around directing their energy aimlessly.

They are connected to their truest nature,

To their gifts,

To their strengths,

And they use that strength to survive and thrive in the world.

So,

When we think about bears and hibernation,

It's actually not out of weakness.

It's a deliberate act of self-preservation.

It's a lesson in choosing when to conserve energy and when to roar with life full force,

Where they consciously choose to live more slowly,

Slow living as I like to call it,

To allow themselves to move through the winter months with minimal energy expenditure so that they are fully renewed to hit the ground running in spring.

And there's just so much wisdom that we can take from this.

We see the same thing in nature as Mother Nature safeguards her roots during winter.

So,

When we consider the intricate network of different fungi and trees that are connected beneath the surface,

There's been so much written and talked about in terms of this and better understanding the science,

We can start to see that these unseen threads really help us to conceptualize the interconnectedness that sustains all of life.

And so,

There's so much going on beneath the surface,

But really,

Wildlife shows us that sometimes there's things going on,

But they're not necessarily being shared in terms of words.

And so,

How can we nurture our own roots and go more internal and maybe not even expect there to be some flashy sign or an epiphany or a whole slew of mental activity in terms of words?

Sometimes it's just about how do we connect back to those more primal parts of ourselves and explore the nuance of our own roots,

The importance of nurturing our own roots,

And the deep connections that will actually help to anchor us during the winter months.

And so,

We can connect to our roots,

See what's down there,

See what is at the root of our stresses,

And clear that once and for all so that we can fully be renewed in spring and winter allows for that designated time in space here on earth that we can do that.

It allows us to integrate maybe new ways of being or seeing the world or feeling.

Maybe there are certain things we experienced in the summer that we're still integrating and the darkness and the energy of winter allows us to do that so that in spring we are ready to go in terms of walking the path of our dreams or calling into the world,

You know,

What we want to do with our lives or who we want to show up as.

So,

The time for inner reflection is super important.

The time for deep inner listening is super important.

Most of the time this happens without words and we all know how awkward it is sometimes if we're in a room and,

You know,

We feel like we have to make small talk because a lot of the time we feel like we have to be doing and speaking is a way of doing.

And so,

What if we just allowed ourselves to be without words,

To be with that inner reflection,

Especially during periods of winter where we can just be aware of what's going on inside of us and allow that to be so so nourishing and cleansing because that truly is exactly what we need.

Hibernating and this concept of hibernating is about becoming more still,

Slow living.

It doesn't mean that life stops.

It doesn't mean that nothing is happening.

Nothing is never not happening,

Just like nature.

Beneath the frozen ground,

For example,

Like we said,

Life is still pulsating and so in the winter of our lives there's a lot happening beneath the surface but we're consciously embracing the quietness and the stillness so that we can discover the richness of this period of time where we're in this reflective period.

And so,

Taking this time allows for this deep deep cleanse,

This deep deep beauty to unfold within us that allows us to cultivate more,

Have more,

Be more without necessarily doing more because I think it's a bit of like a cultural societal thing to think we always need to be doing more.

And I don't necessarily mean either that things are just going to happen with no effort at all on your part but it's really this feeling into more of these yogic principles of least effort,

Of the right use of energy or brahmacharya,

This non-attachment to things always moving at high speed or having this summer vibe.

It's more about this deep purification and refinement where we are fully surrendering to ourselves,

Where we are fully surrendering to our most natural way of being and that natural way of being is also deeply connected with nature.

And so we get to embrace the simplicity in moments of focused attention and this sort of reflection and inner cleansing that takes place in winter actually allows us to be more fully present with life.

And if you think about it like that's what we are truly searching for because when we are more fully present with life we're not stressing about the past and we're not stressing about the future.

But there's certain processes that need to take place and once we move through winter we can emerge in spring actually feeling refreshed instead of burnt out.

We can emerge feeling like we are ready to step into this next version of ourselves that is calling for our expression in this new phase of our life,

In this new year.

And so just as a seed you know lies dormant in winter but there's still things happening because we're waiting,

The seed is waiting for the right conditions to burst forth with life and we're no different.

And so we may feel like we have these latent periods but these periods of time are really about unleashing our latent potential and so it really does require our attention.

And I know the mind,

Our minds will try to coerce us into just wanting to get to the finish line,

Just wanting to get it done,

To just race through life and to have the thing and to do the thing and to be the person.

But what about the period of time where we just get to be more aware and more fully aware of our experiences and particularly our inner experiences?

The other aspect of winter is that it brings this darkness and that can be really hard on our nervous system but if we embrace it we can actually look at it as a time for introspection and embracing our yin traits.

What's hard on our nervous system is the change,

The initial change and what makes it harder on ourselves is when we put up resistance.

And so picture like a long beautiful night by a fireplace or the soft glow that a candlelight has.

We can delve into the beauty of darkness and exploring how it actually nurtures our growth and self-discovery just like seeds are actually planted in soil and end up being planted in complete darkness of the soil.

Because this is really our potential for growth and it's it's recognizing the fact that growth happens when we emerge from the depth of our own introspection.

And so the darkness of winter is all about this yin energy and the yin in us and in nature is all about our intuition,

It's about the darkness,

It's about the stillness,

It's about our emotions,

It's about our receptivity,

Our ability to magnetize things into our lives,

Our ability to hold space.

So and when I say holding space I wouldn't I wouldn't say that it's multitasking in the traditional sense of the word because we like to use multitasking to say when we are doing multiple things at once and that's not yin.

The yin is like the part of us that has this unlimited cup that can hold all of life and feel it more fully.

And so the interesting thing about this is that it really depends on the size of your cup right and I believe that we're actually constantly expanding just like the universe is and so we're constantly growing the size of our cup or rather we realize that our cup is unlimited just like the universe is and so when we can lean into these yin aspects of ourselves as we're actually naturally born to do we tend to flourish more.

And it's kind of like similar to as well the egg in conception.

This is the yin aspect of conceiving a child and the yin aspect of ourselves can look passive from the outside just as you know the egg in conception however we know that it's not inactive in the process.

Although scientists used to think that it was way back when we know different now and it it's just a different look in terms of how we're processing and moving through our life experience.

The yin side of ourselves allows life to unfold and gives us the beauty of responding without forcefulness and so it actually feels easeful and least effort but it feels good because it feels conscious and so in actually in conversation with one of my favorite teachers I learned a lot about how to really sit with this concept and really realize it in my body and one of the things that my teacher mentioned to me was this idea of it being like martial arts and so when you respond to when you respond to people in life and when you respond to life itself and or challenging circumstances you may have or that you're moving through it's a lot like you want it to feel like martial arts and so you can picture in your mind's eye what martial arts is like and it's really that response with this sense of gracefulness like you're still responding to whatever's happening in your life experience but there's this gracefulness and flexibility to respond so you're not breaking you're flexible so you're not breaking the the flow of things there's this gentleness and yet this mysteriousness to it all or this unseen part and this is all about leaning into these hidden parts of ourselves and so there may be circumstances in our life that come up where we want to lash out but a lot of times it's because we aren't willing to actually lean into the energy in our own body and so instead we lash out because it's we have this basic desire to want to get the energy out rather than to alchemize it from within and the winter is such a beautiful time to alchemize challenging life experiences or emotions or integrate in the body which is like your vessel for your time here on earth and there's lots of magic that can come from being with things more fully and taking the time to be with emotions and taking the time to even just like right now I've been doing a lot of business planning and reflecting on my own business model like taking the time to do that instead of pushing ahead and trying to do more and post more and pump more things out it's making the time and space for reflection and seeing like this is who I am now in this time and space and so how does my business model still reflect that and so just really taking the time for your personal reflections but also if you're in business or you're working how do you want to show up in that space how do you want to show up in your career more fully another thing about yin is that yin aspects are more cooling in nature and so that's how it's sort of associated with the coldness of winter and that's because the yin aspects of ourselves dissipate heat and so when we think about those aspects within ourselves and how we process things more fully we can think of the seasons and the yin energy of the winter season helping to create that supportive energy around us to want to alchemize to want to dissipate to want to cool things off a little bit so that you can actually reflect on them because we know that when things are heated we have a harder time reflecting our yin self is that part of ourselves that wants that restoration and so when the mind is telling you to do more or you're not doing enough the mind will continue to to put you on that path because your mind will keep you stuck on cycles that you've habitually been in because we know from a scientific perspective that the mind will take the most energy efficient or energy friendly route that it's always taken in terms of consuming as little glucose as possible for the same expected results so if you're wanting to embrace winter more to come back home to having more reflective periods in your life and using that time in alignment with nature to support yourself you may have to look at your current patterns and the cycles that you've been in and make a conscious decision to shift those.

The beautiful thing about life is that every new moment is new so there is no real expected result even though our mind believes constantly that there is and so winter is that beautiful time to reflect introspect turn inward contemplate and gain insights from within gain insights from that yin part of yourself that is connected to the cyclical parts of life that acknowledges that there are rhythms and seasonal change and that we can actually flow with them in harmony and really understanding the need for rest and renewal in the midst of activity and how that's actually going to be super super helpful for you when spring comes along and you feel so refreshed.

If you're having you know relationship stress work stress financial stress sometimes on your spiritual wellness journey you may even actually feel existential stresses as well especially when you start to shift and dismantle old belief systems from what you felt was true at one point but now you know those systems and beliefs that may have been holding you back at you know really stepping into your truest authenticity are being dismantled we know that those periods of time where we step out of illusion and to deeper awareness can also cause us stress and so it's important to in overcoming stress to really delve into yourself during the winter season because it helps to bring this contentment to life it helps to bring this grace to the challenges that life brings and many of these stresses will start to dismantle and diminish and dissipate and our problems may start to feel like they're not even really a problem for us anymore because we've been able to really be with them and trust in life more and see the value in moving through some of those challenging times.

We begin to trust the cycles of life more than we fight against them and this allows us to begin to enjoy the snowfall through the winter storm rather than fighting against it because we hate the cold or we hate the snow or we hate the storm and so that's our inner world stuff that we can really cultivate an awareness around and carve out the time to move through winter in this new way of being but there's also a few things I like to do in winter that helps to enhance the feng shui I like to say in my external environment to create the most supportive environment for me to get into new routines that flow with each season and for winter some of the nourishing things to enhance feng shui for me are really nourishing foods is number one on my list I'd say so picture a warm bowl of root vegetable stew hearty soups herbal teas the beautiful thing about nature is no matter where you live in the world nature is providing what's needed for sustenance for you to move through that time in space in that particular geography so eating warming and comforting foods that are local that support your well-being is amazing to do making a ritual of cooking nourishing foods and or learning for the first time how to do this for yourself allowing yourself to cook in batches freezing them and reheating them something I like to do especially because I'm busy with my little one these days and starting your day also with a nice warm water with lemon or lime before diving into tea and coffee because we want to give our adrenals a break and I like to be really mindful of my adrenals and give them that cleanse by having warm water in the morning and then having a tea or coffee and my breakfast number two on my list I'd say is darkness and so it's honestly amazing how many of us will say we aren't afraid of the dark because we think that that's childish or only something that kids are afraid of but I could argue that we are conditioned to be afraid of the dark as kids and then very uncomfortable with darkness as we get older as well and so darkness tends to make us feel very uncomfortable there are even darkness retreats these days which is so interesting that have been groundbreaking for some people to truly understand themselves and while I don't believe that we need to go attending a darkness retreat if that's something that doesn't call to you you can have moments in the darkness in the darkness of your home and you can allow that to be nourishing for you it's really easy on the eyes because it's dark and it's really good for the planet so how does this actually look practically so I like to start my day with very minimal light whether this is candlelight putting the stove stove top light on dim or letting the Christmas tree lights be on dim and create magic in my home during the Christmas season I'll open the blinds a little bit in the in the room that I'm in so that as the sun begins to rise the natural light will start to come in as well and if this feels super foreign to you as it did for me at one time I just encourage you to see what it feels like to lean into it because I truly believe that you actually might enjoy it and find it cozy and for me I'd say that it's become such a big part of my way of being now how I do mornings lastly I think the thing that's super important for my feng shui would be warmth so a nice warm blanket a warm bath creating cozy warmth in your life allowing yourself to feel held and supported helps to create that feng shui in our environments and allows for us to lean into that feeling of being held a little deeper as we're moving through all of these different you know reflective periods which can feel quite difficult which is why we avoid them and so that feeling of warmth can really be supportive for that so let me know how it goes because we are concluding this journey of understanding our true nature in embracing winter wintering and this remembrance that nature has cycles just like we do and we can embrace flowing with nature to allow our life to open up a little bit more fully for us because we're ready and to allow ourselves to be in this supreme non-doing vibe to allow ourselves to be guided through our reflective period by our bodies and spirits and a little less of our minds and giving the mind a break right and so until next time I hope your winter is filled with so much warmth so much wisdom and really this quiet beauty of self-discovery and with that I hope you have the most beautiful beautiful day