Winter Wellness

I needed some inspiration today and so I did what I oftentimes do in these situations. I went to the forest. I laid down in the snow and looking up at the sky began to wonder.

I absolutely love the winter. Everything is so frozen and beautiful! And the cold—the wonderful cold! Ever wonder about cold? Cold is interesting. It is very powerful, a healer.

Ever wonder why, in cold, sound is so crisp, aromas so clear, and the colors. Ahh, the colors—the way they dance so vibrantly in the cold. It is as if our senses are heightened and alive with newfound intensity.

There is actually no such thing as cold. In the physical sense, cold is the absence of heat (energy). What is it about heat (energy) that distracts our sensation from whatever else is there? Is it random motion? Chaos? The essence of energy?

I know that I love a good fire. I am next to one now as I thaw out from my balancing in the forest. From the warmth of the crackling wood to the faint scent of the smoke, ahh, feels nice. But this is a sensation that I enjoy—the sensation of warmth, of something. It is intense and drawing. It does not enhance my senses to other stimuli as does the cold.

The cold provides for us a peaceful space. It is a space for rejuvenation and connection to ourselves and to our external environment through our senses. It is a space devoid of high intensity and energy. You can be absorbed by you and what is around you. It resets our Earth Mother in cyclical beauty and it does this for us as well. I embrace the winter for wellness on multiple levels—kind of like a personal balancing and an enabler of sensations.

Cold aside, our senses unfurl in our natural world—period. Think of it this way. We have created our current environment and our biological selves “tune out” certain unpleasant stimuli in an almost protective action. The noise becomes less, the smell of exhaust fumes and other noxious stimuli becomes less, the glaring/flashing lights become less and there you have it—dulled senses (dulled to the good stuff to!) and less interaction with our environments. This is reversible.

In the natural world our senses unfurl. We begin to hear better, see better, smell better, and connect to our natural environment.

Spend your time outside in your natural world and cultivate your connection. Let your senses unfurl—blossom. There is nothing like the primeval scent of the forest floor!

Oh yea, so I went to the forest to develop some inspiration as I work on the keynote presentation for Winter Wellness Weekend at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens this Sunday. Hope to see you there!

http://www.cbgarden.org/

http://www.cbgarden.org/Speaker_Schedule.html

Comments

[greensandybean]

So many people associate winter with everything BUT wellness...I love your post and agree with the invigorating renewal of the cold! I also love the way the world looks covered in a new, white, blanket of snow. Almost like we can start over...

[dryan@bluemarblemarketing.com]

Beautiful post, Doc Todd. I miss living in the midwest with the deeper experience of the four seasons. But, it's just a mere car ride for me to get to those gorgeous Sierra's! (nah,nah,na-na-nah) ; )

I have definitely come to realize that my sense of wellbeing is directly related to the amount of time I spend outside. When I was living in the cold, cold of Northern Wisconsin several years ago, I was forced into slipping into my XCountry Skis if I wanted to replenish supplies. On a regular basis, the roads were closed. I had no idea what a blessing this inconvenience would prove to be when I first moved there. It turned me into a snow monster. : )

Thanks for sharing your experience in the seasons.

[Tina]

Wow! It sounds as if you had a wonderful day. I hope your time at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens went well.

It's amazing what the forests can do for you. I spent my whole childhood in the forests being healed and loved by them. We had forests near our home which my friends and I always walked to or through. As a family, we spent every weekend camping in the various forests of Western Pennsylvania - and even when I wasn't quite prepared to dissect that frog in Biology class - my friends and I would cut to spend the day in the forests. They were home - they heard our every heartache and listened as we shared our every dream. They are places of great healing and energy.

Ever wonder why you feel so much better, at ease after spending the day in the park, or that weekend camping trip that helped you sleep better than you had for a long time? Everything is better, whether you're young or old, the food, the laugher, the air - the forests are at the heart of our life force and energy source - they are our healers.

Why have people lost their connection to the Earth? I wish I could help change that. I, for one, am very grateful to have this wonderful healing space. The forests remind me of who I am, where I came from, and what gives me life.

How awesome for you, Todd, that you have that special place for healing and inspiration. There is nothing greater in life! (just my opinion).