On Wintering and Anticipating Spring

It was years ago when I encountered the term "wintering".

In Katherine May's 2020 memoir, she described wintering as a moment of accepting sadness in times of despair and grief. We encounter seasons in our lives, and winter-- whose coldness, dampness, and darkness--can feel so desperately isolating and lonely, and yet necessary to pull through to get to spring. While I am Filipina, I've had the experience of living through two harsh winters in Seoul in the middle of the pandemic, and it was during these winters when I was gripped with the most intense desolation. In a sense, I was "wintering". 

Now I am living here again in the Philippines, a lovely tropical country with no winters. And yet, my internal "wintering" remained. The last cycle went on for nine long months, when I was both unemployed and running low on money. This cycle, which started a year ago and to which I believe I am slowly coming out of, is a wintering of the body, mind and spirit, as I am called to address issues that I have long decided to neglect. I may have gotten out of the literal winters in South Korea, yet the cycle of wintering remained. 

Emotional winters 

Like the seasons, the emotions and the circumstances we go through as humans come and go. And while winters are not our norm, emotional winters do happen to us. We are taught to curb these winters away, to wish them to be over fast so we can move on with our lives. Yet, when we try to hasten our "wintering", we forget to be patient with ourselves and end up acting prematurely with barely enough to revitalize us into the spring. Wintering is uncomfortable and it is not often fun, yet life hits us with moments that test our resilience and emotional strength. 

First flowers of spring 

To #Revitalize, it is important to accept our winters. In Chinese astrology, Yin Wood is a perfect example of revitalization. It is represented by low-lying plants and flowers that burst through the snow and mark the start of spring. They represent patience and resilience, markers of new life brought by one's ability to withstand the cold and wait for the earth to slowly warm again. 

By accepting winter and remaining in the soil, Yin Wood energy remained in tune with its surroundings and seized its opportunity to sprout the moment the soil turned warm. It is in our wintering, in immersing in our emotions, that we understand when warmth is available for us to birth new life. 

Birthing emotional strength 

To revitalize means to give new life to something. And to give new life means to undergo birth. The act of birthing requires proper incubation, care, patience, and most importantly, love. The journey of birthing new life does not start on the birthing table but during the moment that such life is patiently cared for in the womb nine months prior. The womb is cold, damp, and dark--similar to winter. 

To birth emotional strength, we must care and love ourselves during our most vulnerable moments. As we journey through our emotional winters, always remember to give oneself love and patience and support. The road to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual revitalization is often precluded by vulnerability and it is in our acceptance of these vulnerabilities that we give birth to a stronger version of oneself. 

So if you are wintering, remember that seasons do not last forever. At the end of it all, spring will come and new life will be yours to have.

---

Interested to write for Treehouse Yoga? We'd love to read your stories and musings!

Sharing your insights, both on and off the mat, is a wonderful way to foster connection and remind us that we are not alone in our thoughts. In fact, it helps anchor us in our asanas and enrich our practice.

We will feature up to 5 stories aligned with our monthly theme, due on the 10th and 20th day of the month. Featured articles will be on the Treehouse Insight page and will be available to the public. By-line is optional.

Authors of published posts will be granted two (2) Treehouse Yoga Gratitude Passes as our way of saying thanks for contributing to the community.

Treehouse Yoga Insight Writers

Book Now