WINTER SOLSTICE
BOULDER, UTAH - Tail Race Canal, December 2022
Winter has always fascinated me with its stillness and peace; two attributes that don’t come as naturally to me as I would like but that I do deeply appreciate. Ancient Vedic text teaches us to think in terms of the doshas in all aspects of time and matter, including the seasons. Winter is the Kapha season, governed by earth and water, and a time for introspection, stillness and well….death. A time benefited by letting go, releasing and preparing for a re-birth. Although maybe not as much fun or pretty as the rebirth itself, it is as equally important. When we take time to stop and release the things that are not serving us, give thanks for how they’ve served us in the past, and release them to the earth with grace and gratitude, we create intentional space for newness. I was telling my kids this morning about the scientifically-proven benefits of setting goals/resolutions/intentions. When we create intentionality around something, we create an unseen but scientifically proven force towards its manifestation. Anyone who has experienced the manifestation of a deep desire can tell you how powerful this process can actually be.
As we release 2022 and all that came with it to either serve or harm us, we create space for expansion and intentionality in the spaces that remain. Ayurvedic philosophy shows us how spaces become filled - vata dosha often being the space filler. While vata has its gifts and can be an amazing super-power for creativity, expansiveness and spirituality, when it moves into spaces without intention, it can be quite disruptive to the mind and the body.
My Ayurvedic practice focuses on the balance of all doshas but my experience thus far has made me somewhat adept at treating vata dosha, which has permeated our society in a multitude of ways recently. A pandemic, the technological age, and our overabundant active lives have invited a great deal of vata dosha. And I am pleased to report that it can be managed and that when we trade the imbalances of vata for the gifts, something magical happens. Many of you can attest to that and I thank you for sharing your experiences and miracles with me.
I want to thank you for being with me. Whether you have been here since the beginning or you are new here - I thank you, I honor you, and I really do love you. Being an educator is one of the deepest and most integrated parts of me and having the opportunity to trade Ayurvedic knowledge with you feels like a karmic blessing. Yes, I said “trade” because this knowledge grows deeper and I become more passionate with each gift you share by deciding to heal, to grow, and to evolve with me.
I can’t wait to learn side-by-side with you this year.
Blessings,
Britney
