Ever wanted to retreat away from it all? Has the dark winter nights ever made you feel like hibernating? Well.. here's a little advice on embracing the winter solstice and retreating away for a little while.
Winter Solstice is the Lesser Yang time within the yearlong cycle. A very important time for the Yang Qi to begin and grow. Therefore to cultivate and support your energy system at this time it’s important to store and hibernate. An optimal storage method is to refrain from using up any yang Qi.
With this in mind, here is a list of possible ways you can retreat from the world and do a mini hibernation around the time of winter solstice.
Preparation:
Find a comfortable place to retreat to. Make sure it's clean, quiet and protected from the elements.
Switch off all electronics and discard any strongly stimulating items (TV, Phone, Books etc...)
A simple Winter Solstice Retreat:
Try to eat very little
Try to move very little
Try to think very little
Try to refrain from talking completely
Try to sleep as much as possible
Finishing your retreat:
It may seem like you'll want to burst out of your cave and rejoin the world... but you may get rather overwhelmed if you do.
Best to emerge slowly, eating a simple bland meal, not seeing too many people, not moving too much or too quickly and not talking too much.
After trying this style of retreat take note of how you feel. Do you have more energy? Less? Do you have more or less cravings? Did you receive any insights or creative ideas while you were retreating?
This can also be a great recharge for other times of the year, so no need to wait for the next winter solstice to roll around. If you feel like you need to top up you Yang Qi a little, give this simple at home retreat a try.
Anyway questions about what kinds of Qigong practices and meditations you can do, to go a little deeper into this style of retreat, feel free to get in touch by emailing Therese at balancepointmelbourne@gmail.com
