Photo by riciardus from Pexels

Winter Wisdom

Winter is a time for rest, restoration and the internal work of quieting the mind and creating peace in our hearts. The restoration of winter is important to support the balance of the yearly rhythm and it is a good time to take up habits that nourish our well-being and increase positivity. 

Congratulations for making the commitment to explore this 3 phase routine to enhance your health! Taking this step sets into motion the intention of shifting your health to a more ideal rhythm for yourself. As with all biological systems, our bodies are either in a regenerative mode of existence building greater health each day or we are in a degenerative phase. Setting intentions for health and starting a routine that includes positive behaviors both new and resumed into your life will surely enhance your ability to live a healthy, regenerative time of your life. 

Just as fertilizing the soil in springtime improves summer crop yields, changing how we take care of our bodies in the wintertime allows for more abundant energy in the spring yet to come.

If we shift our lifestyles toward more parasympathetic nervous system activity in the winter months, this follows the seasonal impulse toward rest and restoration. Doing so allows our adrenal glands to be nourished and our energy to store deep within our bodies so that we have more energy potential in the seasons to come.

For this program and always, listening to your body, mind and spirit is the highest priority. 

Now, this can sometimes be very confusing when there is part of us that seems to be saying we must eat more and more sugar! Distinguishing the truth between mind, body and spirit is a lifelong process that this program is meant to enhance and build upon. 

Throughout this journey, you'll have the option to increase or decrease the intensity based on your daily choices. Listening to your body to adjust as needed is the goal for winter cleansing, to not push nor deplete but rather clear out and renew.

If you suspect you are experiencing a negative outcome from any of the recommendations of this program, take a break from that aspect and see how you feel. Contact Dr. Hart or seek out individualized medical care from a Naturopathic or integrative medicine provider for more specifics about what the response may be indicating and how to best help your body. This program is not intended to be personalized healthcare, but rather a guide for general wellness for people experiencing the seasonal shifts of the winter season.

The 3 Phase Program is intended to be paced at your own discretion.

You may spend a full week in each phase, linger longer in one or the other. Alternatively, you could spend 1 day in each phase just to test it out, then plan for a longer duration on the second pass. You can use this formula again and again to build an annual health routine that supports your immune system and longevity!

Photo by Nadine Wuchenauer from Pexels

Take Time To Detoxify...

In order to maintain wellness and treat disease in the modern world, addressing toxins in the body is an important aspect of healthcare. Due to the wide array of compounds circulating through the food chain, from contaminants in the air, land and water, every human being has an aspect of toxin accumulation to address. 

Although we have governing agencies to protect the public from the dangers of chemicals in our environment, their priorities are often focused on economic development, overlooking long-term problems for short term gain. Therefore the current process of evaluation has put the American public at great risk and individuals must be proactive to prevent disease.  

The function of the organs of elimination play a large role in a person’s ability to counteract the daily dose of toxins consumed. If an individuals organs are compromised either through genetic abnormalities, disease processes or inadequate nutrition it is even more important that they adopt a daily routine of detoxification. However, environmental toxins are prevalent enough in our world that each individual may need to make changes in order to prevent disease processes from beginning as a result of toxin accumulation.

Adopting habits on a daily, weekly and seasonal basis that enhance detoxification is something that is necessary for individuals who are interested in cultivating optimal health. From the wisdom traditions of healthcare around the world, there are numerous ways to nurture our bodies and enhance our organs ability to thrive.

From Chinese medicine, we have the wisdom of caring for each organ of the body in such intricate detail with natural medicine. This system teaches us that the organs speak to us through our emotions and sense of well-being. Each organ is part of a community existing inside ourselves and it is through the harmony of their cooperative effort that our bodies thrive.

Chinese medicine teaches that the organ energy circulates through the body in each 24 hour cycle as well as in the annual cycle. Cultivating health in the time that the organ energy is most prominent will benefit us greatly. In the winter months, we nurture the water element primarily. This is the organs of the bladder and kidneys, our hormones, reproductive energy and our defensive force.

Anthroposophical medicine shares the wisdom of rhythm and how it is essential to our health that we create a rhythm in our day for our minds, emotional expression and metabolic system. This program supports this rhythm with equal attention to the mind, body and spirit as a variation of head, heart and hands that is a common Waldorf expression of healthy rhythm.

Photo by Curioso Photography from Pexels

Winter Cleanse to Nourish the Water

Each phase will have a selection of resources for the health of your mind, body and spirit. These resources are drawn from healthcare traditions from all over the world that Dr. Hart has compiled into the resources that benefit us the most thoroughly during the influences of the winter season. 

Medicine for your mind includes daily meditation instructions and a practice for generating happiness with positive psychology training.

Medicine for your body will include nutritional additions for wholesome nourishment, resources to fortify your cells and hormone systems, additions to your hydration routine to enhance fluid metabolism and detoxification tools for daily use.

Medicine for your spirit involves contemplative practices to re-orient ourselves to be connected to our own inner guidance. This is the key to great health in all of us.

According to Chinese medicine, winter is the time of the water element, the part of us that endures and is essential for the movement of energy through all parts of ourselves. Water must neither rush about nor sit and stagnate. Rather smooth, steady flowing or gentle percolation is the key.

Early winter challenges us to slow down from the busy life of the growing times of the year. Mid-winter can be a window to either deeply restore ourselves or to deeply deplete ones self. Then, as we shift into late winter, the new cycles growth energy starts to stir.  If we haven't restored ourselves adequately, this stirring energy can result in many problems. When we have excess waste, toxins or accumulation in our bodies it is very common for individuals to feel irritable, depressed or to develop more significant disease patterns.  

Learning to tend to your body in a seasonal rhythm is a powerful way to build greater health, year after year. We do not have to grow more rigid, have reduced energy and increased pain as we grow old. Modern living has significant side effects that we must make great efforts to work against. Turning to the wisdom traditions of the world we have evidence and instructions to help us stay fit and happy into our old age. 

I hope you’ll find this program deeply supports your well-being. Remember this is only one season of the whole year, so your actions today will set the framework for the seasons to come!