The Sacred Stillness: Creating Your Winter Sanctuary & Rest Practices

“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.”— Alan Cohen

THE PERMISSION TO REST

I’m going to start with something that might feel revolutionary in our productivity-obsessed culture:

You have permission to rest. You don’t need to earn it.

You don’t need to be sick to deserve rest. You don’t need to be completely exhausted to justify it. You don’t need to finish everything on your to-do list first. You don’t need to prove your worth through productivity before you’re allowed to pause.

Rest is not a reward. It’s a biological, emotional, and spiritual necessity. It’s your birthright.

And December - despite what the shopping malls and holiday marketing tells us - is the perfect time for rest.

WHAT REST ACTUALLY IS

Our culture has a very narrow definition of rest (usually: collapse on the couch after you’ve depleted yourself completely). But real rest is so much more.

Rest is:

• Saying no to obligations that drain you

• Creating spaces of quiet and stillness in your day

• Allowing yourself to move slowly without apologizing

• Doing things that nourish rather than deplete

• Letting yourself be “unproductive” by capitalist standards

• Honoring your body’s natural need for more sleep in winter

• Creating sanctuary spaces that feel safe, cozy, and restorative

• Giving yourself permission to do less

Rest is not:

• Something you earn through productivity

• Laziness or weakness

• Wasted time

• Self-indulgent (it’s self-preservation)

• Only available when you’re sick or burned out

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”— Anne Lamott

THE SCIENCE OF WINTER REST

Here’s what I want you to know: Your body is designed to slow down in winter. You’re not broken for being tired. You’re responding appropriately to the season.

What happens in winter:

• We produce more melatonin in darker months (making us naturally sleepier)

• Our immune systems require more energy to fight off winter illnesses

• Our circadian rhythms shift with shorter days

• Our nervous systems benefit from the quiet and stillness winter darkness invites

• Our bodies are trying to conserve energy and resources

  
  

We’re animals, even if we forget this. Animals hibernate, migrate, or significantly slowdown in winter. We’re the only species that tries to maintain the same frantic pace year-round and then wonders why we’re exhausted.

Winter is nature’s rest period. Our bodies know this, even when our minds resist it.

CREATING YOUR WINTER SANCTUARY

One of the most loving things you can do for yourself this December is create spaces that feel like sanctuary - places that invite rest, nourish your senses, and hold you in your wintering.

You don’t need a whole room. Even just one cozy corner can become your winter refuge.

ELEMENTS OF WINTER SANCTUARY

Warmth & Coziness: - Soft blankets and throws (the kind you want to wrap yourself in) - Comfortable cushions and pillows - Warm drinks in beautiful mugs (the ritual matters) - Candles and soft lighting (no harsh overhead lights) - Textures that feel good to touch (velvet, fleece, soft cotton)

Natural Elements: - Evergreen branches (pine, cedar, fir) - bring the forest inside - Pinecones and winter berries - Stones and crystals - Winter flowers (paperwhites, amaryllis) - Natural wood pieces

Sacred Space: - Altar for the winter season - Books that feed your soul - Journal for winter reflections - Oracle or tarot cards - Images or objects that inspire peace

Sensory Nourishment: - Essential oils (cedarwood, pine, frankincense, orange) - Herbal teas (chamomile, lavender, tulsi, ginger) - Soft music or intentional silence - Gentle lighting (candles, salt lamps, string lights) - Comfortable temperature (cool enough to snuggle under blankets)

PRACTICE: Creating Your Cozy Corner

This week’s practice:

Choose ONE space in your home to be your winter sanctuary. It can be: - A comfortable chair by a window - A corner of your bedroom - A spot on your couch with special blankets - A cushion on the floor with your back against the wall

Over the next week, slowly add elements that make it feel like a true refuge:

Day 1: Choose your spot. Claim it as your winter sanctuary.

Day 2: Add warmth - a soft blanket, cozy cushions.

Day 3: Add light - candles, a salt lamp, or string lights.

Day 4: Add nature - an evergreen branch, pinecones, stones.

Day 5: Add nourishment - keep your favorite tea and mug here.

Day 6: Add spirit - a journal, a meaningful object, a candle for your altar.

Day 7: Bless your space. Light a candle and say: “This is my winter sanctuary. Here I rest. Here I dream. Here I remember who I am.”

Then, commit: Sit in this space for at least 10 minutes every day. No phone. No agenda. Just being.

THE RHYTHM OF WINTER DAYS

Winter asks us to move differently through our days. Here’s a rhythm that honors the season:

MORNING (Dark to Light)

Wake gently: - No jarring alarms if possible - Stay in bed for a few extra minutes - Feel into the day before leaping into it

Morning sanctuary time: - Make a hot drink (tea, coffee, warm lemon water) - Sit in your cozy corner with candle lit - 10 minutes of gentle stretching or breathwork - Journal for 5 minutes: “What wants to emerge today?”

Slow start: - No rushing into emails or news - Move at a pace that feels nourishing - Remember: you’re not behind

MIDDAY (Precious Light)

Get outside: - Even 10-15 minutes in natural daylight helps your circadian rhythm - Walk slowly, look at the sky, breathe deeply - Let your body remember it’s part of nature

Nourish yourself: - Eat warming, nourishing foods (soup, stew, root vegetables) - Actually taste your food - Hydrate with warm drinks

Move gently: - Walk, stretch, gentle yoga - Nothing that depletes you - Movement that feels like caring for your body

AFTERNOON (Light Fading)

Begin transition: - As light fades, start softening your energy - Complete tasks that need doing - Begin to slow down and turn inward

Afternoon rest: - If possible, 20-minute nap or rest - Restorative yoga pose - Simply sitting with tea and doing nothing

EVENING (Deep Dark)

Dim lights early: - Bright lights tell your body it’s still daytime - Dim lights signal: time to wind down - Use candles, lamps, soft lighting

Cozy activities: - Reading - Gentle crafts (knitting, coloring, drawing) - Music or silence - Quiet conversation - Warm bath with Epsom salt

No screens for at least 1 hour before bed: - Blue light disrupts sleep - The content is often agitating - Your nervous system needs calm

NIGHT (Dream Time)

Early bedtime: - Winter needs more sleep - Don’t fight your tiredness - 8-9 hours is not indulgent, it’s necessary

Sleep sanctuary: - Very dark room - Cool temperature (60-67°F) - Comfortable bedding - Quiet or white noise

Before sleep: - Gratitude practice - Set dream intention - Let yourself sink into rest

WINTER REST PRACTICES

Here are specific practices for deep winter rest:

Restorative Yoga: Gentle, supported poses that invite profound relaxation. Try: - Legs up the wall (10-15 minutes) - Supported child’s pose (5-10 minutes) - Reclined bound angle with bolster (10-15 minutes)

Yoga Nidra: “Yogic sleep” - a guided meditation that induces deep rest while remaining conscious. Find a 20-30 minute guided practice online.

Epsom Salt Baths: - 2 cups Epsom salt in warm bath - Add essential oils (lavender, cedarwood, frankincense) - Candles, soft music or silence - 20-30 minutes of soaking

Afternoon Naps: If possible, even 20 minutes makes a profound difference. Set an alarm, lie down, surrender.

Early Bedtimes: Go to bed when you’re tired, not when you “should.” Honor your body’s need for more sleep.

Slow Movement: Walks in nature, gentle stretching, intuitive dance. Movement that feels like care, not punishment.

Cozy Reading: Books that nourish rather than agitate. Read for pleasure, not productivity.

Creative Rest: Knitting, coloring, crafts that soothe and occupy your hands while your mind softens.

GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION

The biggest obstacle to rest isn’t usually time - it’s permission.

We’ve been taught: - Rest is earned through productivity - Doing nothing is wasting time - Our value comes from what we accomplish - Busy is better - Self-care is selfish

But here’s the truth:

Rest is productive. Not in the capitalist sense, but in the deepest sense. Rest is when integration happens, when your body repairs, when your soul catches up to your life. Rest is when dreams can visit, intuition can speak, wisdom can emerge.

You are not a machine meant to produce constantly. You are a human being, part of nature, designed to ebb and flow, to be active and rest, to grow and to lie fallow.

This week, practice saying: - “I have permission to rest.” - “Rest is not laziness; it’s wisdom.” - “I am enough, even when I’m doing nothing.” - “My worth is not determined by my productivity.” - “Rest is how I care for myself.”

“You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”— Mary Oliver

YOUR WEEK 1 PRACTICES

Daily: - Sit in your cozy corner for at least 10 minutes - Light a candle - Practice one form of rest (see list above) - Say aloud: “I have permission to rest”

This Week: - Create your winter sanctuary space - Choose 2-3 rest practices to try - Notice when you resist rest, and get curious about why - Give yourself permission to do less - Honor your body’s need for more sleep

Reflect: Journal on these questions: - What does rest mean to me? - When do I give myself permission to rest? - What makes rest difficult for me? - What would change if I truly believed I deserved rest? - How does my body feel when I actually rest?

REMEMBER

You are not broken for being tired in winter. You are not lazy for needing more rest. You are not failing for wanting to slow down.

You are responding appropriately to the season. You are listening to your body’s wisdom. You are honoring an ancient rhythm.

Winter is for rest. Let yourself winter well.

Next week: Winter Solstice wisdom, the goddesses of the longest night, and rituals to welcome the returning light.

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”— Zora Neale Hurston

This is a winter that asks you to rest. Will you answer?

Resources:

Books: - “Wintering” by Katherine May - “Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang - “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brené Brown

Guided Practices (on website): - Winter Sanctuary Meditation (10 min)

Rest well, dear ones. Winter is waiting to hold you. ❄️