The hibernating human.
The dark half of the year is a time of rest,
Reflection,
And recuperation.
As humans,
We are often too busy to stop and see the cycles of life flowing around us.
The darkness comes,
The animals hibernate,
The frosts cover the ground,
Yet we continue trudging along.
We continue pushing through the darkness as if nothing has changed,
But everything has.
The dark half of the year can help us calm down,
Rest,
Reflect and recover from the business of spring and summer.
We just have to let it.
Today let's take a moment to become hibernating humans,
Even just for a moment.
Let's give ourselves a period of rest in our busy schedules so that we can continue moving in the darkness toward the light half of the year.
Let's begin by getting comfortable seated or lying down.
It might be helpful to grab your favorite blanket and pillow,
Something to get cozy with.
Just breathe normally,
Focusing on the sensation of coziness rather than a steady flow of breath.
Close your eyes and just exist for a few moments.
With every exhale,
Feel yourself getting more and more relaxed.
Sink deep into the surface you're on.
Your body feels heavy,
Your mind is at peace,
You are completely relaxed.
Bring your awareness to the darkness behind your closed eyes.
You are weightless here,
Floating in the darkness of your mind.
You are safe and you are going to be like the hibernating bear.
In the distance,
You see a soft light.
It catches your attention and you effortlessly float toward it slowly.
You're in no rush as you move through the darkness toward this light in the distance.
As you approach the light,
You see that it's a doorway.
On the other side of this doorway is the edge of a forest in the middle of gently falling snow.
It is quiet and the world is sleeping.
You step through this doorway onto the snowy ground as a gentle breeze swirls around you.
Snowflakes dance around you in circles and move into the forest,
Beckoning you to follow.
With one foot in front of the other,
With no attention paid to the cold,
You follow the dancing snowflakes into the forest.
As you move away from the forest's edge,
The light begins to dim and the trees become more intense.
Tall pines and evergreens surround you on all sides.
The crisp air refreshes your skin as you breathe in the scent of the forest.
It is quiet and still.
The world is resting now,
Holding in their warmth in anticipation of spring.
As you follow the snowflakes further into the forest,
You come upon a small clearing.
There is only one tree here,
The ground around it only barely dusted in white snow.
The forest canopy above you is dark and dense,
Barely filtering light and snow down to the forest floor.
The snowflakes swirl again,
Dancing from you to the tree in the middle of the clearing.
The tree is large and old,
And as you look at it closely,
You notice a hole at the bottom of the tree,
Big enough for one person.
The snowflakes beckon you forward,
Calling you to sit at the tree.
You listen to the quiet forest around you and follow the signs of the snowflakes.
The ground is soft and cold at the base of the tree,
But there is space to crawl further away from the cold of the snow.
The tree is your shelter.
It's here to hold you in your warmth and comfort you until you're ready to emerge rested and relaxed.
The ground in the shelter of the tree pulses with the energy of the earth,
Revitalizing and reinvigorating you as you rest.
Breathe here.
Be in this moment of comfort and rest.
The earth is giving you permission to pause.
The snowflakes dance around you in your shelter,
Gently tickling your cheek.
It's time to come back now.
You've taken your rest and you're ready to move on.
Take your time and crawl from your shelter,
Giving thanks to the earth for its time and space.
The snowflakes gently guide you back through the forest.
The dense evergreens become more sparse as you walk through the still forest.
The crisp air around you tingles your skin and revitalizes your lungs.
Up ahead,
You see the forest's edge and the darkness of the door you came through.
As you take the last step toward the door,
Turn to the forest and give thanks for the rest.
Turning back to the door,
You step through into the darkness.
Once again,
You are weightless.
You are safe.
You move gently and slowly away from the door to the forest's edge until it disappears from sight.
Let's bring awareness back to the darkness behind your eyes.
Become aware of your breathing.
Become aware of your position.
Wiggle your toes and fingers.
Take one last inhale and as you exhale,
Open your eyes.
