Podcast Summary
Embrace Winter's Unique Rhythms and Opportunities: Instead of dreading winter, consider it a time for rest, reflection, and exploration. Learn survival skills or make your home cozier to embrace winter's unique rhythms and opportunities.
Winter, instead of being a season to dread, can be embraced and enjoyed for its unique rhythms and opportunities. Mike Mortale, founder of the Crapalo School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership, encourages us to consider winter the "night of the year" and align ourselves with its call towards rest and reflection. This can be achieved by exploring the outdoor world during winter and learning survival skills like shelter building and animal tracking, or improving our interior life by making our homes cozier and turning inward. Winter's historical significance as a time of scarcity and darkness may explain why many people struggle with it, but with mindfulness practices and a shift in perspective, we can rediscover the beauty and richness of this season.
Appreciating winter's rest and connection to nature: Embracing winter's rest and introspection can lead to a deeper appreciation for the cycles of life, improve well-being, and provide a sense of self-sufficiency through learning ancestral skills.
Embracing winter as a time of rest and connection to the natural world can lead to a deeper appreciation for the cycles of life. This can be achieved through practices like learning ancestral skills such as winter survival and preparedness, which not only help us reconnect with the earth but also provide a sense of self-sufficiency and resilience. Additionally, acknowledging winter as a time for rest and introspection can help us live more in sync with the natural world and improve our overall well-being. The idea of cycles and the importance of embracing the darker, quieter periods in life is a powerful reminder to slow down and appreciate the beauty and renewal that comes with the changing of the seasons.
Staying Prepared and Confident in Winter: Building a debris shelter from natural materials keeps you dry and warm during winter, connecting you to ancestral skills and essential life knowledge.
Embracing winter and feeling alive involves staying prepared and confident. Winter offers a refreshing and awakening experience, and learning ancestral skills like building a shelter or making a fire can increase your comfort and reduce fear. From a practical standpoint, staying dry is crucial in winter conditions, and building a debris shelter is an effective way to do so. This shelter, made from natural materials like sticks, leaves, and pine boughs, creates a dry and insulated space to keep warm and dry. Building these skills not only connects us to our ancestors but also provides essential knowledge for adult life.
Learning Winter Survival Skills: Building a Quincy Shelter and Foraging: Winter survival skills like building a Quincy shelter and foraging for winterberries, white pine needles, hemlock needles, birch twigs, and Jerusalem artichokes offer unique experiences and essential resources during colder seasons.
Survival skills, such as building a debris shelter or a Quincy snow shelter, and winter foraging, can provide unique experiences and essential resources during the colder seasons. A Quincy is a snow shelter made from a large pile of snow, with sticks used to mark the wall thickness. It keeps you sheltered from the wind and dry, although it's quite cold. Winterberry leaves, white pine needles, hemlock needles, birch twigs, and Jerusalem artichokes are examples of things that can be foraged or harvested during the winter months. Foraging and hunting are ancestral practices that can be done reverently and sustainably. Building a Quincy or engaging in winter foraging can offer unforgettable experiences and provide valuable skills for self-sufficiency.
Connecting with nature through winter tracking and sit spot practice: Winter tracking and sit spot practice deepen our connection to nature, promote mindfulness, and improve health and well-being.
Engaging with nature through practices like winter tracking and the sit spot can deepen our connection to the natural world and promote mindfulness. During winter, when tracks are easier to see and most animals are nocturnal, tracking becomes a meaningful way to learn about and connect with them. The sit spot practice, which involves finding a regular spot in nature and sitting still to observe, also deepens over time as we become more attuned to the place and the creatures that inhabit it. These practices promote mindfulness and have been shown to improve health and well-being by reconnecting us to our natural habitat.
Embrace winter's opportunities for nature and self-care: Winter provides chances to connect with nature and boost self-care through adjusting outdoor sit spots, indoor bird feeders, cozy nests, and practices like huga.
Winter offers unique opportunities for both exploring the outdoors and nurturing the interior landscape. For the outdoors, adjusting sit spots to sunny areas or indoor bird feeders can help connect with nature during colder months. Indoors, embracing the stillness and coziness of winter through traditions like creating a cozy nest and practicing huga can enhance inner reflection and overall well-being. By aligning ourselves with the energy of winter and embracing its unique qualities, we can deepen our connection to the natural world and ourselves.
Aligning with natural sleep patterns during winter: Go to bed early, around 7.30 or 8 pm, and experience 'second sleep' for better melatonin production and energy. Create a cozy home environment and practice council for improved well-being during winter.
Aligning our sleep patterns with the natural light and dark cycles during winter can have positive effects on our physiology and mind-body alignment. This can be achieved by going to bed earlier, around 7.30 or 8 pm, and experiencing the so-called "second sleep" where we wake up in the middle of the night and then again around sunrise. This natural sleep pattern has been shown in studies to align with the production of melatonin, which can help us feel more rested and energized in the morning. Additionally, creating a cozy and comfortable environment inside our homes and practicing the concept of council, which involves building a winter community and gathering for meaningful conversations, can further enhance our well-being during the colder months. By incorporating these simple practices into our routines, we can better align with the natural rhythms of the season and improve our overall health and well-being.
Deepen connections through council practice: Gather, listen from the heart, and build community through council, either in person or online
Creating deeper connections with others, especially during the winter season, can be achieved through the practice of council. This practice involves gathering together, passing a talking piece around, and focusing on listening from the heart without offering advice or trying to fix each other's problems. Council can be done in person or online, and it provides a safe container for sharing experiences and building community. Additionally, embracing the winter solstice with a fire ritual can be a meaningful way to honor the longest night of the year and connect with ancestral practices. Fire has a magnetic attraction during winter and can serve as a doorway to meditation and reflection.
Traditions of Light and Fire in Winter: Embrace winter's introspective season for reflection, set intentions, and practice traditions like keeping a dream journal or meditation with a candle or oil lamp.
During the winter months, many cultures have traditions centered around light and fire as symbols of hope and renewal. These practices can include physical fires, like a Yule log or campfire, or symbolic ones, like a candle or Netflix fireplace. The winter season can also be a time for introspection and dreaming, as the earth and nature are in hibernation. Embracing this fallow time and using it for reflection can lead to clearer intentions and goals for the new year, closer to the spring equinox. Additionally, keeping a dream journal and practicing meditation with a candle or oil lamp can be effective ways to engage in these traditions and practices.
Bringing Warmth and Connection Through Simple Elements: Incorporating natural elements like oil lamps or wood wick candles during dark and cold times can enhance the experience of inspiring literature and provide a sense of warmth, hope, and connection.
Incorporating simple elements from nature, such as oil lamps or wood wick candles, can bring a sense of warmth, hope, and connection during dark and cold times. Mike Immortale, author of "Rewilding," emphasizes the importance of carrying the fire of hope and light during challenging seasons, and suggests reading or rereading inspiring books, like "The Road," next to an oil lamp or candle for an enhanced experience. To explore more about Mike's work, visit his website at mikeimmortale.com or follow him on Instagram as "Michael Rewilding." Additionally, you can find his trainings, retreats, and programs at Cripalu.org. Remember to apply the lessons learned from this conversation and stay tuned for more insights on the A1 Podcast.
