My body loves sunlight. Maybe it is because I grew up in Southern California. Maybe it is because my normal body temp is lower than “normal.” I don’t know why. I just know that when the Summer turns to Fall and the days are shorter, I miss the light. When the temperatures drop, I miss the warmth.
Over the years, I have learned to eat comfort foods with warming spices to warm me up. I have learned to use a light box to give my body the necessary signals to regulate mood and sleep cycles. What I haven’t been able to compensate for is the speed in our culture during the slower seasons. Just as nature prepares to hibernate, we speed up into a season of continuous holidays.
My natural rhythms do not want to go there. So when the days get shorter, I feel like working less, and sleeping more. I even feel like doing less of what I love. I love to Ballroom dance, yet my body actually felt tired at dancing. So I took the clue and gave myself an at home retreat weekend.
I got this idea after I once drove to a Buddhist Retreat Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains and marveled at how much it felt like home. I am blessed to live on a beautifully forested hill under Redwood, Oak and Cypress trees. My home-office is a peaceful sanctuary. I can rest in a hammock under the Oak, or walk a block to see a spectacular sunset over the San Francisco Bay.
So I stayed at home, just being with myself in nature, letting myself move at my own pace. I put on a pair of shorts and sat outside, filling myself with the sunshine of Indian Summer. I trimmed some roses, watched some deer meander by, and listened to the stillness. I felt the pulse of the earth coming up through my feet and knew I was in sync with nature. I drew the light and warmth of the sun into my core. I vowed to remember that it was there. So when the crispness of Fall settles in, and the dark, cold days of Winter arrive, the sunshine within will burn brightly.
My natural rhythms do not want to go there. So when the days get shorter, I feel like working less, and sleeping more. I even feel like doing less of what I love. I love to Ballroom dance, yet my body actually felt tired at dancing. So I took the clue and gave myself an at home retreat weekend.
I got this idea after I once drove to a Buddhist Retreat Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains and marveled at how much it felt like home. I am blessed to live on a beautifully forested hill under Redwood, Oak and Cypress trees. My home-office is a peaceful sanctuary. I can rest in a hammock under the Oak, or walk a block to see a spectacular sunset over the San Francisco Bay.
So I stayed at home, just being with myself in nature, letting myself move at my own pace. I put on a pair of shorts and sat outside, filling myself with the sunshine of Indian Summer. I trimmed some roses, watched some deer meander by, and listened to the stillness. I felt the pulse of the earth coming up through my feet and knew I was in sync with nature. I drew the light and warmth of the sun into my core. I vowed to remember that it was there. So when the crispness of Fall settles in, and the dark, cold days of Winter arrive, the sunshine within will burn brightly.
