The Octopus Dreams Through the Winter

thoughts on hibernating, plus this week's movement classes

A few preliminaries for upcoming opportunities to move together: 

• The next Qoya Sacred Dance class will be Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 11:30am. 

Qoya is a 90-minute class of guided & intuitive dance for women. Deepen your sense of self & strengthen your connection to your body. Pay what you want, $20 donation suggested.

Register by replying to this email or emailing me directly at adrienne@soilandsunshine.com to let me know you want to attend.

• With the new year, I'm also teaching weekly Dance Exploration classes on Tuesdays at 12:30pm.

These are 30 minutes of fun and easy unchoreographed dancing with prompts to explore how movement feels in your body. Great for people just starting out, those who want a quick movement break over lunch, or anyone who prefers a shorter class. Only $10, cash or Paypal preferred. No registration required--just show up to dance together!

Both classes take place in-person at Unwindings, 5466 Holiday Terrace, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49009.

• Finally, I'm also available (both in-person and distance) for reiki sessions, nutritional therapy sessions, and consulting for a variety of areas including health and wellness, and homeschooling (my kids are 18 and 16--we homeschooled for their entire lives and everyone is surviving with their sanity intact!).

If you're interested in finding out more about how I can help you, send me an email: adrienne@soilandsunshine.com.

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I used to fight against wintertime. I'd try to accomplish as much in January as I did in September or April. I'd make resolutions for how this year I would magically transform into another person. A better, more productive, vastly superior person.

Needless to say, it didn't work. January and February would slip by, day after day of cold and darkness. In my area of Michigan, where I'm rooted, we can go an entire month without sunshine. 

I joke that I'm actually a plant--I need sunshine for my chlorophyll or else I suffer.

Gradually, I realized that winter--at least at this stage of my life--is when I need to hibernate. I long ago adjusted our schedule to minimize my expectations for this time. I let myself rest, as much as I'm able to. I do the minimum work required to keep things functional (and thank you KC Davis for that way of thinking about things). I recognize that just like my body requires sleep as a time to recuperate from the damages caused by daily life, my mind requires this dreaming time of winter to allow the bursts of creativity and activity that inevitably follow. 

I love springtime: March and April when the sun re-emerges, when green things begin growing again, when I feel my innate level of energy rebound.

I've experienced forty-five winters followed by forty-five springs--this alternation of sleeping and waking happens every time. I can trust that the inbreath of quiet and introspection will end, and the outbreath of activity and creation will begin again.

I don't need to resolve to be better. I just need to follow the innate wisdom of my body.

Warmly,

Adrienne