The Wisdom of Winter
Winter
Deep wonder in the stillness
open us up
to the knowing
in our very being
be-ing
the simple
soul
the flower
of life
yes ! l
let's
then watch
the blossom
of spring
arrive
courtesy of Aaiyn Foster, Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, Maine.
As the last of the golden orange leaves falls to brown, autumn falls into winter. The sky darkens, the days become shorter. Our focus shifts from that which is outside to the indoors; we turn inwards. The natural inclination is to reduce our activity, to slow down our busy-ness.
In winter our energy goes deep, to the deepest level of our bodies, to the marrow of our bones. People say: "the weather is changing, I feel it in my bones!". In this quietening we often become introspective, questioning “where is my life flowing?”.
The wisdom of winter is the capacity and confidence to be still and in the stillness, to recognise and review our unique heritage and personal capacity, and with that, to restore our clarity in what is ours to create in this lifetime. As we eliminate that which is extraneous and essentialise, we are able to re-integrate ourselves in preparation for making new in the spring.
As we know the depth of who we are, our fears and insecurities are allayed. Having confidence in what we are made of, and confidence in the capacity of the bigger whole to support that, we flow effortlessly with life. We are able to overcome mental, emotional and physical stagnation. We accept that we have a unique form to express, and we take control of our own destiny. In this way, winter lays the foundations for the energy and creativity of Spring.
Jin Shin Jyutsu (pronounced jin-shin-JIT-soo), an ancient art of harmonising body mind and heart, reminds us that we are not separate from nature. We are nature. Nature is not just something that we experience on weekends away in the countryside; nature is within the rhythms of our own body. We are strongest when we live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
“At the heart of us exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm. Whatever our imperfections there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm,” said Mary Burmeister, the Japanese-American woman who brought the gift of Jin Shin Jyutsu from Japan to the West. Jin Shin Jyutsu simply helps us to live this perfect expression of harmony that is innate to each of us.
As well as a profound and beautiful philosophy, Jin Shin Jyutsu is the art of knowing and utilising simple practical helpers to bring our body, mind and heart into harmony with the bigger whole. It is for this reason that Mary referred to Jin Shin Jyutsu as Physiophilosophy, Physiopsychology and Physiophysiology. In order to know the universe, we focus on knowing who I am. The body is a microcosm of the macrocosm.
An easy Jin Shin Jyutsu helper to energize and balance the rhythm of the winter months is simply to hold the entire index finger with the opposite hand. Hold it for a few minutes or until you feel a rhythmic pulse. If we make a habit of doing this regularly, instead of freezing through the winter, we are better supported to flow with it.
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