Winter is a time of moving deep inward. It is a time of conservation, rest, storage and quiet replenishment. When winter comes there is a darkening of skies and a retardation of growth. The cold drives us to huddle in our den and seek our warmth from within. In winter, we move toward greater receptive and introspective energy and slow our outward expansion.
Winter is the time of rest. You may find that you require more sleep, down time and quality rest. In winter, you may need an earlier bedtime and a later wakening time. Because of this pull toward rest, you may also be drawn to mediate, pray, dream or contemplate more deeply to restore your spiritual energy.
Autumn energy drives us downward to our roots where we hibernate through the stormy, housebound times of winter. The darkness of winter pulls us inward calling us to be more receptive to our own needs and the counsel held deep within us.
Seemingly contradictory, the Winter Solstice - the beginning of winter - is actually the harbinger of light. Devoid of outward growth in the dead of winter, every day from the solstice forward gets longer.
As we draw deeper into ourselves and mimic this contradictory aspect of winter, we too are in the process of storing, building and generating our own light. The light must first collect internally before it is strong enough to sustain our outward growth and expansion.
To facilitate growth in the newness of spring, winter is the time in which you need to take special care of yourself through nutrition, warmth, and rest.
Winter Correspondences:
Water is the element that corresponds to winter. Water governs the metabolism and controls the bladder. Water is the essential fluid of life through which all things must pass. Most of the human body is made up of water. Water is the receptive element, the element of the emotions and winter can be a time of deep emotional experiences.
The kidneys and the bladder are the two organs that deal with the body's water and so are associated with winter.
The kidneys "open to the ears" and the ears are the sense organs associated with winter wellness, as is the sense of hearing and the ability to listen.
The kidneys are seen as being the storage place for our life force. They are the seat of the cycle of transformation and they generate our will and ambition. The kidneys are related to the adrenals, which generate energy, warmth, and sexual and reproductive expression in the body.
The kidney/adrenal connection is the foundation of the body's energy expression - both outward reaching and inward gathering. A healthy, vital kidney/adrenal connection allows for the proper balancing of opposites: calm yet energetic, strong yet nurturing, active yet restful. Disruption in the kidney energy in the body may show up in a number of ways including:
Problems with the bones
Problems with hearing and the ears including ear infections
Problems with the head and the hair including hair loss
Problems with sexuality and libido, reproductive problems and urinary problems
Slow or poor growth of the mind or body
Accelerated aging
Excessive fear or insecurity
A loss of the "sparkle" in the eyes
Fear is the emotion of winter. Like the winter, fear can be deeply rooted internally. When there is poor or weak kidney/adrenal energy, excessive fear, phobias and general anxiety are likely. Restoration and rejuvenation of the kidney/adrenal energy resolves this fear and opens up the pathway to joy and loving expression. Often deep fears and insecurities will not yield to insight and understanding until the kidney/adrenal pathway is restored and strengthened.
The climate is cold and the direction is north - the place of wisdom, introspection, intuition, and ancestral guidance. Groaning is the sound of winter and the color of winter is blue and black.
The kidneys influence the storage of the life force in the bones and the bone marrow. "I felt it in my bones" is an indication of a deep and intense intuitive knowledge. Winter is a good time for undergoing restorative bodywork.
The sexual organs and sexuality are also water/winter elements. Either too much sexual activity or too little sexual activity may be related to the health and functioning of the kidney/adrenal complex. Traditionally the predominate energy flow through the bladder occurs between 3-5 PM and through the kidneys between 5-7 PM. During this time, relaxation and rest may be required to stay emotionally centered and receptive. If you have difficulty getting through this time of day you may need to regenerate your kidney/adrenal pathway by including nourishing winter foods in your diet.
Copyright (c) 2008 Mary Ann Copson
Physical And Emotional Abuse
Reflexology also increases the body's awareness of itself. The combination of therapeutic relaxation and increased awareness facilitate movement toward optimal healthy functioning. In this sense reflexology is healing.
ART means that the application of reflexology is most beneficial when the practitioner is bringing their intuitive senses into play with their practice of reflexology. Everyone who uses the techniques of reflexology will find that the results are beneficial. However, the practitioner that develops awareness of their intuitive senses and applies reflexology in accordance with their intuitive senses will have more effective results.
The basic techniques used in the practice of reflexology are very simple and easy to learn. As in many other activities it takes some practice of the techniques to become familiar with them. In this process of practising the techniques it is inevitable that some of the benefits of reflexology will be discovered. The most common benefit to be discovered is how profoundly relaxing reflexology is for most (not all) people that it is applied to. Even for relatively healthy people in our hectic western society, the feeling of profound relaxation is a blissfully pleasant experience that is deeply appreciated.
Beyond these pleasurable feelings of relaxation, recipients of reflexology often report a wide range of other benefits, such as: feeling more centred, feeling more solidly connected to the ground and paradoxically feeling like walking on air, experiencing deeper sleep, relief from a wide variety of aches and pains, relief from headaches, clearing of sinus congestion, etc..
The range of potential benefits available from reflexology is very wide. It is believed that reflexology moves the body from functioning in the sympathetic nervous system modality (fight or flight) to the parasympathetic system modality (rest and repair), that reflexology improves the assimilation of nutrients to enhance the provision of nourishment for healthy functioning; that reflexology improves the circulation of the blood and lymph with consequent improved nourishment and cleansing of the cells and elimination of accumulated toxins; similarly, that reflexology strengthens the functioning of the immune system. In short, by revitalizing and rejuvenating the intricate functioning of the physical body reflexology assists the body in it's inherent process of healing itself.
As a consequence, reflexology powerfully complements all other healing modalities. In particular it enhances the effectiveness of nutritional therapies including herbology, and, manipulative therapies such as physiotherapy and chiropractic.
When a person is experiencing extremely acute pain, such as a severe whiplash, reflexology, unique in it's ability to relieve stress and tension through stimulation of the distant reflexes, can safely ease the pain until it is conducive to the direct stimulation of massage therapy or physiotherapy. In this way, reflexology is very beneficial for the person who is presently experiencing extreme pain and who is understandably not receptive to any direct stimulation of the injured area.
As reflexology gains wider acceptance as a therapy, it's effectiveness for specific conditions is being researched. Recently, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a prestigious medical research journal, published an evaluation of the effectiveness of reflexology for women suffering with pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). This study, which evaluated 38 symptoms experienced by these women, reported that the symptoms were reduced by 46% during treatment, an improvement that was sustained at 41% for two months beyond the cessation of treatment. The journal concluded that reflexology should be considered an effective therapy for PMS.
Many other studies evaluating the effectiveness of reflexology for specific health conditions have been published in Denmark, England and China. In these countries, reflexology has been integrated into the national health care system - which has made it easier to get research studies conducted. The health conditions focussed on in these studies include: headaches, back pain, asthma and constipation - a wide variety of conditions for any one therapy to address. In general, the results of these studies report reflexology to be effective for 75% to 80% of recipients.
Both Mary Ann Copson & Paul Fitzgerald are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mary Ann Copson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Brain, Pregnancy Problems and Burnout. Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood & Energy Wellness Center for Women. With Master's Degrees in Human Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; Brain. Mary Ann Copson's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
Paul Fitzgerald has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing Tool, Massage and Environment. Come Learn Massage at serving Haiku, Makawao, Kahului, Kihei, in Maui, HI.We offer a professional. Paul Fitzgerald's top article generates over 5000000 views. to your Favourites.
