Winter Solstice Blessings from Inside My Acorn

Happy Winter Solstice! This is the shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, or the longest night, depending on how you look at it. I like to focus on the night aspect, because it's the longer nights that create the space for longer silence.

I imagine in the pre-industrial days this time of year was very quiet. Activity quieted down when the sun went down, so more hours to read, sleep, and chitchat by the fire. I've actually been feeling like doing just that ever since an acorn hit me on the head in mid-September while I was walking a labyrinth.

I've been in "Acorn Time," as I've taken to calling it.

Without much warning, rhyme, or reason, my creative drive has slowed down and my productivity is low. And rather than fight it, I've gotten curious about it. I've allowed myself to follow my cravings, whether it's for a nap, a walk, a cookie, or a night out. Despite how awesome all that sounds, because my natural tendency is to plan and produce, this has been a bit of a challenging time for me. But I'm up for it ;)

I liken this time to the acorn because, although it looks very still and solid, there's actually a lot going on in a little acorn's life. Essentially, it's waiting. It's waiting to be placed in the right soil and conditions to sprout and grow into its full creative life expression and potential.

And these things cannot be rushed.

I can tell there's some new things brewing inside, and once the energy shifts and the sun hits me just right, my creativity will again flow, rich in new opportunities for yoga, self study, and personal transformation. I just have to be patient...

One little nugget that has arrived in this time of waiting is my new Jess G Chats playlist on my YouTube channel. I've posted a couple centering talks from my Online Yoga Membership Hatha classes this month to help you set an intention and get centered in the quiet this season. One video was from the first day of Hanukkah called Miracles and Light. The other is from earlier this month, acknowledging the grief that sits alongside the joy in this season of celebrations, called Festivities and Grief.

I believe in the Spanda of life, the expansion and contraction, the ebb and flow, the seasons of productivity and receptivity. And in this season of waiting in the dark for what is yet to come, I invite you to consider a few things that I know are brewing for the New Year:

~ FREE New Years workshop: Get in Gear for the New Year. We'll do some chakra movement, meditation, and journaling to set ourselves up for success in 2024. Save the date: Thursday, January 11, at 9am or 6pm Central. 

~ Chakra Savvy: Reset Your Life Game Plan. New cohort starts January 22! Registration opens January 11.

~ And the thing that's really brewing and getting ready to overflow is my new 1:1 coaching program: Wholistic Life Alignment. 12 weekly meetings with yours truly to set goals, overcome obstacles, open up new possibility, and get stuff DONE. Whether you want to start a business, establish a routine, process your past, change a pattern, or open your heart for better relationships, our focused time together will take you from wishing and hoping to wow this is amazing! by applying tools from yoga, Ayurveda, psychology, and current and sacred texts. I'm accepting three new clients to start the year, with more to add once the first are underway. Applications coming soon, so start thinking about your dreams and aspirations! 

If you're feeling like me this season, like work seems extra, and not all holiday festivities sound like fun, please allow me to give you full permission to curl up into your own little winter acorn and play wait and see with me. It's the last moments of 2023. Let's savor them quietly and allow Life to unfold in its natural Time.

May you have a blessed Winter Solstice and a happy, holy, and very Merry Christmas.

Much love,

Jess

P.S. Remember--if your 2024 intention involves adventure and travel, joining me in the Galapagos Islands, March 2-9 is the perfect opportunity!

We can take a maximum of FIVE more people on this week-long adventure that includes everything except your travel / airfare. Lodging at a private property, catered meals, and guided excursions with naturalist guides. You'll see giant tortoises, blue footed boobies, marine iguanas, and species found nowhere else on the planet. You'll explore by land, and boat. Plus some yoga! ALL are welcome, so you can bring your partner or mom, no problem!