This Winter Solstice meditation is a guided, relaxing mindfulness practice that will help you rest in the Winter darkness and renew your being with light on all levels. It’s also an opportunity to let go of what is no longer serving you, allowing space for focused New Year intention, and a rebirth of ideas to achieve your life goals.
Winter Solstice Meditation Preparation
To set up, you’ll want to find a place that is dark and quiet. You may want to light a candle to represent the light inside of you, that creative spark that we’ll be stoking.
Essential oils can help calm your mind and create more focus. For this meditation I’m using Frankincense and Lemongrass. Frankincense helps lessen depressed and anxious feelings which tend to be more pronounced this time of year, prompted by the darkness. Lemongrass helps to clear negativity and uplift your mood. You can place 1 drop of each in your hands with a dollop of carrier oil and anoint your temples, heart space, and soles of the feet.
Have a pen and paper or a journal nearby where you can write down any insight that comes as we sit.
Also, you can briefly use the acupressure points in my free self-acupressure guide to help you relax. As you release tension, you’ll be better able to focus on the meditation process. You can download the guide below.
Winter Solstice Meditation Instruction
Center Your Attention
Come into a comfortable seated position on the floor or on a chair. If you’re using a chair, make sure your feet are fully planted on the ground.
Closing your eyes, take several deep breaths, consciously focusing your mind on the present moment.
Exhale out through the mouth to let go of physical tension. Once you’re feeling settled, allow the mouth to stay closed.
Center your attention by following the movement of the breath. Inhale through the nose. Feel the breath moving through the trachea, filling the lungs, and feel the diaphragm pressing down toward the pelvis, grounding you. Stay energetically grounded as you exhale and feel the breath moving up and out through the nose. Watch the ebb and flow of the breath.
Now see if you can make each part of the breath deeper, and longer. Lengthen the spaces in between breaths, noticing any emotions that come up in the stillness. It’s common to feel fear when empty, the same feeling that many people have in Winter.
We are microcosms of nature and energetic beings animated by breath. Consider this, each breath is keeping you alive. We need both the inhalation AND the exhalation, the life giving breath and the clearing release which creates more space for the next breath.
Self Reflection To Help You Release The Old And Create New Life
Now as you continue to breath deeply, let’s see how we can relate to the other aspects of ourselves. What can we let go of? What can we let rest in the darkness or even die away in order to make space for something more new, more healthy, or even more exciting?
Feel the full volume of the body pulsing with breath. Feel it’s fullness, emptiness, and the flow in between. Consider the health of your body and as you ask this question, see what comes up in this space:
“What habits can I let go of that will help my body be more healthy and vibrant?”
Sense the answer in your body.
Now connect in with your heart, your capacity to love and relate to others. Some relationships served a purpose in the past, but are no longer helpful. Ask yourself the following, or change the wording to fit what you would like to create in your heart instead:
“What relationships can I let go of in order to feel more emotionally spacious and loving.”
Watch the movement of the mind…
The mind can be the most challenging to shift. Many people are wired for self-criticism and negativity that their belief systems are very limited. Once you open to changing your beliefs, you have the greatest potential to create more happiness in your life. Ask yourself:
“What habits or beliefs can I let go, can I let die, in order to experience more clarity of mind?”
Give yourself some time to let any thoughts bubble to the surface in answer to this question.
Letting go of the previous attachments in the body, heart, and mind may get you closer to spiritual connection. To explore further, you can ask yourself:
“What can I let go of to experience a deeper sense of myself, to connect with spirit”
Feel into your wholeness. Notice the warmth inside you, imagining a spark of hope in the heart that grows to a flame, and then to beams of light radiating out of your body in every direction.
Remember that this light sprung from darkness. We needed to let go in this winter solstice meditation and experience a symbolic death to some aspects of our lives in order to rebirth new experiences. We needed to visit the past and make peace with it in order to imagine new possibilities for the future.
Slowly Widen Your Awareness
Return your awareness to the breath moving through the central channel of the body.
Open up your ears to what you hear, notice what you’re tasting, smelling, and feeling against your skin. Finally, gently open your eyes.
Take some time here to make sure your attention is balanced, inside and out. Write down anything that came up for you during this meditation. This is a special time for reflection, but of course this meditation is appropriate to do anytime of the year, not just the Winter Solstice.
You can repeat this simple meditation practice whenever you’re feeling stuck and that you need to make a major shift in one layer of your being. When we meditate, we’re tapping into our innate wisdom that’s beyond the mind’s comprehension. It’s this place where we receive the most helpful guidance for living a joyful life.
Did you enjoy this Winter Solstice meditation? Did anything insightful come up for you in this process? I’d love to know about it in the comments!
Want 1:1 holistic healing or personal coaching to help you make intentional changes in your life? I’d love to be your guide. Browse my services and feel free to schedule a free 15 min. consultation if you’re seriously interested in working together. Well wishes, friend!
