It's a funny time Christmas...how to stay balanced?

Just as we need to be hibernating, bringing in wood for the fire, repairing the nets (as it were) from the Summer, feeling more introspective and reflective of our year, we also have to get through those dark nights and some grey days (well it is true), and so Christmas literally brings in more light.

So how to keep a balance? In Summer there's an abundance of leafy veg reflecting our 'out there' sort of energy! Then in Autumn we turn to foods that have grown in the dark, the roots; we start to look inwards and reflect our more yin natures. This is healthy as it builds reserves of yin fluids in the body that support our kidneys in the following year, to repeat the cycle again. The kidneys relate to water in the body according to Traditional Chinese Medecine (TCM) and also along with the bladder, relate to Winter. To have energy next Spring and Summer, it is good to rest up in the Winter. In slowing down, emotions become more manageable, and guess what, kidneys relate to fear and anxiety, so in Winter we give ourselves time to reflect and see more clearly, so calming those fears. Nature makes good sense!

Partying in the winter is great because we don't need so much food, stimulants or excess - that's better for us: Christmas lights, chilly days and carols encourage us out and help us to relax, along side top-to-toe body scrubs that leave us glowing and envigourated as we stretch out on the sheepskin rug and watch favourite black and white movies in the dark sense!