Practices To Prepare You For Winter Solstice
December 21st brings the Winter Solstice, the deepest Yin point of the year.
In TCM, this is the season of the Water element: the place of stillness, inner listening, and the steady power that lives beneath the surface.
Even before the Solstice arrives, many of us can feel the shift.
The days shorten, the energy draws inward.
Our bodies ask for rest, warmth, and simplicity, even while the world around us becomes busier and louder.
I’ve been thinking about how important it is to honor this transition, not just on the calendar, but in our actual lived experience. Winter is where we replenish, where we return to our essence.
So I want to share a few TCM-inspired practices that can help support you through this threshold.
These are simple, grounding, and doable—small rituals that help your body feel held during the most Yin moment of the year.
Rest On Purpose
Set a timer for 5–10 minutes a day of intentional rest.
Lie down, place your hands on your low belly or low back, and breathe.
Let your nervous system register that you’re allowed to slow down.
Guard Your Warmth
Warm foods. Warm drinks. Warm socks.
Your Kidney Qi thrives when your body feels held and protected from the cold. And keep your neck covered to keep the cold out!
Light A Candle At Dusk
A small ritual to honor the turning of the season, and a nice reminder to limit artificial light (and turn off your devices)!
You could go big and go only by candlelight at dusk. Notice how it changes your rhythm, and how much easier it will be to fall asleep.
Ask What’s Essential
Write down the three things that actually matter to you this season.
Let everything else wait.
Try This Meditation
If you want a guided way to drop in even deeper, reconnect to your deepest calm with the Water Element meditation — a gentle 8-minute practice to help you rest, soften your breath, and reconnect with your deeper sense of purpose.
This meditation will be part of the Water Element Mini Course, arriving for members very soon, but to prepare you for the solstice, I’m sharing it with you now, even if you’re not a member.
Enter your email below to get the meditation right now.
After subscribing, make sure to check your email and spam folders for your meditation :)
