The Yin Time of Year

One of my teachers, the 88th generation Daoist priest, Jeffrey Yuen, spends six weeks around the solstice meditating. Striving to be in alignment with the natural world, he basically hibernates at the darkest time of the year. I’ve heard him say that if he doesn’t respect the natural rhythms in this way then he won’t be at his best for all the other months.

I began to aspire to his example over ten years ago, when I lived in Santa Fe. When the sky darkened, I would get into bed. I might read with a bedside lamp (overhead lights mimic the sun and tell your body that it’s still day time), but I made a point of indulging in rest during winter.

Then I had Cary and followed different natural laws for a while. But I still slept more during the yin time of year. 

This year, the ‘oso’ has come back with a roar. As soon as the weather turned, I noticed how weary I felt and did what I could to clear my schedule. Then I ditched all notion of adult-time movies. (If flashing blue lights disrupt circadian rhythms, they must disrupt them in winter at a higher order of magnitude.) And I pushed my bedtime back to grade-school era. My grade schooler appreciates the justice of this.  

One weird thing about going to bed at 8pm and sleeping until 6am, is that I can do it at all. Rare is the night that I lie there awake for any length of time. My body soaks in the dark gratefully, genuinely seeming to need the extra rest. If I am wakeful for more than ten minutes, I visit my night-owl husband or sit up to meditate. Then sleep returns easily.  

Perhaps, as it is for Jeffrey, I won’t fully feel the benefits that come with respecting the dark until the light fully returns. For now, they’re already worth it. 

Love,

Stella