Winter and Regeneration

I didn’t use to know how to rest, until I learned to pay more attention to myself.

While in the past I tended to feel uncomfortable with the idea of doing nothing and not being productive or efficient enough, these days I am much more aware of the need to embrace restful periods.

Our body, in particular, reminds us that as organic beings, rest is needed for recovery and restoration, and the winter season (or the end of the year, for those of us who don’t get to experience winter where we are) is just about perfect for this.

Just as animals hibernate to conserve their energy and repair their bodies, as human beings we too can align with nature’s rhythms and learn to slow down and retreat a little, so that we give our body and mind the chance to recuperate from wear and tear, regenerate, and bravely emerge once again into a brand new year.

In this Take A Pause session recorded on 1 December 2025, the TAP community was invited to practice the body scan for a restorative experience, as well as contemplate how we would embrace winter for regeneration. We looked into redesigning our way of life that reduced external activity or distraction and promoted introspection and self-care.

We closed the session by listening to Donna Ashworth’s poem, Regenerating.

Wishing us all a joyful and nourishing new year!

Meditation begins: 05:59

Contemplation begins: 23:46

Reading begins: 27:56

Meditation + contemplation duration: 22 minutes

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Regenerating

— Donna Ashworth

I don’t think you’re simply tired,

I think you’re regenerating.

Like all of mother nature’s children in winter, your instinct is to curl up, hunker down and reset.

You’re not less.

You’re simply in tune with the sun.

And as the dark days begin to wane, your inner wild fortifies and evolves, bolstered and renewed, cocoon-style.

Ready for the new beginnings, ready for the reinvent.

Ready.

Simply ready.

So, let yourself be led down the rabbit hole, when the weariness washes over and your body begs to rest.

I don’t think you’re simply tired.

I think you’re regenerating.

Donna Ashworth

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Upcoming events in 2025…

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More Take A Pause episodes to round off the year:

• Ep 23: Meditation is Quiet Love

• Ep 16: Meditating for Freedom

A few nuggets of wisdom to kick-start the new year:

• When We Are Told “It’s Time to Settle Down”

• My Favourite Ways of Practicing Mindfulness in Daily Life