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Your Only New Year’s Resolution Should Be to Hibernate
Why January is time to slow down, not power forward
It’s nearly January 1. Instead of popping a painkiller and heading full throttle into 360-degree total life reform, here’s a novel thought: What if you chose to stay cozy under the blanket just a little longer, using that time for extra sleep, meditation, or quiet reflection? And what if taking it easy was actually the healthier choice — truly the best way to start the upcoming year off right?
Despite the New Year’s Day trope of repenting, reinventing, and heading to the gym immediately, many of the world’s most ancient and trusted healing philosophies advocate an opposite approach to this midwinter period. Hibernate, they say.
Practices from Ayurveda to traditional Chinese medicine (or TCM) espouse common principles like “grounding,” which refers to the concept of finding balance and connection in one’s life by acting in accordance with our natural internal instincts and the Earth’s seasonal cycles. “Winter offers us an opportunity to connect deeply with ourselves — physically and mentally preparing for new growth ahead,” explains Dr. Pratima Raichur, a chemist, botanist, Ayurvedic physician, and author. “In Ayurveda, we use nature as our teacher. The shorter, dark days — full of water, ice, and snow — are a time of…
