How do we replenish?

Resting at the recent Winter Daylong Retreat!

When our storehouses of energy have been overdrawn and depleted, how do we replenish? This is a quintessential Chinese medicine winter element question, one that shows up throughout all seasons of our life. ​Maybe we’ve gone through a bout of the flu or a nasty cold. Maybe we’ve had to tend to an ailing parent. Maybe work has been taxing and we’ve had to put in longer hours. Life does occasionally demand that we tap into our reserves. So, what do we do to replenish?
 
The answer is rest. But I don’t just mean sleep because sometimes sleep is inaccessible. Rest is a moment of reflection and a deep breath in the midst of a hectic day. It’s gazing at a beautiful flower or candle after hours of staring at the screen. It's listening to a Yoga Nidra recording at bedtime whether it puts you to sleep or not (downloadable here). We cannot survive without sleep. We cannot live without rest. We cannot succeed without reflection.
 
As we care for the water element in us, as we rest and repair on all layers of our being, we nourish the next element in the cycle--wood. And we all know what happens when a tree is watered... It grows, and so do we!

Consider joining me for the Spring Meditation Retreat one and the all new Spring Meditative Card Night!

May deep rest refill your reserves,
-- Shira Oz-Sinai

---

how do you replenish?
please share your comment below!