The winter as a moment of recovery
Why rest is so important
For many people, the beginning of January feels like a starting signal.
Good intentions, new plans, right into action mode. As if the new year calls for acceleration.
But if you look at the season we’re in now, the opposite is true. Winter is naturally a period of rest and recovery.
When the days get shorter and life naturally moves more inward, many people notice the same thing: we get tired faster, have less energy, and crave rest. That is not weakness and is not a coincidence. It is part of the season.
In many Eastern health teachings, winter is seen as a period of recovery and preparation. Not as a time when “nothing happens”, but rather as a phase in which the body and nervous system recharge. Just as nature withdraws in winter to be able to grow again in the spring, our bodies also need moments in which attention can be directed inwards.
That teaching speaks of Ki: our life energy. You can think of this as the combination of vitality, attention, and the way energy moves through the body. In winter, that energy focuses less on action and stepping out, and more on rest, recovery, and the basics.
The quality of winter: back to basics
While spring and summer are often about movement, plans, and progress, winter requires something different: slow down. In Eastern medicine, this is called Yin-called quality. It stands for tranquility, silence, and depth, as a counterpart to action and doing.
This winter quality is associated with the so-called Water element, which in the body is linked to the kidneys and the bladder. The kidneys are seen as our ‘reserve battery’. They play an important role in how we deal with stress, recovery, and prolonged strain.
When we go on too long without sufficient rest, that reserve is depleted. This can manifest as fatigue, restlessness, poor sleep, or a feeling of having less and less resilience. It is especially in the winter that the body often makes it clear that it needs a pause and a moment of attention.
Shiatsu and the winter
Within Shiatsu, therefore, we do not only look at individual complaints, but at the whole person. How does one deal with stress? Is there room for relaxation? Or is the system constantly ‘on’?
A shiatsu treatment in the winter is often quieter and more profound. The touch is gentle and constant, inviting the body to relax. This allows the nervous system to switch to recovery and the energy to accumulate in the deeper layers of the body. Not to force anything, but to support the natural recovery process.
Also Do-In, The movement theory within shiatsu fits nicely into this. In the winter, the exercises are less focused on performance and more on feeling.
The depth of the well: a Do-In exercise for the winter
To truly experience the calming effects of winter in your body, you can use a simple Do-In exercise. During this period, the focus is primarily on rest and recovery, with extra emphasis on the lower back. In Eastern medicine, the kidneys are considered an important area for our energy supply and resilience.
By supporting your body gently in this area in the winter, you help it avoid going empty into the spring.
The sitting forward bend
Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for a moment and sit on the floor, possibly on a pillow or a rolled up blanket. Stretch your legs while you relax.
Then slowly bend forward from your pelvis. Let your back rotate naturally. It’s not about how far you go or whether you can touch your toes. Let gravity do the work. Your hands can rest loosely next to your legs or on your thighs.
Make your head heavy so that your neck and shoulders can relax as well. In this position, the back of the body is gently opened.
Stay in this position for a few breaths and bring your attention to your lower back. Feel how this area can expand slightly with each breath and soften again with each exhale. You don’t have to force anything or achieve anything; it’s all about feeling and being present.
In the Eastern perspective, between the kidneys is an area that is seen as the core of our vitality. By staying with your breath and attention here, you create space for rest and recovery.
Stay in the position for a few minutes, as long as it feels comfortable. When you feel that it is enough, roll back up slowly, vertebra by vertebra. Then take some time to feel what this exercise does to you.
This simple exercise reflects the quality of winter: slowing down, turning inward, and making space for recovery.
Perhaps this new year is not an invitation to immediately get started,
but first let's take a moment to pause.
To feel what requires attention now,
and what might just have to wait a little longer.
That rest is not a standstill, but preparation.