As the winter arrives with gusts, sleet, and flurries, greet it as a fresh opportunity to engage with your practice. Meditation often forces us to grapple with our discomfort, both mental and physical. The cold does the same — but it takes a conscious effort to appreciate. Winter meditation gives you the opportunity to push yourself a bit further with your practice and your comfort.
During the holiday season, there’s nothing quite like cozying up to the fireplace and dozing off after a bit of eggnog, cider, or mulled wine. That sounds quite nice, doesn’t it? Warmth and comfort are a relaxing sedative, and while that may be well and good some of the time, during meditation a cooler setting has often been seen to be more conducive to an alert and relaxed state. In most monastic settings, whether they be in Japan or Tibet, meditation is rarely done in the snug comfort of a well-heated room. In fact, at least in the Japanese tradition, it is more common that they would throw the doors of the meditation hall wide open during winter meditation and then go out and walk through the snow!
Of course there’s really no need for something so drastic for most people. A little can go a long way, when it comes to the cold.
Humans have an instinctual, primal fear of the cold. Living in a world in which heating is not even a luxury, but the most basic of household accommodations, the cold has become even more foreign. It takes just a small taste of it, to wake up the senses and the mind.
So, as we enter this cold season, consider working with the cold during your meditation. Take off an extra layer or sit outside and enjoy the splendor of the slumbering, snow-covered earth. As you approach the cold, contemplate how the discomfort can change your perspective.
The cold can help us face the fears, doubts, and uncertainties that often lie dormant just below our daily comforts. Confront these elements head-on, recognizing that within the coldness there is a unique opportunity for growth and transformation.
Winter is a reminder that impermanence is all around us. In the cold, crisp air, each inhale invigorates, and each exhale releases a visible cloud that quickly dissipates in front of our eyes. The naked trees and frozen ponds are reminders that change is the only constant.
So, this season, enjoy the friends, family, and abundance, but also appreciate the cold.
It is often in moments of some discomfort that we learn to appreciate the innumerable blessings we experience every day.
Our cheeks turn red. The puffs of our breath disappear. The winter air stings our nose and ears. But inside, a warm log on the fire crackles in the fireplacs, welcoming us back from the winter sojourn.