All animals in climates with seasonal variations enter a period of dormancy during the winter. For reptiles and amphibians, this process starts when the temperature goes below 60 degrees, and they enter a state of brumation. The colder it gets, the less active they will become.
The word brumation comes from the Latin bruma, which means “winter cold”. In the French Revolutionary calendar, the second month (approximately October 22 to November 22) was called Brumaire in reference to la brume, the French word for fog, to announce the arrival of the colder months.
Snakes get their cues from changes in temperature, humidity, and the number of daylight hours. These changes modify their circadian rhythm and hormonal activity, and they prepare for overwintering.
Mammals hibernate, a similar but different process: they store body fat, enter a coma-like state (no activity or consciousness of their surroundings), maintain a lower internal temperature, and do not need to eat or drink for the whole hibernation period. Snakes mostly rely on glycogen (sugar) instead of fat to survive during the Winter; they need a protected place to stay warm because they can not control their body temperature and require very low amounts of oxygen. During brumation, they have some periods of activity on days when the temperatures get warmer and will need food and hydration. Their metabolism is not on pause but in a much slower mode.
On a warmer winter day, I often see snakes along the path in the little woods near my house. When I start my garden in early spring, I find them in raised beds or under rocks. At the end of their brumation period, they don't move much, and I can approach very closely without disrupting them. I call these days the Days of the Sleepy Snakes.
A Case for Human’s Brumation
Rest, as defined in my old 1980 Webster’s dictionary, is: A bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities. Freedom from activity or labor. Peace of mind or spirit. Rhythmic silence in music. Rest and repose apply especially to the suspended activity of the body.
When most of us have full lives, incorporating rest and practices of slowing down demands that we are very intentional about it. In the somatic awareness system of the Feldenkrais Method®, we always start with very small and simple movements. The concept is that we can only learn when we are comfortable, and it is more feasible to incorporate new habits when they are easy to integrate into our lives. Then, we can build up on the easy movements and bring more complicated variations. This approach applies to almost everything. For example, if we want more restful moments in our lives, we might start with easy practices that will not require too much of a significant change in our schedules.
Here are a few of my Slow Winter practices:
Look at the window for five minutes. I especially like my bathroom window, which has a view of our backyard, where I am sometimes lucky to see the neighborhood fox trot along.
Make a cup of tea/coffee and stay by the stove while the water boils.
Choose with care the social events I say yes to. I enjoy settling down in the Winter and taking ample space to be with myself and my family.
Cozy up my house (candles, fairy lights, warm blankets), not just for aesthetics but for real moments of stillness.
Go to bed early - at least 45 minutes earlier than the rest of the year.
These accessible practices can punctuate our week and make a difference in how we feel, how much energy we have, and the quality of our presence. Small, consistent practices have a greater impact on our well-being than a twice-a-year, week-long vacation, for example. This is really about being with oneself without any distractions or external stimulation.
One of the qualities of slowing down is that it is not in service to the exterior world. It might even be one of the most powerful ventures we can do for ourselves. When we observe what we do, we can see that external demands drive much of it, causing many of us to feel disconnected, lonely, and lost. While this is not about becoming self-centered and forgoing our responsibilities or not caring for others, there is an invitation for each of us to reclaim a central place within the movement of our lives and find balance so we give from a replenished well, not a depleted one.
Slowing down, pausing, and resting allow us more space - not a space to be filled with things to do, but with how to be. There, we can see the different shades and textures of our one precious life and what we are doing with it.
(Art by Beth Wildwood)
We recognize that there are seasons in nature and in life. While I think resting is a year-round practice, winter invites a deeper, more introspective quality of rest. The snake brumating to preserve its reserves of energy in Winter is different from the snake basking on a rock in the river on a hot Summer day. These are two types of slowing down; each has a distinct internal state and fulfills different needs.
In a society that ignores the essential balance between rest and activity, it is easy to remain constantly busy, push for more, compare ourselves to others, and strive for an unattainable ideal.
We forget that the most incredible music is built on the moments of silence and space between notes. A rhythm that alternates moments of slowing down with moments of activity is fundamental for a restorative and thriving life. We all know the cost of a lifestyle that does not incorporate rest: burnout, stress, fatigue, depression, or physical illness. Most importantly, it robs us of deeply knowing ourselves and our needs. Rest is not a luxury but a necessary resource for living well and being healthy.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is a time for conserving energy, resting, and nurturing/strengthening the kidneys. Associated with the element of water, it represents the Yin energy: passive, dark, and cool. It is recommended to minimize activities that make you sweat, drink plenty of soups and tea (limit or eliminate raw food), keep your back and feet warm, and follow the rhythm of daylight (wake up at sunrise, stop high activity after sunset).
Depending on the structure of our lives, we may not have the flexibility to wake up later during the winter and adjust our work hours according to the season; however, there are certain things we can modify and be more intentional about. This is not “all or nothing,” and doing something every day in a much slower rhythm is a good start: brushing our teeth, eating, walking to our car or the bus stop, drinking our coffee or tea.
It is about our attention and intention.
One of the most important things I have learned as I enter my fifties is to rest well. I am proud of giving myself what I need in terms of time, space, and activity. As a creative person, it is so important to listen to my internal rhythm and not blindly follow the disorienting cadence of the culture, social norms, and political frenzy in which I live. Cultivating my deep imagination and my connection with natural cycles is crucial, and rest is the fertile ground for creativity and imagination.
My brumation time incorporates a lot of daydreaming. I have a Sunday morning ritual of staying in bed (when possible), in the liminal space upon waking up and opening the door of my imagination. It is usually a time when no one needs me (yet), when the house chores and cooking are not pressing, when I do not have to drive my children anywhere - it is just me in a timeless space. Stories, images, peaceful feelings, memories, and all kinds of ideas flood my mind.
Almost all my creative ideas from the past few years come from that rest-full Sunday morning. It helps me stay grounded and true to my commitment to live a nourishing and creative life. It makes me a better mother, friend, wife, and person altogether to develop that internal space.
Working with The Snake Year
If you want to begin a more profound reflection and work with this material, I invite you to start a new journal or notebook. The questions and topics we explore each week in The Snake Year are fertile ground for personal growth. Over time, your journal will become a very special place: a container for words, symbols, and themes that are key for your own transformation.
Exploration:
Where are the true moments of slowing down in your week right now?
What do they look like?
How is it different from a past season of your life?
What challenges or limitations do you perceive around rest?
How is rest connected to your body? To your imagination?
Start where you feel connected: one of the above questions, an idea or reaction emerging from this writing. Give it form through words on paper, and let it unfold.
Thank you for this guidance and invitation. There seems to be such guilt over rest in the dominant/over culture of our world and yet, underneath that, in the natural world, close to the earth, it is a way of life and the living.
Breathing in my Brumation State. Here I remain xo