The Wisdom of Winter Solstice

Releasing the Old, Rooting Into What’s Next

As we arrive at the end of 2025, many of us are taking a collective exhale.

If you’re anything like me—and like so many students I’ve connected with this year—it’s been intense. For some, it’s felt clarifying. For others, exhausting. For many, both at once. If you’re feeling a mix of relief, tenderness, grief, and quiet hope as the year closes, please know this: you’re not alone.

The Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, arrives as a powerful threshold. It invites us to pause before moving forward—to honor the darkness not as something to fear, but as a necessary and intelligent part of the cycle.

The Solstice as a Sacred Threshold

In nature, winter is not a mistake or an interruption. It’s a season of rest, composting, and deep renewal. Trees shed their leaves not because they’ve failed, but because they’re conserving energy for what will come next. We are no different.

The Solstice reminds us that life unfolds in cycles of expansion and contraction, growth and letting go. Sometimes, the most meaningful growth happens underground, invisible to the world.

A mantra I’ve been returning to again and again this season is:

“Everything I lose or release creates space for everything I need.”

When Things Fall Apart (and Why That Matters)

This past year has carried a strong energy of shedding. Relationships may have shifted. Roles, identities, or habits that once felt supportive may now feel constricting or outdated. You might have noticed yourself questioning patterns you used to move through unconsciously.

As Pema Chödrön so beautifully teaches, when things fall apart, it isn’t always a sign that something has gone wrong—it’s often the very moment when transformation becomes possible. These times of unraveling can be where real honesty begins. When our familiar structures dissolve, we’re brought face-to-face with what’s true—raw, unguarded, and alive. Rather than rushing to fix or rebuild, her wisdom invites us to stay present with the discomfort, trusting that insight and compassion often arise not from certainty, but from learning how to remain open when we don’t yet know what comes next.

From an energetic perspective, 2025 has echoed this theme. In Chinese Astrology, it’s been the Year of the Water Snake—a year associated with inner revelations, emotional processing, endings, and profound internal shifts. Water Snake energy invites introspection, honesty, and the courage to shed old skins. It asks us to listen beneath the surface and trust the quieter intelligence of change.

This kind of inner work can feel messy. Grief, uncertainty, and discomfort often accompany it. But within that process are the seeds of clarity and renewal.

Turning Toward 2026: From Inner Work to Outer Action

As the cycle continues, we now begin orienting toward 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse. Where Water Snake energy asked us to go inward, Fire Horse energy is bold, expressive, and outward-moving. It carries momentum, creativity, and a desire for connection and action.

Numerologically, 2026 is also a Year 1—a year of initiation, leadership, and new beginnings.

This combination can feel exciting… and also overwhelming. Fire moves quickly. Inspiration can surge faster than our nervous systems can integrate it. Without grounding, we risk burnout rather than meaningful forward movement. This is why practice matters—especially during times of acceleration.

Why Practice Becomes Essential During Times of Change

Yoga, meditation, and self-care rituals aren’t about self-improvement or fixing what’s broken. They’re about staying in relationship with yourself—your body, breath, intuition, and inner clarity.

There’s no single “right” practice. Each of us needs a unique blend of tools that help us stay resourced and steady as life shifts. For some, that looks like slow, grounding movement. For others, stillness, breathwork, or reflective journaling. What matters is consistency and intention. Practice gives us the capacity to meet intensity with steadiness rather than collapse. It helps us move forward without leaving ourselves behind.

A Solstice Reflection to Sit With

As you mark this Solstice—whether through movement, stillness, candlelight, or quiet contemplation—I invite you to reflect on these questions:

• What parts of yourself or your lifestyle feel essential to carry forward?

• What feels complete, outdated, or ready to be released?

• What kind of support will you need as energy begins to build again?

You don’t need immediate answers. Simply creating space to ask the questions is enough.

Practicing Through the Season Ahead

If you feel called to deepen or stabilize your yoga and meditation practice as we move into the year ahead, this is a beautiful time to do so. Slower, grounding practices—such as gentle flow, yin yoga, restorative postures, and meditation—are especially supportive during winter. They nourish the nervous system, build resilience, and help integrate everything we’ve been processing.

Inside my online yoga studio at PracticeShraddha.com, I share practices designed to support exactly this kind of seasonal transition—helping you release what no longer serves and root into clarity, steadiness, and intention as new beginnings emerge.

Whether you practice with me or find your own rhythm elsewhere, remember this:

Practice is not about doing more.It’s about staying connected—especially when life feels intense.

An Invitation to Begin Again

Let this Solstice be your permission slip.

Pause.Reflect.Release.And gently… begin again.

Wishing you a nourishing Winter Solstice, a meaningful Hanukkah, and a gentle Merry Christmas. May the coming year meet you with clarity, courage, and care.

With warmth,

Brielle