Recently we explored the idea of seasonality (The Season) and the idea that we as a species (and a part of nature) follow similar rhythms of the natural world over the course of both a single season and a year as a whole. When we remember to tune into the rhythms of a particular season of our lives we tend to find greater ease as we are more likely to be in flow and less likely to be swimming against the current.

One particular season that often times gets ignored or overlooked in our modern western culture is winter (or the off season). Our culture glorifies the grind, continuously pushing us to work past what is reasonable, often times sacrificing our well being in the process. The idea of wintering is to actually reclaim this down time; to tune into the rhythm of the season and focus on rest as beautifully said in Wintering, the poem, by James A. Pearson. The groundbreaking book Wintering by Katherine May might also come to mind.

Our culture glorifies the grind, continuously pushing us to work past what is reasonable, often times sacrificing our well being in the process. The idea of wintering is to actually reclaim this down time...

Think of the idea of wintering in terms of turfgrass. Much like many plants, trees, insects and animals, turfgrass (both warm & cool season) goes into dormancy during periods of stress. When conditions are not conducive to growth, these species embrace the darkness and descend into a time of rest and hibernation. They conserve energy, slow down their physiological processes and fully embrace seasonality.

Take a moment and ask yourself… when was the last time I truly slowed down, on purpose, for a prolonged period of time? If you reflect on your own life and approach to work can you see an ebb and flow to the seasons? Do you take more than a week or two for vacation in the run of a year? What might your life look like if you embraced this idea of reduced effort and output for a whole season?

James A. Pearson, (speaking of trees) in his poem Wintering

“Every year they let go of
exactly what everyone says
is most beautiful about them
to save their own lives.”

As turfgrass systems go through this period of dormancy, they conserve themselves. They don’t try to force the issue and waste precious energy chasing continuous growth. Imagine if turfgrass never shut down, and instead attempted to grow no matter the conditions; in times of drought, in times of excess heat or cold, or even in times of excess moisture. If they never took their foot off the gas pedal and were always in a “growth mindset”, desperately trying to be better than the day before, they would eventually succumb to the excess output of energy. Instead, they listen to their biological processes and rest. They take the required time to heal from the rigours of the previous season. They give their internal physiology a chance to catch up and prepare themselves naturally for the season ahead.

If they never took their foot off the gas pedal and were always in a “growth mindset”, desperately trying to be better than the day before, they would eventually succumb to the excess output of energy...

It’s funny how when we apply our hustle culture and grinding mentality to other species, it begins to seem counterintuitive. Remember that endless growth at all costs is embedded into our society via our current economic system and the workplace is where it all plays out. But to what end and at what cost?

Obviously, as humans the idea of total hibernation is not realistic. But what if we embraced the slowness of the off season with more intention? How would we respond over the course of a whole year if we geared down and took our foot off the pedal for a spell? If we prioritized things like sleep, exercise, nutrition and our mental well being? Inevitably our busier season would be all the better for it. Our level of internal resilience would increase and we would be better prepared for the demands of the growing season.
I know that some of you reading this post are uncomfortable already. The message from both our industry and the wider society is to keep pushing. The drive to succeed and continually improve is relentless. Believe me, I get it. I have lived from this place for most of my life and the effects have been challenging to say the least.

But I also know the power of rest. I have directly experienced the miraculous feeling of intentionally carving out time for myself to reset my nervous system. I can still distinctly remember being on a week long, silent meditation retreat and taking a walk in the woods. At one point near the end of the walk, I stopped and placed my hand on a rock wall and wept. The main reason for the tears was simply because the entirety of my being realized how badly I needed this rest. This memory of finally recognizing my own vulnerability has stayed with me these years since.

The off season is best regarded as a time for reduced effort and increased rest and reflection during which we can take more time to tend our own well being and that of our staff. By focusing on inner work, we can begin to get to know ourselves better. We can create the conditions for greater balance, by going more with the natural flow and applying heaps of self- compassion along the way. Ironically, by choosing to step back, tone our efforts down and create more space in our lives, we will begin to see that rest affords us the goodness we didn’t know we needed until we gave it an honest try.

Thanks so much for reading.