Exhaling with the Winter Solstice

Lo! The Longest Night Cometh!

Illustration by Grapicook Studios

Howdy Friends!

After a month of wandering through nature’s extremes—from the blustery Yukon to the humid greens of the Costa Rican jungle—I’m back in Toronto, where the sky is grey and the trees are skeletal.

Jumping from one climate to the next, I have been awestruck at how readily the body responds to whatever environment it finds itself in, even as the mind resists and pushes and pulls. In the artic, my body refused to wake up before sunrise at 11am, despite my nagging alarms and a buttload of coffee… but it peaked with adrenaline in the crisp snow, even while my mind recoiled at the idea of so much cold.

In the jungle, my body danced naked in the warm rain, giggling and childlike, all while my mind threw up hilarious objections (“but what about my hair?!”). In the afternoons, I slept readily on the shady shore between the crabs and leaf-cutter ants.

We like to imagine we’re somehow separate from nature, detached observers charting its cycles from the outside. No. We are nature—walking, breathing, living expressions of the earth’s rhythms. We are goofy, mostly neurotic, extremely rebellious extensions of its daily, monthly, and yearly cycles.

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This is why I love the winter solstice. There’s something very juicy about this time of year—the cozy early evenings, the hazy tired that seeps in, the way my self-imposed deadlines seem to slide off my calendar into next year. The December vibe is not a failure of motivation — it’s a call to rest, to turn inward, and become the quiet. Like the earth itself, we’re winding down, exhaling completely, and letting go of what is done.

The solstice is the earth’s longest night, the pause before the turning point. It’s a moment to reflect and release, but also a space to plant the seeds of renewal that will grow as the light slowly returns.

So! On December 21, I’m inviting you to join me for a Winter Solstice Yoga Nidra. We’ll explore the liminal space between wakefulness and sleep, self and no-self. It’s a chance to connect with the natural rhythm of life, to align with what’s quietly unfolding, and to nurture the intentions that will carry you into the new year.

So, get yer blankets ready, dim the lights in anticipation, and sign up below :)

Winter Solstice Practice

TIME: Dec 21 @ 8 PM EST

COST: This session is open to everyone. If you’d like to share gratitude & generosity for this practice, you can offer dana here.

REGISTER HERE ✨

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OH!! And if you haven’t, please fill out this survey to help me plan Bodhisavage for 2025! It’s only 5 questions long.

Some of you said the survey link didn’t work last time… if that’s still happening, just drop a comment below & let me know what practices & workshops you’re interested in exploring in 2025.

That’s all for now! You’ll hear from me again on the Solstice!

❤️ Tasha

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