✨ WINTER WELLNESS TOOLKIT ✨

A Seasonal Guide for Grounding, Ritual, and Nourishment

1. Winter Teas & Warm Drinks

One of my favourite ways to warm up! Here are some of my go-to's;

Warming Ginger Tea

• Fresh grated/sliced ginger root (as much as you like, I say the more the better)

• 3 cups of water

• Ceylon cinnamon (1-2 pieces of bark or 1/2 tblspoon ground)

• 1/2 lemon

• Honey (to taste)

TO MAKE: in a saucepan, boil water with ginger + cinnamon for 10 minutes. Add in lemon, and honey to taste (more or less if desired), you can also water this down with more hot water...

Masala Chai 

• Fresh grated/sliced ginger root

• Turmeric root (sliced/ or ground)

• 3 cups of water

• Ceylon cinnamon (bark or ground)

• Star Anise (2-3 pieces)

• Cloves (2-3)

• Cardamon (pods, 3-5)

• Fennel (optional) sprinkle it in

• Ceylon black tea (optional for caffeine) - add after

TO MAKE: in a saucepan, boil water with all ingredients, except blank tea, for 10-20 mins, Pour the boiling mixture in a mug with black tea bag if you'd like & enjoy. You can also water this down with more hot water, or add milk of choice.

Turmeric & Ginger Immune Elixer 

• Chunk of fresh Ginger root (peeled)

• Chunk of Fresh Turmeric root (peeled)

• 1/2 cup of water

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Honey (to taste)

Blend together the water, whole ginger, whole turmeric, and lemon, making a concentrated shot. Add 1/2 to a mug, and add 1/2 cup boiling water and optional honey to sweeten. This can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Other hot drinks/teas I love:

• Dandelion Root Tea - amazing coffee alternative, no caffeine, and great for liver health.

• Chicory Root - another coffee alternative, no caffeine, with a rich, nutty flavour, great for gut health and grounding.

• Licorices Root Tea - Naturally sweet and soothing; helpful for stress, adrenals, and digestion.

• Spearmint Tea - Refreshing and calming, great for after meals and suppose to help support skin and hormone balance.

• Matcha - A gentle, sustained source of energy/caffeine rich in antioxidants; supports focus and calm alertness.

• Warm Water upon Waking - Try starting your day with a mug of warm water (with or without lemon) to wake up digestion and gently warm the body. Give your body 30mins with just this, before food or coffee.

2. Seasonal Rituals for Grounding

Micro-practices to help you stay steady through darker months.

• SAD LAMP Morning Ritual - Create a morning ritual in front of your SAAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) lamp to help boost mood, energy, and regulate your circadian rhythm through the darker months. Sit in front of a 10,000-lux lamp for 20–30 minutes while you sip tea, journal, stretch, or simply breathe. It’s an easy, nourishing way to lift winter sluggishness and start your day with clarity and steadiness. Your eyes do need to be open.

• Outdoor Light Ritual - On top of the above, try to step outside for 5–10 minutes of natural light daily, ideally before 9am.

• Tea ritual - Choose a favourite tea and sip it slowly without multitasking. Let the act of drinking become its own mindful practice.

• Write down your intentions for the day - even one simple intention each morning to help anchor your mind and create purposeful direction for the day.

• Gratitude practice - End your day writing down 1–3 things you're grateful for. A small, steady way to regulate your nervous system and shift toward ease and joy.

• Dedicate 10-15 mins to moving your body - Gentle stretching, Yin, a short walk, or a mindful mobility practice — anything that gets energy moving and warms the body. Something more vigorous might feel good too!

• Dedicate 5-10 mins to a meditation/breathing practice - A grounding breath practice, guided meditation, or quiet stillness to support clarity and calm. Find an APP you like, like Insight Timer, for something guided. Or just set a timer, sit there, and see what comes up while you attempt to focus on your breathe.

• Digital Fasting - Reduce screen exposure in the evening (set a time, like after 8pm) to support wind down and deeper sleep. And attempt to wait until a certain time the next morning (say, 8am) before you check your devices again. Do not underestimate a slow wake up and the power that offers your day. Overall, try to use your devices mindfully, avoid mindLESS scrolling, and pay attention to the time it can easily suck out of your precious day.

3. Nourishing Winter Recipes

Support your body with warm, grounding foods. Here are some I like;

• Miso Udon Noodle Soup

• Roasted Root Vegetables Bowl

• Red Lentil Dahl

• Blue Berry Steel Cut Oats

• Quinoa and Sweet Potato Kitchary

• Chickpea, Cabbage, Lentil Soup

4. Movement & Mindfulness Practices

Simple practices to regulate stress and cultivate warmth.

• 5-Minute Breath Reset: Inhale 4 — hold 4 — exhale 6/7/8 - helps to switch us into parasympathetic mode. Ideally breathe through the nose, or exhale by mouth. Lengthen those exhales, all the way to empty, sending signals to our body and brain that we are safe to rest, heal, and calm down.

• Winter Yin Favourites — try staying in these posture for 3-5 mins (per side)

  • Supported Child’s Pose - Rest your torso and head on a bolster or stacked blocks. Allows the back body to soften, calms the mind, and warms the nervous system during colder months.

  • Reclined Twist - Place a bolster or block between your knees for support. Gently wrings out tension through the spine and digestive organs — perfect for winter heaviness and tightness.

  • Legs-Up-the-Wall - A gentle inversion that improves circulation, soothes tired legs, and helps shift the body into rest-and-digest mode. Lovely before bed.

• Embodied Winter Walk - Try taking a slow, mindful walk outdoors, without your phone, without listening to anything, just be present with what's happening around you. Listen to the sounds, take in the smells, use all your sense perceptions to make this a mindfully present meditation of sorts.

5. Home Retreat Setup (Winter Edition)

Create a cozy sanctuary at home using simple elements:

• Soft lighting (lamps, candles, fairy lights) - soften the nervous system and create an inviting, restful atmosphere.

• Bring out the warm blankets, meditation shawls, house coats, thick socks, slippers… get cozy, stay warm and layered.

• Journal/Meditation Nook - Create a small, designated corner for journaling, meditation, or intention-setting. A consistent space helps anchor the ritual.

• Curated calming music - Play soft background music like jazz, classical, ambient, or seasonal favourites. Some I like are: slow morning, cozy jazz, jazzy oldies, classical

• Essential oils - use grounding scents to shift the mood of your space, through a diffuser, or simply rubbing them between your palms:

  • Lavender — calming, supports relaxation + sleep

  • Cedarwood — grounding, earthy, helps reduce winter anxiety

  • Eucalyptus — refreshing, clears the mind + supports easy breathing

  • Pine / Fir / Spruce — crisp and wintery, brings the feeling of nature indoors

  • Frankincense — meditative, grounding, great for breath practices

  • Palosanto - wood you can burn to bring a lovely scent and sense of calm to your space as well.

6. Journal Prompts for the Season

Reflect, reset, and reconnect. Setting gentle intentions, looking back at the year that has passed and the new one on the horizon ... here are some prompts that might resonate:

• What is winter — or this time of year — asking me to soften into?

• Where is there resistance in my life, and how can I soften those edges?

• What is my body trying to tell me? Check in with your energy, tension patterns, and the subtle signals your body offers.

• Looking back, what am I genuinely proud of from this past year?

  What do I want to carry with me into the new year?

• What am I ready to release before the year begins? What old stories, habits, or expectations can I let go of?

• What small rituals help me feel grounded, nourished, and connected?

• What habits or patterns may no longer be serving me?

I hope this short seasonal guide sparks inspiration and keeps you feeling nourished and grounded through this time of year. Send yourself some love — you are doing just fine.

Remember: Winter is the season of quiet restoration. Just as every seed needs time to rest beneath the surface before it sprouts in spring, grows in summer, and ripens in fall, we also need periods of dormancy. This slower, darker season enriches the “soil” of your life — giving you space to restore, recalibrate, and gather strength for all the magic that comes next.

Let this be your permission to soften, to rest, to breathe a little deeper. Everything you’re cultivating begins here, in the stillness.