As we come into the holidays, everyone is trying to be merry and festive. That’s great! Enjoy the time with family and friends. However, as we come upon the Winter Solstice, this has traditionally been a time of inner reflection before the light of the Yule returns.

If I may be blunt, shadow work is just another way for us to deal with our shit. In our quest to keep a positive outlook, in our quest for bigger and better, we quietly set aside the stuff that we don’t want to deal with. Our inner critic, the frenemy we keep because they have been our friend for so long. The lost of a loved one we never completely grieved. All of these things the world says to put a positive spin on it, but in reality, we have to feel the feelings in order to move on.

What does shadow work look like? Here’s a quick 90 second exercise to help you move through a feeling. You’re angry. You can pick what you’re angry about….and I know you’re angry about something…

So first, acknowledge the anger. You can say out loud, “I’m SO ANGRY!” What does it feel like? If you’re saying it the right way, the smile you had is probably gone. And maybe you’ve got a bit of a growl in your voice. That’s great! What does the anger feel like in your body? Maybe you need to jump up and down or shake your hands out in order to move the energy through. Maybe you just need to scream. That’s ok – feel it and allow it to move through your body.

There may be a story attached to the anger. Don’t go back into it. Just acknowledge it and allow it to let go. Take a deep breath and feel it releasing as you exhale. 

Think of this exercise like a wave in the ocean: you see the wave forming, the wave crests, and then the wave falls back into the water. It’s the same thing with our emotions. Practice doing this in less than 2 minutes.

The most important reason for us to do the shadow work is so that emotions don’t get stuck in our bodies. Disease in our physical bodies is the result of unprocessed emotions. Allowing these emotions to surface to be acknowledge goes a long way in healing ourselves. While it may be uncomfortable at first, give yourself permission to do this with any emotion that comes up. 

May the light of the Yule bless you during this time of the Winter Solstice. And so it is!