12/19/2025
Winter Solstice at Woodward Park
December 21 | 10:30 AM | Mansion at Woodward Park
The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. From this turning point forward, daylight slowly begins to return. Across cultures and ecosystems, this moment has long been recognized as a time of pause, rest, reflection, and quiet renewal.
In nature, winter is not a season of death, but of conservation and deep intelligence. Trees pull energy into their roots. Animals slow, migrate, or hibernate. Seeds rest beneath the soil, gathering what they need for future growth. The solstice reminds us that stillness is not stagnation; it is preparation.
From a trauma-informed perspective, winter solstice offers a powerful reframe:
• You do not need to be “productive” to be worthy
• Rest is not failure; it is repair
• Slowness is a form of safety
• Community helps regulate and restore the nervous system
This practice invites choice, agency, and self-compassion. Participants are welcome to engage at their own pace during the nature walk, the mandala creation, and the yoga practice. There is no right way to experience this moment.
Nature Walk & Group Mandala Practice
As we walk through the gardens and park, we will gather fallen, found natural objects like leaves, twigs, seed pods, stones, nothing living will be taken. Together, we’ll create a collective mandala, a symbol of wholeness, interconnection, and impermanence.
At the close of practice, the mandala will be returned to the earth, honoring the principle of non-attachment and our reciprocal relationship with nature.
The Winter Solstice invites us to remember
Even in the darkest season, light is already on its way.
Even in rest, life is quietly working.
Even in stillness, we are becoming.
