Resting Into Renewal: Reclaiming The Seasons For Stillness

We’ve been told January is for change—resolutions, new routines, bold plans for the future.

But nature tells a different story.

Look outside in January: the trees are bare, the ground is still, life is resting. Nothing is rushing to grow. Everything is quietly preparing for spring.

Meanwhile, October is alive with movement. Leaves blaze red and gold. Animals scurry, gathering what they need to make it through winter. Nature is busy now so it can rest later.

Maybe we’ve been out of rhythm.

Rest isn’t laziness. It isn’t wasted time. Rest deepens our roots into what matters. It gives body, mind, and spirit the chance to knit together into wholeness—so that when spring arrives, we’re ready for the life that wants to bloom.

What if this January, instead of striving harder, you gave yourself permission to be still? To rest without guilt. To trust that the pause is part of growth.

If rest feels uncomfortable, pay attention. That discomfort is a kind of feedback—the body reminding us how rarely we allow true stillness. Alone, it can feel intolerable. But in the right setting, surrounded by others who are also unlearning guilt and discovering the gift of rest, something shifts.

That’s why we created the Salt & Stillness Retreat this January—a safe circle of women who are ready to reclaim rest as the great work it truly is. Together we’ll practice stillness, deepen our roots, heal our nervous system, and prepare for the life that wants to bloom in spring.

Maybe this year, instead of pushing through January, you’ll let yourself rest into it.

With you in renewal,

Joyce D Scherdin, Therapist. Guide. Alchemist