Stay balanced this winter with these three mantras

By Cassie Weiss, Features Editor

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that when the inevitable cold of winter sets in, we all get a little unbalanced. Life slows down, and for some of us, we really don’t know how to combat the feeling of needing to be busy with the idea that winter is a time of hibernation.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a term being thrown around, telling us that one reason we might be sad is the reduced sunshine from going to work and coming home in the dark. And if you’re anything like me, you work in a building with sporadic windows and sometimes don’t even see the light of day.

Trust me, we all feel a little unbalanced in the winter. Humans don’t do well in the cold, no matter how much our goose down-lined jackets and thick furry mittens keep us warm. We simply don’t exist well in subzero temperatures, especially not after we factor in the windchill.

So take a moment — and sit in that moment — and ask yourself how you are really doing. And honestly, it’s okay if the answer is “not good”. With a global pandemic keeping us all away from our favourite humans and a polar vortex settling in for the upcoming weeks, no one will blame you if all you want to do is hide under a warm blanket. If I didn’t have so much studying to do, I would join you.

Give yourself some credit, but also give your body and mind a little bit of the relaxation it needs. If you haven’t left the house in a few days, that is totally okay. Like I said before, winter is a time of hibernation. But, it is also a time of rebalance — that time when we are given the opportunity to take a breath and reset the busy body that didn’t stop moving over the course of the warmer months, especially as we make our way into Reading Week.

So, if you are feeling a little off and aren’t quite sure where to start to get your body rebalanced, here are three of my favourite mantras that help reset my system whenever I can’t help but feel overwhelmed.

AUM (Pronounced ahh-ooo-mmm)

Do me a favour and chant this word — as many times as you want but at least three. This chant has a powerful vibration that provides a calming and uplifting effect. Humming the pronunciation of this word, you are sending vibrations from your abdomen to your heart to your head. By focusing on each region of your body as you hum, you stimulate positive health-inducing effects that travel through your entire body.

LAM (Pronounced laa-mmm)

Also known as a “bija mantra” or a “seed mantra”, this chant is closely related to the seven Chakras. By chanting this word, also a minimum of three times, you are allowing the grounding energy of your root chakra to provide balance, as well as a feeling of safety, security and comfort.

I am steady, safe, at the center of my being

Sometimes you can’t physically chant or hum anything, especially if you are out in public. I’ve gotten into the habit of keeping a few centering mantras in my back pocket that I can repeat over and over to myself.

The best part about mantras? You can make them your own. What counts is that you repeat them in cycles of three to help bring you back to your center.