The Seasonal Way- Mindfulness and movement

Winter Season Practice: Awakening the Qi (Water Element)

In the ICB programme at Gannow Community Centre, winter is where we slow things down, come back into the body, and rebuild from the inside out. This is not “exercise class” energy. It is a gentle, accessible practice designed for real life and real bodies, especially if you are living with stress, low mood, anxiety, fatigue, pain, isolation, or a long-term health condition. 

What we mean by Qi (and why it matters)

In many Western settings we are taught to live from the neck up. But ancient systems have always described a felt sense of life force moving through the body. In Chinese medicine this is Qi, moving through meridians and energetic centres (including the dantian/tanden), influencing how we feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

When Qi is low, stuck, or scattered, it can show up as:

• tension, tight breathing, poor sleep

• low energy and low motivation

• feeling emotionally “on edge” or shut down

• aches, heaviness, or that sense of being blocked

A modern parallel some people find helpful is fascia (connective tissue). If the body’s system is like a hosepipe, our work is to gently soften the kinks and restore flow.

Intention: where the mind goes, energy follows

We begin with a simple question: what do you want from this season?

Not a perfect answer, just something true. We keep returning to your “why”, not as a concept, but as a felt experience in the body.  

Diaphragmatic breathing: bringing the system back online

Stress tightens the belly and lifts the breath into the chest. Over time, that can become the default, even when life is not actively “threatening”. In winter we practise diaphragmatic breathing to help your nervous system downshift and to restore the body’s natural rhythm. This supports steadier mood, clearer thinking, and a calmer internal baseline.  

The hara and tanden: building your “battery pack”

A core focus of winter is strengthening and settling into the centre:

• Hara (the abdomen): grounded strength and stability

• Tanden (below the navel): a place to gather energy, settle the mind, and leave practice feeling resourced

This is how you build steadiness, especially when winter outside feels like a lot.

Winter focus in Chinese medicine: kidneys and bladder (Water element)

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter relates to the kidneys and bladder, and themes like rest, reserves, vitality, and emotional balance. Our winter sessions include slow grounding movement, gentle twists, breathwork, and practices intended to support energy, circulation, and calm.  

We also explore sound and extended exhalations (including the kidney healing sound, “CHUU”) as part of nervous system regulation and vagal tone support.

Movement practices: Zen Taiso and the Eight Silks

Expect movement that is purposeful, kind, and adaptable:

• Zen Taiso to keep joints open and functional, build strength through the centre, and support balance and mobility

• The Eight Silks (moving meditation) to mobilise the whole body, link breath to movement, and settle attention

This is “Yoga for people who don’t do yoga” in practice: simple, inclusive, and designed to meet you where you are.  

Seasonal food and shared lunch: connection matters

Each session includes seasonal food education and a shared healthy lunch. This is not an add-on. It is part of the wellbeing work: connection, conversation, recipe sharing, and that gentle rebuilding of community that so many of us are missing.  

How we finish: regulation and gratitude

We close with calming breathwork and guided mental imagery for gratitude, using sensory detail so the body can truly “receive” the experience. Many people notice they leave feeling lighter, steadier, and more able to cope with whatever their week is holding.

Why this sits so well with ICB and social prescribing

This programme is built to support:

• reduced isolation and improved mental wellbeing

• accessible movement for people who do not engage with traditional exercise

• social prescribing routes as a complementary offer to GP referral pathways  

And importantly, we measure impact. In our existing delivery, we are seeing over 40% stress reduction in the 8-week mindfulness course, alongside strong community connection outcomes in wider programme evaluation.

We started back in October with our 8-week Zen and mindfulness course. More about that below.

As the weeks unfolded, we saw clear, measurable shifts in wellbeing and connection across the group. Using the University of Oxford evaluation tools, the starting mean average stress score for participants was 21, compared to an age-group average of 11.9. This baseline sits within a range associated with high levels of stress that could endanger health. By the end of the 8-week course, the mean average stress score reduced to 12, representing a total decrease in stress levels of 43%.

Alongside this, quality of life scores increased by 40% and present-moment awareness (MAAS) increased by 48%. This matters because greater present-moment awareness is linked with improved attention and creativity, and reduced forgetfulness and carelessness, which may also reduce everyday accidents.

 Social and emotional outcomes strengthened too: feeling connected to others increased by 75%, feeling calm and at peace increased by 83%, energy to take part in more things increased by 67%, and feeling hopeful for the future increased by 83%.

Just as importantly, the group feedback brought the numbers to life:

“The overall experience has been fantastic. The pacing has been great, I’ve felt safe whilst having discussions. Dawn listens to everyone’s questions, and answers in a respectful manner. The content has been very interesting. I would recommend this to everyone who wants to improve their health, physically and mentally.”
 

“The overall experience was quite challenging but very enlightening. The in person classes were really great, it was great to receive the weekly teachings and meet and connect and learn and share with other people.
I found some of the daily meditations quite challenging too, but I adapted when necessary and that worked for me. I will continue with the daily meditations that I do in the mornings, as I've found them to be very beneficial for my overall wellbeing.”
 

“Such a positive experience. I don’t want it to end!”
 

We finished with a Christmas gathering, music from one of our talented group, and a Jacob’s Join, a simple and joyful reminder that community is part of wellbeing too. Next week we move into the season of winter, and we shall be moving our bodies in line with the season. We will be welcoming a few new members to the group as well.