The Wisdom of the Bear

One of my favourite qigong forms are the Bear Frolics.

There's something deeply comforting about moving like a bear at this time of year.

The feeling of settling into your own weight.
Resting your eyes into your paws.

Medicine for your kidneys and adrenal glands.

In Chinese medicine, winter is the season of restoration. A time for conserving energy, replenishing our reserves, and listening more deeply to the body's rhythms.

The Taoists held the bear in high regard because bears understand the essentials of how to live from their centre.

A bear doesn't waste energy trying to be anything other than a bear.

They trust the ground beneath them.
They move without hurrying.
They conserve their strength.

We live in a culture that rewards scattering ourselves.

Doing more.

Wanting more.

And so often being other than ourself.

Proving, masking, pushing.

So Much Effort.

Yet the bear reminds us that vitality comes not from constant output, but from remaining weighted in ourselves.

Winter is not asking us to bloom. It's inviting us to return to the den to gather, consolidate and preserve our energy.

To remember what it feels like to inhabit our own body, our own pace, our own life.

The Bear Frolics feel like a moving meditation on this wisdom. A reminder that strength can be gentle and power can be quiet. It's the same paw the bear uses, with claws, to defend from predators as she uses to love her cubs, able to protect and nurture within moments of each other.

And that sometimes the most nourishing things we can do are simple.

Bears know the way home.

If something here speaks to you, you can work with me in person at my clinic in Preston and at The Yin Palace gatherings in Melbourne, or online through my qigong community and Rage Rising. The Three Treasures Pathway is offered both in person and online.

With Love,
Anny 🌹