“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
— Albert Camus
Hey lovely,
It’s winter in Aotearoa. The days are short, the air is cool, and if you’re anything like most of us, there’s a part of you that has quietly contracted, pulled inward, turned the electric blanket on, and started wondering if spring will ever actually come.
I, for one, wondered if I would ever gain access to my emailing provider so I could finally get another Yogi Note out. Yes, I've had email issues again, bah humbug. I had to get a new laptop because my other one finally stopped being reliable, by literally stopping 😭, but for some reason, when I tried to access ConvertKit to write a Yogi Note, it needed me to verify my device, and no matter what I tried, I NEVER got the verification email. After weeks of back and forth with ConvertKit and my hosting company, I was the one to actually find the fix (of course), so phew and yay, here we are, back in action, and I do believe I've got a pretty great Yogi Note for you 😊😉😍
So, back to my musing on winter and on trusting what's growing in the dark...
Alongside that physical pulling-in and fervently hoping for spring to come early, sometimes something else creeps in too. A subtle scarcity feeling. A sense that things are somehow stuck. That growth has paused. That life is happening somewhere else, for someone else, while you sit here in your woolly socks eating soup.
But here’s what I want to offer you today, straight from both ancient wisdom and modern science: winter is not absence. Winter is preparation. And what looks like stillness on the surface is almost always something extraordinary happening underneath.
WHAT NATURE ALREADY KNOWS
A seed planted in winter doesn’t sprout immediately. It sits in the cold, dark earth; dormant, invisible, doing absolutely nothing as far as anyone watching can tell. And yet underground, something profound is happening. The seed is softening, opening, sending out the tiniest thread of a root. It is, in the most literal sense, becoming.
Trees do this too. Many plants need a period of cold, what botanists call vernalisation, in order to flower at all. The winter isn’t an interruption to their growth. It is a non-negotiable part of it. Without the cold, there is no bloom.
I actually just explained this to my partner. We just planted a load of natives in our backyard, including moving some Pongas from under a staircase, and I was explaining that we won't see much growth until spring, as the plants are busy right now setting down roots, and once that business is sorted they they will shoot out new growth, so he just needs to be patient 😊
We are not separate from nature, no matter how many heated homes and Netflix subscriptions we have. We are seasonal beings living inside a seasonal world. And when we fight the rhythm, when we demand of ourselves the same output in winter as in summer, we miss the profound intelligence of the quiet.
THE SCIENCE OF GRATITUDE & ABUNDANCE
Neuroscience has a fascinating take on this. Research from UC Davis found that people who practised weekly gratitude journalling reported significantly higher levels of optimism and felt better about their lives overall. More remarkably, brain imaging studies show that gratitude activates the medial prefrontal cortex, the area associated with learning and decision-making, while simultaneously quieting the amygdala, your brain’s threat detector.
In other words, a genuine gratitude practice doesn’t just feel good. It literally rewires your brain to perceive more possibility, more abundance, and less threat. You start to see the seeds rather than just the bare soil.
THE YOGIC TAKE ON ABUNDANCE
In yogic philosophy, the concept of Santosha, one of the Niyamas from Patanjali’s eight-limbed path, is often translated as contentment. But it goes deeper than that. Santosha isn’t passive resignation. It isn’t telling yourself everything is fine when it isn’t. It’s a dynamic, active choice to find the fullness in what already exists, while still moving toward what you desire.
It is, in essence, the art of holding both: gratitude for now and openness to more. The seed trusts the dark while still reaching for the light.
There’s also the concept of Spanda, the divine pulse, the cosmic vibration that underlies all of life. Spanda teaches that life is never truly still. Even in the quietest moments, energy is moving. Things are shifting. Roots are forming. The universe is, as it always is, conspiring in your favour, even when you can’t see it yet. Even when we are still, we still breathe; there is always movement, no matter how minute.
Signs you might be in your winter season (and why that’s actually okay):
— You feel like you’re not achieving enough, even though you’re actually resting and integrating
— The big things feel far away
— but the small beautiful things are right here if you look
— You’re being called inward, toward reflection rather than action
— Something is shifting underneath the surface
— you can feel it but can’t name it yet
— You’re being asked to trust rather than push
If any of those landed, welcome to the fertile dark. You are not behind. You are not stuck. You are a seed in winter, and the most important work of your becoming is happening right now, quietly, underneath everything. 🌱
GRATITUDE AS A RADICAL ACT
Here’s the thing about gratitude that nobody tells you: it doesn’t work as a bypass. You can’t slap a “but I’m grateful” on top of genuine struggle and call it done. That’s not gratitude - that’s avoidance with good PR.
Real gratitude is the practice of expanding your perception, of training your attention to also include what is working, what is beautiful, what is already here. Not instead of the hard stuff. Alongside it.
And when you do that consistently, when you make it a practice rather than a performance, something genuinely remarkable begins to happen. You start to notice more. The warmth of a morning coffee. The particular quality of winter light. The way your body feels after a good class. The kindness of a stranger. The fact that you have a body that breathes, moves, and carries you through the world every single day.
Abundance isn’t a bank balance or a highlight reel. It’s a frequency. And you can tune into it, even now, even in the cold, even when things feel uncertain. Especially then, actually.
A WINTER ABUNDANCE PRACTICE
This one is simple. Deceptively so. But done consistently over the next few weeks, it has the genuine power to shift something.
THE SEED & THE SOIL - a daily winter ritual
- EACH MORNING, BEFORE YOUR PHONE: Place one hand on your heart and take three slow breaths. Just arrive. Just be here.
- NAME THREE THINGS YOU’RE GENUINELY GRATEFUL FOR. Not impressive things, small, true, right-now things. The warmth. The quiet. The fact that you woke up.
- NAME ONE SEED. One thing you’re nurturing, hoping for, or moving toward, however quietly. Acknowledge it. Give it a moment of your attention and belief.
- SAY (OR THINK): “I trust what is growing in the dark.” Mean it, even if only 10% of you believes it right now. That 10% is enough to start.
- THEN GET ON WITH YOUR DAY. You’ve tended the seed. Now let it grow.
Winter will not last forever. Spring has never once failed to come. And when it does, when your seeds push through the soil and reach toward the warmth, you’ll look back at this quiet season and understand exactly what it was for.
It was growing you. All along. In the most beautiful, invisible, necessary way.
Trust the dark, lovely. Something extraordinary is on its way. 🎉
What's Happening In The Pantry 🧘♀️
Sadly, we do not currently have our Sunday classes. The lovely Ele had to step away for a while, but hopefully we'll see her back from time to time.
A NEW Beginner Yoga starts on THURSDAY the 4th of June, If you know someone who's looking to get into yoga and doesn't know how or where to start, then this is just the perfect place to start. Our beginner Yoga course has been running for nearly 12 years and is the best and most well-rounded around (If I do say so myself). With a good mix of philosophy, breathwork, and of course, physical postures, but what really sets us apart is the emphasis on finding ways to let the poses fit you rather than the other way around.
It's also a great course to brush up on your basics and get back into the swing of things if you've been away from your yoga practice for a while..
For more information and to secure a coveted spot in this fantastic course, check out our website.
Beginner Plus Starts Next MONDAY on the 8th of June
This may well be the only one this year, so don't miss out!
For those who have been through the Beginner Course or have been doing classes for a while and wish to advance their practice, knowledge and skill base, this is the next step you need to take to advance to the next phase of your yoga journey.
We only run these sessions once or twice a year and the next one starts on the 8th of June!
Head on over to our website, check it out and then get yourself registered 😉
We've also got a SOUNDBATH happening on the 21st of June
This is going to be a 4 seasons delight with a strong emphasis on winter and spring, taking us from the slumber and restoration of winter to the new beginnings and possibilities of Spring. I'm super pumped for this. Make sure you grab your ticket for this event before it slips your mind!
Book your spot in the session and bring your friends to share the delights!
Head here to book all your regular yoga classes and maybe even try some new ones!
Remember, you can join us online from anywhere in the world, live or at a time that suits you, with our instant 14-day on-demand Zoom recording!
Don't forget you can also join us for a FREE meditation session every Saturday morning, and even if you can't, you can book in via Zoom and do the meditation later in the day, or every day, until the next session :)
Your YouTube Class Of The Week
Something even more different for you today!! I've started a Podcast with my friend and fellow coach, Pania. We'd love for you to come on this adventure with us and are excited to dig into any goals or desires you might like to manifest.
What's it all about?
Real conversations. Real growth. Real messy in the best possible way.
Join Tash and Pania - two coaches who believe the best way to learn is by doing it out loud. Each episode, one of them steps into the coaching chair while the other takes the seat across from them, and together they explore real themes, real challenges, and real moments of insight - no scripts, no polished answers, just genuine coaching in action.
Whether they're unpacking a coaching tool, sitting with a hard question, or stumbling into an unexpected breakthrough, Tash and Pania invite you along for the whole ride.
You'll hear the pauses, the lightbulb moments, the laughter, and occasionally the tears - because that's what real coaching looks like. Each episode is shaped by a theme that matters, often suggested by listeners like you, and explored through a live coaching conversation, followed by honest reflection from both the coach and coachee on what unfolded and why.
This podcast is for coaches who are still learning (aren't we all), for people curious about what coaching actually looks and feels like, and for anyone who believes that growth is better when it's shared.
Pull up a seat. The adventure starts here.
Feel free to share these vids far and wide because sharing is caring :D
With so much warmth and a very full heart this winter 🌿
Tash & The Yoga Pantry team.
See you on the mat. ♥️
P.S If you wish to receive these amazing Yogi Notes straight to your inbox, sign up HERE
You can also catch up on previous Yogi Notes right HERE
P.P.S Don’t forget to share your Yoga insights on social media with the hashtag #TheYogaPantryLife #Yogaislife #theyogapantrywithtash
Let’s spread the yoga love far and wide!
I see you, and I appreciate you. You are awesome...and don't you forget it ;) x
