If You Have Time to Scroll, You Have Time to Pause

As I was looking out my window last week—admiring the freshly fallen snow weighing heavily on the trees, set against a wintery blue sky—I realized how much Vata needs winter....how much we all need winter.

According to Ayurveda, Vata is one of the three energies, or doshas, that make us who we are. These energies are a reflection of the natural world itself. Just as we are shaped by the doshas, so are the seasons. We are now in the Vata time of year, late fall and early winter, when it is windy, cold, and dry.

Most people who are Vata-dominant or Vata-imbalanced (which is most of my clients) want to avoid the cold because it exacerbates symptoms like insomnia, anxiety, fear, constipation, grief, dryness, and restlessness... to name a few things. So escaping winter to head to Florida can feel like a wise choice. And it might be....if you use that time to truly winter.

You see, Vata moves fast. It’s literally the wind that blows—and it’s been blowing like crazy here in Colorado for the past few days. In Ayurveda, we treat with opposites. So while we want to keep Vata warm, we also want it to slow down.

And that’s exactly what winter invites us to do: slow. it. down.

We live in a very fast-paced world that constantly aggravates Vata. As a whole, we are rarely bored. We’re rarely gazing out a window for any length of time, waiting in line, or sitting at the doctor’s office without a device in our hands—music playing, a podcast going, or a show streaming.

We’ve lost those spaces where the brain could experience emptiness. Times when the mind could rest, get creative, or ponder the meaning of life. One Harvard professor suggests that our lack of boredom is contributing to rising rates of anxiety and depression because many people no longer know their purpose, and some don’t even care to explore it anymore. Why bother, when a tiny screen can keep you “happy”?

Beyond that, Ayurveda teaches that everything we take in must be digested, including information. When we consume too much information, it creates imbalances in the body and mind, especially in Vata.

Vata is often considered the queen of the doshas, as it is viewed as the root cause of many diseases.

This digestion includes the emotions we avoid while scrolling. We don’t like to be bored. When the mind stops, emotions arise, and many of those emotions are uncomfortable. So instead of feeling them, we swipe, scroll, and distract ourselves. But those emotions don’t disappear. They stay stored in the body, building pressure like a cooker until they spill out at the grocery store cashier, at the person who cuts you off in traffic, our partner and kids, or as an illness.

When Vata is imbalanced, fear often shows up everywhere, including around money. The racing thoughts about how to make more, pay bills, or “figure it out.” The feeling of doing it all alone. The inability to save. Money flows in and out…like the wind.

Even though winter is a Vata season, it carries the quality of slowness.

It’s easier to take on the typical ways to soothe vata by staying warm, eating warm cooked foods, and sipping chai on a cold afternoon.

But slowing down without consuming news, social media, podcasts, movies, or other digital input—that’s the real challenge. Letting yourself simply be, without entertainment or even (over)working, is the hardest part. Sometimes that even means not doing meditation, breathwork, or yoga nidra—really taking a timeout when you aren’t trying to do or achieve anything.

Our phones are always within reach. Working remotely blurs the line between work and rest. And online learning has robbed children of the heart-soaring freedom of a true snow day.

Modern research is simply confirming what Ayurveda has been teaching for thousands of years: how we live matters to our physical, mental, and emotional health.

So I invite you to practice slowing down… for real.

You can give yourself a true gift by slowing down first thing in the morning. Take a few minutes to peacefully enjoy your hot water (yes—great for Vata and getting things moving in the body) or coffee while looking out the window. Feel your feet on the floor. Breathe. Say a mantra or set an intention. Keep it very simple.

And as a bonus, see if you can take some time to simply be. I literally set a timer on my phone and do nothing for that amount of time—the length varies day to day. I don’t look at my phone. I don’t multitask. I don’t even try to meditate or do breathwork. I just look around. Extra points if you’re looking at nature. Let your mind wander, and gently bring it back every now and then.

I know we are in the thick of the holidays, and slowing down feels impossible. But, I promise, if you have time to scroll, you have time to do nothing.

Winter is offering you the opportunity to slow down enough to feel rested, calm, and at ease again.

Give yourself permission to just be.

It just might change your entire life.