The words ‘winter is coming’ can have an ominous ring to them, but for us at Kowhai and Co they are a cause for delight. Each season is welcomed equally here, bringing its own joys that are to be looked forward to every year. Winter may be the coldest and the darkest of the seasons, but if you lean into this rather than struggling against it, there is much to love. It is the season of hibernation; of retreating inwards and enjoying time at home, creating a cosy place for yourself to nestle down. It’s the perfect time to indulge in yourself - nourishing your mind, rejuvenating your body and taking care of your soul.
Read on as we share our advice for how to embrace winter.
What to look forward to in winter
The darkest months of the year are the perfect time to embrace light and warmth at home. There is nothing cosier than arriving home on a grey, rainy evening and lighting a fire in the hearth/a wood-burning stove. Imagine yourself pulling up a chair beside the fire and making yourself comfortable with layers of cushions and blankets. Lighting a scented candle and listening to the roar of the fire and the crackle of the candle’s wick. Opening up a new book, pouring a cup of herbal tea and just enjoying this small moment to yourself.
Or what about the joy of running the perfect bath? You can hear raindrops lashing against the window as you fill the tub with hot water, oils and salts, creating an ambiance that is both cosy and relaxing. Pouring yourself a warm drink or a glass of wine, choosing a podcast to listen to, dimming the lights and laying back to soak. An hour passes before you know it.
Winter isn’t all about spending time indoors, however. We also love wrapping up in a warm jumper and waterproof jacket, and heading outdoors for solo walks where you can be alone with your own thoughts at the same time as breathing in the fresh air. Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is known to be beneficial for both your physical and mental health, reducing stress, promoting creativity, and lowering both your heart rate and blood pressure. Walking in a forest (or among any other natural landscapes) is just as calming during winter as of any other time of year. With mist rising between the trees, the quiet of the winter months and the chance of discovering hoarfrost on the coldest days, it can be a particularly magical time to walk through a woodland.
How to enjoy small moments at home over winter
We drink wellness teas all year round, but winter has to be our favourite time of year to curl up on the sofa with a steaming mug of tea. Our teas are concocted from unique blends of herbal ingredients designed to bring about a sense of tranquillity. Each blend has been specifically created with aims including restoring, relaxing and energising, allowing you to choose the tea which is right for you. If you would like to switch off from your phone more over the upcoming months, the ritual of preparing and enjoying a wellness tea is a good distraction. Our tea infuser flask allows you to brew your tea to take with you on a walk, if you would rather go for a stroll outside than curl up with your drink by the fire.
There is nothing more calming during the winter months than watching the flame of a candle flicker. Our scented candles are all soy wax, non-toxic creations that can be burned in your home each evening without worry. We love how multi-sensory candles can be: not only is their scent soothing, but the crackle of the wick and the flicker of the flame also help you to relax. Your chosen scent can also evoke memories - it is said that scent is the strongest sense when it comes to our memory. We love lighting candles all around the home during the winter months, to savour small moments at the same time as bringing light to those dark evenings: beside the sofa as we read, in the bathroom as we soak, and in the kitchen as we cook.
Winter is a time when we can focus more on ourselves and nourish our minds. Cosy evenings at home (whether you prefer to curl up in bed beneath the duvet or on the sofa beside the fire) are the perfect times to get stuck into the pages of a book. Of course, we enjoy fiction, but our true love is our collection of self-care books that help you to love and care for yourself. Whether you are seeking advice on managing anxiety, looking to slow down your day-to-day life or learn how to be more present in each moment, we have carefully curated a selection of books to both aid and educate.
Perhaps you find journaling to be a more transformative journey than reading? What better way to begin a winter’s morning than rising early, lighting a candle, brewing a wellness tea and sitting down with your journal to manifest your hopes for the day ahead or to reflect on the previous day. There is a journal for every journey - whether you prefer to begin with blank pages, or to react to prompts.
Winter is also the time to nourish our bodies, as well as our minds. Our skin can get dryer during the winter months, meaning that our beauty regimes may need to adapt. Indulging in long hot baths or devoting evenings to making your home feel like a spa is a wonderful way to lift your spirits. Slather your skin in moisturiser or oils, apply exfoliating masks, indulge in a relaxing skincare regime that you don’t rush through, or just run a bath and enjoy soaking in the hot water.
How will you embrace winter this year?
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