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- Have you heard of walking hibernation?
Have you heard of walking hibernation?
Karen Choi
April 08, 2026
Like looking into a mirror.
Female bears come out of hibernation later than males. Especially the ladies who've been caring for cubs all winter. Mama bears don't wake up ready to hit the ground running. They ease in, slowly, taking their time to adjust for a few weeks.
Scientists call this season walking hibernation.
I’m beginning to believe that bears are very civilized.
Unlike me, a savage human who wakes up feeling groggy and before even getting out of bed, jumps to fix her existence. Like there’s a problem. Shift, move, anything to not feel that way. Doesn’t even give herself a breath before thinking, “what’s wrong with me” or “I should be something else”.
Juggernauting head first toward some nature-defying idea, until I caught myself falling flat in self-defeat.
Yes, spring is for rebirth and renewal. I want to be out there, blooming and expressing myself in new, bold and beautiful ways. (Cue the 90s soap opera saxophone.) And whether we like it or not, we don’t skip from winter to summer. Spring doesn’t arrive clean, bright, and ready. It’s soggy. It’s a thaw. Let her melt.
The bears don’t fight nature. Instead, they seek to nourish themselves and to replenish their energy. They focus on regaining their strength. They get resourced so they can continue caring for and teaching their cubs. So why am I wasting energy, giving myself grief?
When I stopped wrestling and sat with my grogginess, something unexpected showed up. Gratitude met me with a surprising boost, like a flirty pat on the bum.
Darling, this feeling? It’s actually a sign that you’re in tune with the season. You’re part of nature. Honour that magnificent, ancient, infinite force. Stop going against yourself when you can align with that. It’s f*cking powerful.
Come for a walking hibernation with me.
Soul Care Sunday on April 19 is a restorative live music experience for the part of you that needs to thaw before blooming. 90 minutes away from the den and the cubs. Just you, and whatever this season is stirring up. Reserve your spot here.
It is the fate of modern life that we repeatedly lose touch with nature, the environment, the planet. But we try to regain it again and again. It’s like a circle. In children’s hearts and souls when they’re born into the world, nature already exists deep inside them. So what I want to do in my work is tap into their souls.
May you ease in, slowly, like the bears. 🐻
May you trust the thaw, even when it's soggy. 🌧️
May you bloom at exactly the pace nature intended. 🌸
With love,
Karen
P.S. If this care kit felt good for your soul, forward it to someone who you like to thaw with and watch each other bloom.
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