WINTER - SEASON OF THE SOUL

KEY FOCUS: FINDING YOUR INNER SELF; MAKING PEACE WITH YOUR SOUL

SECONDARY FOCUS: CONSOLIDATING THIS YEAR; LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT TASKS: BECOMING MINDFUL; SEEKING YOUR SPIRITUALITY; INVESTIGATING THE PAST; GAINING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS TO THE FUTURE.

QUESTIONS: WHO AM I? AM I REALLY LIVING LIFE AS ME? WHAT DO I NEED TO SORT OUT FROM MY PAST? WHAT PREVENTS ME FROM BEING AT PEACE? WHAT DO I WANT FROM MY FUTURE?

CHALLENGES: MAKE CHRISTMAS STRESS-FREE; JUMP OFF THE WORLD FOR A WEEK; ALLOW YOURSELF TIME; GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION NOT TO BE BRIGHT AND CHEERY ALL THE TIME; TRUST IN YOUR HEALING POWERS; GRANT YOURSELF HAPPINESS.

FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS: CHRISTMAS/YULETIDE; NEW YEAR; IMBOLC

Few people would claim that winter is their favourite season. The bright leaves of autumn have all fallen while the new growth of spring seems a world away. It is a quiet time, a resting time, when nature withdraws in on itself and waits, slumbering. If we are sensible we will follow nature's example and use winter as a reflective pause, a time to think about our lives, a time to replenish our energy reserves.

It's a season to curl up by a fire with a good book, some quiet music or merely to sit musing, staring into the flames. Winter naturally makes us more contemplative and less outgoing. The days are shorter, there is less light and the weather is often inhospitable - shrouding fog, endless rain, beautiful but chilly snow, cruel frosts and ice. No-one feels on top of the world especially when you are getting up in darkness and going home in darkness again after a long day's work. It's no wonder we often get more depressed and low in the winter months.

Christmas of course brightens up the world throughout December - with gleaming lights, cheery greenery and steaming cups of mulled wine - the prospect of parties and presents keeps most people happy, although undoubtedly harassed as well. Then New Year arrives with more festivities, more feasts, more fun. And then? Nothing. We are left stranded in the dark gloom of January with months still to go before the fresh upsurge of spring. Small surprise that the ancients used to go to such great lengths to persuade their gods to bring back life and growth and the sun in spring. In the depths of winter it must have seemed as though they had been abandoned forever in a harsh, cold, unforgiving world.

Yet, although winter may seem bleak it is no less important than any other season. In fact, in many ways, it can be the time of year when we can do the most important inner work. It is a season when the body takes backstage to a degree. Although we often associate winter with colds, coughs and other ailments it is not necessarily a fact of life that you have to be sick during winter. If you have taken care of your body throughout the year, eating well, exercising well and building up your immune system, then there is no reason for it to get sick. If you have strengthened your system in the run-up to winter you should be resistant to most bugs. And, if you do get the stray cold or flu, then it is no bad thing. Unless you are very weak, a cold won't do your system any harm at all - in fact it will do you positive good, giving your body a chance to test out and build up its defenses. So, if you do fall ill, don't look on it as a nuisance but rather as a sign that your body simply happens to be running a little below par and needs a rest.

In these frenetic days we stumble into work or on chores when we are almost dropping with tiredness and sickness. It's madness. The best thing to do if you are feeling ill is to wrap up warm and take to your bed in good old-fashioned style. A couple of days of rest with comforting sickbed food and soothing drinks will probably sort you out. However, if you stagger on with normal life your cold might get worse and deepen, perhaps even turning into something more serious like a chest infection. Then you could end up on antibiotics and perhaps have to take a week or more off work. Is it really worth it? The other point that we tend to forget or ignore is that when we stoically battle on with normal life with a cold or flu we are most likely to pass it on to our work colleagues, our friends, the people we bump into on the bus, the train or the shops. Keep your cold to yourself and keep to your bed in the warm is my advice and weary, overworked GPs would, I'm quite sure, agree.

WINTER - THE SEASON OF WATER AND THE EVIL COLD

In the Chinese system winter is a season of extreme yin energy - energy is being condensed, conserved and stored before the explosion of spring. They link this to water, an element they consider to be highly concentrated and full of hidden potential. In the body, water rules some of our most mysterious functions - our hormones, the lymphatic system and the essential enzymes. It also controls the bladder and the kidneys, all our bones (including the marrow, our teeth, our skulls and the spine), the sex organs, and our ears and hearing. A strange combination but all in some way connected with mysterious fluids. The Chinese consider the bladder to be the seat of the emotions in the body while the kidneys are said to store the energy of the life force itself and are seen as relating to the whole cycle of transformation - from birth to life and on to death. More links with this mysterious, soul-seeking aspect of winter. Willpower is also said to come from the kidneys and so, if you lack willpower or ambition, a Chinese physician would look to see if you have a water imbalance. Other symptoms of water imbalance can include fears and phobias, general states of anxiety and negativity, a feeling of constant pessimism, right down to states of severe paranoia.

The "evil" of winter is, not surprisingly, that of cold. When cold enters the body it can create chills and fevers, headaches and the sensation of feeling "aches and pains all over." If cold settles in the intestines it can cause diarrhoea, abdominal pains and cramps and excessive flatus and flatulence. It also appears when you feel chilled and cold in your extremities - your hands and feet, and especially the tip of your nose all feel like ice. So it's well worth aiming to keep cold evil at bay throughout the bitter days of winter. It sounds like the kind of advice you were given as a child but really and truly the best thing you can do is to wrap up well and keep yourself warm. How many of us nowadays work in cocoons of centrally-heated offices and homes? We spend winter days wandering round in shirt-sleeves while outside the elements roar. Then, when it comes time to step out into the rain and cold - or even sleet and snow - we don't bother to put on extra clothes as we race to our heated cars and the warm press of bodies on public transport. The easiest way to throw your body out of balance is to fling it from one extreme to another - from extreme warmth to extreme cold and vice versa. Follow grandma's pleas and wear a vest, an extra sweater, a warm hat, cozy socks and boots and gloves.

THE WINTER DIET - FORTIFYING AND STRENGTHENING

To avoid the evil of cold you need a diet that produces more heat in the body. Obviously if you already have too much internal heat (an unbalanced pitta) you would need something more subtle and should consult an expert. However the general guidelines suggest that we eat more carbohydrate and protein in the winter - we need to keep warm.

However we also need to watch that we don't eat too much and put on excess weight - it's very easy to do especially with Christmas and the miserable weather. We exercise less, eat more and pile on the pounds. It's quite natural to put on a few pounds over the winter - we need a little more bulk to keep warm and it can easily be shed as spring approaches. But be wary about putting on too much. Christmas offers one temptation after another.

I'm not saying you have to deny yourself - that wouldn't be natural and would only make you feel resentful and dispirited (hardly the atmosphere of Christmas). Just be aware of what you are eating: indulge but indulge moderately. Buffet food looks innocent enough but is usually laden with fat and empty calories (the ones that pile on the weight but don't do your body any good); nuts, dates and figs are nutritious and healthy but don't overdo them as they are again very high in calories. Chocolates, sweets, Turkish delight, sugar jellies, mince pies, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding all sit around as perfect temptation - have the odd one or two but don't eat the box or devour the whole cake!

Christmas aside, the perfect winter diet - as with all the seasons - takes its cue from nature and uses the foods that are freshly available, local and seasonal. This is the time that the root vegetables really come into their own and they can form the basis of delicious soups and stews, made tastier with herbs or with a little meat added for flavour. Make sure you get your greens as well - there are plenty of winter greens, cabbages, cauliflowers, leeks and sprouts around. And bulk up everything you cook with onions and garlic, the great natural purifiers and strengtheners. The other winter staples are the cooked wholegrains and pulses - make the most of millet and buckwheat, red aduki beans, green mung beans, black beans and orange, yellow or green lentils - they all add colour and nutrition to simple but tasty food.

There is less choice of fruit now - apples and pears are still available but it's worth bulking them out by cheating a little and eating the not exactly local oranges, satsumas and kiwi fruits for their vast stores of vitamins. Be careful that you don't give up on fruit altogether. If you don't like eating fruit in winter try extracting the juice and then gently warming it (don't allow it to boil). You can add a little honey and some spices for a warming delicious and nutritious drink. Or eat your fruit gently stewed -just remember not to overcook it or you will lose all the goodness.

Generally speaking, this is the time of year when most people can handle heavier, richer food. As with autumn, you can deal with a little more dairy produce at this time of year and the ayurvedic physicians usually say that the extra fat will help you digest the winter diet and lubricate the body, preventing it from getting stiff. But follow your instincts. Remember - if you feel you might be allergic to dairy, avoid it. Or try sheep, goat or soya produce. If you can take milk, this is a time of the year when hot milky drinks can be very soothing and warming. You can add a few spices (cinnamon is lovely) to warm it even further. And although the scientists can find no real reason why a hot milky drink should help send us to sleep at night, it still seems to work. Maybe they just haven't found the answer yet or maybe it's all in the mind. Who cares? If it works, use it.

We can generally take more meat at this time of year as well. Once again, with meat, the key is to use it as a flavourer and taste-enhancer rather than relying on it to provide all the meal - in other words a few pieces of meat to flavour a vegetable and bean stew rather than a slab of steak garnished with a few peas. Even a little red meat, usually abhorred by nutritionists, can be beneficial at this time of year according to the Chinese doctors. Red meat is a great building and fortifying food which tonifies the blood and stimulates the heart and skin. As always, stick to organic meat and always lean cuts. And don't overdo it - too much red meat can overstimulate your system and can be bad for your heart, blood vessels and kidneys.

In the ayurvedic system winter is the season of kapha. Kapha builds and strengthens; it provides solidity and bulk. So not surprisingly ayurveda allows us to eat heavier foods in the winter. In fact, ayurveda states very clearly that, of all the seasons, this is the one in which you need to eat more food. So don't be tempted to try crash diets before Christmas or to lose a few pounds with a short fast so you can squeeze into a party dress - your body won't like it and will probably repay you with a dose of flu or some other bug.

Both the ayurvedic and Tibetan traditions say that the tastes of food to look out for in winter are predominantly sweet, sour and salty. And they both, rather delightfully, warn against staying in houses that "let in breezes". While few of us probably live in houses the Tibetans describe as "a shack of boards" you can get the picture - stay out of drafts and keep yourself warm and cozy. In particular, say the ayurvedic texts, you should keep your bedroom warm with plenty of cocooning blankets on the bed. In fact, ayurveda seems to see winter as a time for indulgence - they advise that you can healthily indulge in sex as often as you choose and can drink wine and other alcoholic beverages to a greater degree -although still not to excess of course.

WINTER TONICS

There are a few tricks in the herbal medicine cabinet to deal with coughs and colds should they arise - and a fair few to stave them off in the first place. Many of these cures are quite literally on our back doorsteps - in the garden or out in the countryside - make the most of them.

ROSEHIP TONIC: Wild rose hips abound during the autumn and early days of winter - pick them (best after the second frost but before the birds get a chance to eat them all) and use them as a cold-banishing tonic, jam-packed with vitamin C. If you have an abundance of rose hips you could make rosehip syrup as did all wisewomen and good housekeepers of old. If not, try a simple tonic drink. The famous herbalist Culpeper said that rosehips are "grateful to the taste and a considerable restorative, fitly given to the consumptive person, the conserve being proper in all distempers of the breast and in coughs and tickling rheums. It has a binding effect and helps digestion." In all a wonderful free tonic.

* Rosehip syrup: Crush around 450g of rose hips and put them into a pan containing 900ml of boiling water. Bring them back to the boil and then turn off the heat and allow them to stand for around twenty minutes. Strain (preferably through muslin), and then put the fruit which will now be pappy and mashed, into around 300ml of fresh boiling water. Once again allow to stand for a further twenty minutes and then strain again. Mix the two sets of strained juices together and return to the pan. Boil on a low but steady heat until the juice has reduced down to around 600ml. It will be syrupy by now. Allow to cool, sweeten to taste with wild honey and bottle in sterilized bottles as you would with any preserve.

* Rosehip tonic drink: simply chop up two teaspoons of rose hips and add them to around 300ml of boiling water. Allow to steep for fifteen minutes and then strain and sweeten with honey to taste. You can make larger quantities and keep in the fridge for up to three days. It tastes lovely too.

OLD-FASHIONED COUGH CURES

Many of the oldest and simplest remedies are the best, particularly when it comes to battling with irritating coughs. Modern cough mixtures often have side effects - these powerful alternatives have none, except to build up your system further to prevent more outbreaks. Try them and see.

* Garlic syrup: this is so easy to make and surprisingly effective. Although it sounds disgusting it's actually quite pleasant and very soothing. Simply put four or five plump freshly-peeled cloves of garlic into a sterilized jar along with four tablespoons of clear, runny honey (always try to get organic cold-pressed honey). Leave it to stand in a warm place (an airing cupboard or near the cooker) for two or three hours. Take a teaspoon to ease coughs.

* Onion syrup: another old and curiously effective soother which loosens phlegm and eases bronchial coughs. Cut up six large onions (preferably organic, some recipes also insist on white onions) and place them in a bain marie (a bowl sitting inside a saucepan of gently boiling water) along with 150 - 200ml of clear runny honey (cold-pressed, as before). Cover and cook very slowly for around two hours. Strain and take warm at regular intervals.

* Cabbage and/or leek water: strange but true, the water that you cooked cabbage or leeks in has been used for centuries as a cure for catarrhal infections, coughs and bronchitis. Drink it warm both morning and night - and don't worry, it just tastes like very thin soup.

EASING WINTER ACHES AND PAINS

There are numerous remedies aimed at easing rheumatism and arthritis and to find something truly effective you would be best to see a qualified medical herbalist or naturopath who have very good results with these conditions. However the following are worth a try - they certainly won't do you any harm.

* Rosemary poultice: you need around two cupfuls of fresh rosemary and three cups of brandy. Steep the combination for a week and then strain. Apply the liquid as a poultice on the painful joints. An alternative is to grind black mustard seeds with equal amounts of vegetable shortening and use as a rub on the affected joint.

* Try the cabbage juice given above - it also eases joint pain. Onions are very helpful, as is celery - try either the juice or make warming soups.

* Baths can be very soothing and relaxing. Epsom salts have long been used to help rheumatic aches and pains - put a good handful or a cupful in a warm bath - you could add a few drops of any or a choice of the following oils: lavender, pine, juniper, rosemary.

WARNING: Don't use Epsom salts if you have high blood pressure.

SWEET AND SPICY SCENTS FOR WINTER

Aromatherapy comes into its own in winter. Lovely at all times of the year, it turns highly therapeutic in the season of colds and low spirits. There are many good books on aromatherapy now available (see the back for a list) and so I would suggest you buy one and experiment to find which oils and recipes particularly suit you. However I would beg you, as always, to be very respectful of essential oils. They are powerful and, if handled incorrectly, can do far more harm than good. Always buy absolutely pure, preferably organic, oils and only use the precise amount of drops given in a recipe. Any more and you could irritate your skin or even cause toxicity. Pregnant women in particular need to be very careful. If in any doubt I would always consult a professional practitioner. Don't let this put you off using aromatherapy. Just treat it as you would a medicine given you by a doctor - you wouldn't take three antibiotics when the bottle said one, would you?

BATTLING BUGS:

Many of the essential oils have remarkable anti-viral and anti-bacterial powers. They smell lovely but also pack a punch. Any of the following will work wonders: tea tree; lavender; cinnamon; clove; pine; lemon; geranium; bergamot; melissa. Use your favourite or a combination in oil burners, in the bath, or added to water in a plant mister. Cinnamon, clove and pine make a lovely Christmassy room spray and will protect you from all those people carrying their colds with them. An aromatherapist I met recently recommended a new oil called Ravensara which is apparently an incredible anti-viral and anti-septic. I haven't tracked it down yet but it sounds well worth investigating.

If you feel you have a cold coming on the best thing to do is to retreat to a warm bath spiced with five drops of tea tree oil and three of black pepper. Soak and breath in the scent. Then keep tea tree oil scenting your bedroom throughout the night - use a burner until you want to sleep, then (for safety's sake) switch to a bowl of hot water by the bed with a few more drops added. Or put a few drops on a handkerchief or tissue and keep it by your pillow to sniff through the night. You can also use five drops of tea tree plus the same quantities of two other of the anti-viral oils given above to 30ml of almond oil and use it as a massage - it will relax you and help you relax and, hopefully, you will wake up the next morning feeling well and healthy.

STRESS-BUSTERS:

Aromatherapy is an amazing stress-buster. In the run-up to Christmas or any busy period I think everyone should give themselves a prescription for a professional aromatherapy massage. If you can't manage it, at least treat yourself to some of these oils at home. There are very many different oils for all kinds of stress. The main stress-fighters include: lavender; lemon; bergamot; geranium; sandalwood; vetiver; ylang ylang; clary sage; grapefruit; mandarin; neroli, marjoram; melissa. Use whichever you particularly like (they all mix quite well together) and blend them into a massage oil - use no more than ten drops each of a maximum of three oils in 30ml of base oil (eg sweet almond). Or pop a couple of drops of two or three oils in your bath and have a long soak. Or, again, use them in vaporisers or burners.

DEPRESSION:

We all get depressed from time to time and often it gets worse in the winter. If it happens occasionally don't worry about it - it is a bit like the way a cold hits your body when it wants a rest. It often seems that depression can hit when our minds want a rest. We just shut off for a while. Remember also, particularly at this time of year, that alcohol can trigger depression very easily. If you wake up after a party feeling not only hung over but also blue, don't be surprised. The depression may linger long after the physical symptoms have gone.

However if depression is severe or continues too long it can be very debilitating and distressing and it needs attention. Some people who suffer severe depression have thyroid problems so it's worth checking it out with your doctor. Depression can also be caused by emotional problems or psychological trauma - if you feel this is the case (particularly if your depression started after a particular event) then it would be wise to visit a psychotherapist or counsellor.

However if your depression is low-key - a kind of low winter blues, then do try the following oils which are all used by aromatherapists for the treatment of depression. The citrus oils are very uplifting - lemon, orange, grapefruit, mandarin. And so too are clary sage, marjoram, lavender, petitgrain, neroli, rose, ylang ylang, jasmine, bergamot and Roman chamomile. Try blending lavender, bergamot and clary sage or geranium, lavender and petitgrain. As before mix with a base oil for massage, use in the bath or around the room.

Another gentle cure for the blues and low-level depression comes from medical herbalist Andrew Chevallier, president of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists. He recommends taking St John's Wort (also known as Hypericum) as a gentle, non-addictive, without side-effects anti-depressant. A medical herbalist can make you up a tincture or there is an over-the-counter preparation called Kira which contains the correct dosage of the herb. Don't expect instant effects - herbs act slowly and gently - but it could be a life-saver if you find the winter blues too much to bear.

EXERCISE AND WINTER

It's hard, isn't it? The days are short and it's cold outside. The gym beckons but you would much rather snuggle up in front of the television. However do try to keep exercising throughout the winter. There are several quite compelling reasons. Firstly the exercise will keep your body in tip-top condition so it can more easily fight the bugs. Secondly, it will help you win the battle of the winter weight-gain. Thirdly, aerobic exercise has been proven to help fight depression so if you suffer from the winter blues, it's well worth continuing the fitness programme you started earlier in the year. And, last but not least, just think what happens when you stop exercising.

It only takes three to six weeks to lose your hard-won fitness level. First to go are the mental benefits - the good moods and the enhanced feeling of well-being. Heart and lung fitness follow close behind with cardiovascular fitness dropping most rapidly in the first weeks after you stop. Then muscles start to stiffen from disuse and joints can feel creaky. And, of course, if you continue to eat the same diet as when you were exercising, you are likely to put on weight as well. Is it worth it? Once you start exercising again it will take you around 8-10 weeks to regain your former fitness level. Don't let all the hard work of the past year go to waste.

The key is to give yourself extra motivation and maybe to adjust your exercise and workout regime to make it more palatable in the cold weather. You might simply adore racing around in the freezing cold (I always watch rugby players with complete and utter stupefaction). But for many of us the exercise we loved earlier in the year somehow isn't quite so appealing now. For example, the lovely cool pool you dived into in the hot summer won't be so inviting now when the frost is on the ground. The brisk morning walk or run won't be so much fun in the pitch dark as it was in the glorious early mornings of spring and autumn (and it might not be very safe either). So think of other things to keep you active and fluid. As with autumn, team or pairs sports can be fun - why not learn something new? Providing your gym isn't an icy barn this is an excellent time of the year to work with weights. Remember this is kapha time with its emphasis on structure, solidity and strength - the perfect time to start a strengthening programme. Many people are put off the idea of weight training because they imagine gyms are full of Mr Universe type muscle-bound jocks. Men are put off because they feel they won't measure up and women are put off by the idea either of being surrounded by testosterone or of ending up looking much like the blokes. The image isn't quite accurate nowadays. Although there are still gyms which cater predominantly for bodybuilders, it's normally pretty easy to figure them out. But most gyms nowadays are keen to foster an image that invites everyone in. At my gym in Somerset you could not see a wider variety of people. From lithe teenagers to more solid seventy-somethings, from overweight businessmen to new mothers, we are all ages, all shapes and all sizes. A good gym will run a solid assessment and work out a programme that suits you. You don't have to build vast muscles - you can use weights simply to strengthen and tone your body. All programmes should include a good amount of aerobic work so you will be helping your cardiovascular system as well - not to mention trimming weight. Although muscle weighs heavier than fat, the better your muscle:fat ration the more effectively you will burn fat. And another benefit of befriending your gym in winter is that you can walk or run on the treadmills, march up the stepping machines, cycle on the bikes and row on the rowers without getting cold, wet or muddy. Just to complete the picture, there is absolutely nothing to beat the feeling after a good workout. Your whole body feels alive and your mood will undoubtedly be up. A lovely warm shower (use some nice invigorating essential oils) and a brisk rub-down and you are feeling on top of the world.

Make an effort at the weekend to get out, if the weather permits. Put on warm clothes (remember hats and mittens) and wellies and go for a good brisk walk. If it snows, take the opportunity to flit back to childhood. Get out there and build snowmen with the kids (or without), throw snowballs, go tobogganing. It's not strictly exercise but it's great fun, a brilliant stress-reliever and it also puts you right in touch with the heart of the season. We often miss the strange beauty of winter tucked away in our houses. We don't see the delicacy of spiders' webs touched by frost; of gleaming hips and haws; of skeleton trees; of frozen puddles crazed with abstract markings and icy, rock-hard fields. Just keep wrapped up and explore.

A DOSE OF LIGHT - KEEPING SPIRITS BRIGHT

One of the things most people dislike about winter is the lack of light, particularly sunlight. They look forward to spring and the return of the sun when the whole world seems to smile once more. When the sun comes out spirits lift and energy levels bubble higher, even our health seems to improve - it's as if someone had waved a miraculous magic wand. It may seem like magic but the effect is certainly not merely in our minds. Research now clearly shows that pure clear sunlight can have measurable, highly beneficial, effects on our health, both physiological and psychological.

I talked about this topic in Supertherapies but feel the information is well worth repeating as unfortunately few of us take enough of this essential "medicine". "We spend more and more of our time indoors," says Dr Damien Downing, author of Day Light Robbery and the leading UK exponent of the healing power of light, "the only time we see the sun is when we follow outdoor pursuits such as sport or gardening or go on holiday."

It's a change that has come about over the last couple of hundred years with the shift from working on the land to working in factories and offices. An office may be warmer and drier and more comfortable than the common British field but it is certainly darker. Dr Downing points out that our offices are lit at between two hundred and one thousand lux (the measurement for light) when, in reality, we need levels around ten times brighter. "We keep ourselves for most of our lives in perpetual twilight," he says, "nowadays we live, without realising it, in self-imposed dungeons."

The most common result is the well-documented syndrome of SAD, seasonal affective disorder, but Downing reckons this is the tip of the iceberg: around 60% of the population suffer in a less dramatic way. Lack of light can cause depression and lethargy, disturbed sleep patterns and plummeting energy levels. Our metabolism can suffer, so can our hormone levels. Even conditions like osteoporosis and asthma worsen without regular doses of light. It's bad enough for pale-skinned Celts who have spent thousands of years adapting to deal with the low levels of sunlight in this country but dark-skinned people fare particularly badly. Dr Downing says we are now seeing the reoccurrence of rickets in some black children - not because their diets are deficient but simply because they are not getting enough daylight.

But, short of turning back to the land, how can we boost our light levels? The answer seems to be that, if we can't go out into the light, then we have to bring the light in to us. SAD sufferers have used light boxes for some years now to help their symptoms but now a new brand of light therapy has been developed which promises benefits for virtually everyone. The new light reproduces as closely as possible the pure spring light of the Northern hemisphere, the clear soft gleam that so revitalizes us body and soul. In practical terms, it's a combination of fluorescent tubes that give out the whole spectrum of wavelengths in natural daylight but cut out the harmful UVB rays that can cause burning and skin cancer.

Natalie Handley has pioneered the use of the new light therapy and now gives treatment with it in three clinics. "It really is the therapy of the future," she says, "We need light as we need water and sleep for our general wellbeing and, if better recognised, it would save the country millions and healthcare and less absenteeism." Both she and Dr Downing hope that the treatment will become more widely available, and particularly that the evidence will convince doctors that the treatment could be incorporated into NHS clinics. "Not everyone does well on drugs," she says, "this is a great alternative without side effects for dealing with a host of problems." Handley sees people with a huge cross-section of needs - some simply want to increase their energy levels; some want help with serious depression or arthritic conditions. Just twenty minutes of light therapy, she says, can lower blood pressure for up to a week and also lower blood cholesterol levels. It balances hormones and so can be used as an alternative to HRT and also to help fertility (incidentally, Dr Downing points out that sunlight can increase libido - the sun actually does make us sexier). The full-spectrum light can kill bacteria and accelerate wound healing. And, because exposure to the lights increases the production of vitamin D in the body which in turn aids the absorption of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, it is useful in cases of arthritis, osteoporosis and dental caries. There's still more. Because daylight suppresses the production of melatonin (which helps send us to sleep), light therapy can be used to treat sleep disorders and jet lag with great success. In short, says Natalie Handley, there really isn't anyone who wouldn't benefit from some light therapy - especially during our dark and gloomy winters.

The day I visited Handley was the archetypical winter day: gloomy, cold, dark - and wet. Summer - and sunlight - seemed a million miles away. But Handley was bright and cheerful, beaming with good health and vitality: she's a shining endorsement of her treatment. She regularly combines the light treatment with reflexology because, she explains, the combination will treat more or less anything. First of all she took a detailed medical history from me. The lights, she promised, are totally safe and completely without side effects - in particular, she assured, they will not tan nor will they cause any damage to the skin. The case history, however, is necessary for reflexology so she can tailor the treatment to your needs. Then she invited me to take off my shoes and as much clothing as I liked and get on the couch. Any glasses or contact lenses are taken off or out because, she explains, the light can only reach the pineal gland (essential for hormonal balance) through the eyes.

The lights are mounted in a panel above the couch several feet above your body - they look much like a sunbed except that the centre tubes are a beautiful shade of blue. For best effects you keep your eyes open (although you don't have to look directly at the light) for the first twenty minutes.

The combination of the warm clear light and the firm but soothing touch of the reflexology were, I had to agree, a delightful combination. Without the reflexology I might have become a bit bored just lying in the light but the two together were like snoozing in the garden on a soft summer's day with your feet being cradled in a lap, gently being massaged. It was total bliss.

After an hour I slid off the couch with a broad smile. My skin felt warm and soft and a slight grumble in my lower back had been much eased. But most noticeable was the increase of energy that steadily rose throughout the day. Several hours after the treatment I felt as if I had been given a happy pill: I was bright and bubbly, several light years away from the tired, slightly gloomy person who had greeted another winter's day with a wince. I think I've seen the light.

BRIGHT IDEAS TO BRING SUNLIGHT INTO YOUR LIFE

Lightbathing, says Dr Downing, stimulates the circulation, tones up muscles, detoxifies the body and boosts production of vitamin D and hormones.

* At this time of year when the danger of burning is very low, get as much natural daylight as you can. Brisk digging in the garden, dog-walking or even just walking outside in your lunch hour can help. But keep wrapped up and warm.

* As the sun gets brighter in spring and summer you need to adjust the amount of sun you take to suit your skin type. Dr Downing insists that it is burning that causes skin cancer, not sensible exposure. As a rough guide you need to stay out for half the amount of time that you can safely be in the sun before burning -for very fair skins that will be around ten minutes in very bright sunlight through to an hour for very dark skins.

* Don't use creams or blocks for the periods you are light bathing - they block out the useful UV rays. Obviously you'll need sunscreen if you are staying out for longer than these periods.

* The more of your skin that is exposed to the light the better -but don't get cold - there's no point in stripping off only to get a chill.

* Glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses all filter out the light. Wearing dark glasses all the time, says Handley, will tend to make you depressed or irritable - use a hat instead to shield you from glare.

THE QUIETNESS OF WINTER - A TIME FOR REFLECTION AND GROWTH

I've called winter the season of the soul which for many people might pose a puzzle. Nowadays we are not used to the idea of healing our souls, or even looking at them. Some people would doubt we even had a soul. Scientists might ask precisely where our soul resides and how I can prove it's there. I can't. No-one can - at least, not yet. Yet for as long as there have been records of humans thinking, there has been the concept of soul, of spirit, of an ineffable part of ourselves which has a link with something far removed from our physical and even emotional and intellectual worlds. You could call it our inner essence. Our soul is the part of us that yearns for something more than daily humdrum activity. Not for greater riches but for a sense of peace, of fulfillment, of finding a place in the vast lonely universe.

Our soul is the part of us that shivers in the cold of winter - that thinks about the immensity of eternity and quakes. It is the part that ponders the existence or lack of existence of God. At some point in our lives, most of us think about the Big Issues - about the meaning of life, about the mystery of death, about where we figure in the endlessness of space. That is the soul.

Each and every one of us has to find different ways to soothe our souls. It helps to be in work we like and value; it's a boon if our relationships are loving and caring and it is easier if we can look on our bodies, minds, emotions and souls as one holistic whole rather than a perpetual battlefield. But there is no formula for soul-searching. I cannot give you recipes or programmes that will lead you neatly to a sense of peace. That has to come from you. However, through the months of winter I will suggest therapies and ways of looking at life that have helped other people. As with everything in this book, see if any appeal and, if so, try them. If not, ignore them and find your own way. I think we all get there in the end.

MINDFULNESS

One technique which seems to touch even the most prosaic people at the soul level is mindfulness. Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn has developed a programme that promises peace, self-acceptance and a true sense of inner happiness to those who practice it. It is uncomplicated, inexpensive and need only take minutes a day: he calls it mindfulness. Mindfulness is meditation brought up to date, pared of its mystical and religious connotations and honed to slot into the most frenetic Western life.

The simple idea is to put people back in control of their lives, learning how to listen to their minds and bodies rather than being tossed around by the world outside. Kabat-Zinn is no lotus-seated yogi - he's a highly qualified scientist with a PhD in molecular biology who runs the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Hospital. The clinic was started in 1979 with the realisation that although the hospital could treat patients with chronic physical ailments, their problems would simply come back after a period of time.

Kabat-Zinn felt sure that the answer lay in teaching patients how to kick-start their own healing powers and he spent years finding the best and most straightforward method. His choice lay in Buddhist and yogic practices which he then adapted for Western consumption. The results have been impressive: he has found his form of meditation can help to clear psoriasis much faster, can relieve chronic pain and lessen feelings of anxiety and depression. He has instructed patients whose illnesses range from heart disease to ulcerative colitis, from diabetes to cancer. "We teach these people to develop an intimacy and familiarity with their own bodies and minds," he explains, "this leads to a greater confidence to learn from their symptoms and to begin to self-regulate them."

However you don't need to be sick to benefit from mindfulness meditation. The simple techniques Kabat-Zinn outlines in his book Mindfulness Meditation for Everyday Life can help everyone live life with greater certainty and self-confidence. It can also provide some of those soul-stopping moments when you feel surrounded by the sheer bliss of living.

Kabat-Zinn points out that most of us live our lives in a state of virtual unconsciousness, constantly projecting into the future or pondering the past. "The days, months and years quickly go by unnoticed, unused, unappreciated," he laments. "Mindfulness, however, provides a simple but powerful route for getting ourselves unstuck, back into touch with our own wisdom and vitality. It is a way to take charge of the direction and quality of our own lives. It is the direct opposite of taking life for granted."

It is certainly simple. At its very basic level, mindfulness simply involves stopping and becoming aware of the moment. The easiest way to do it is to focus on your breathing, gently letting go any stray thoughts or worries that emerge. Kabat-Zinn asks his patients to strive for 45 minutes of mindfulness a day but stresses that even a few minutes will make a great difference. "It can be five minutes or even five seconds," he says, "but for those moments, don't try to change anything at all, just breathe and let go. Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is and allow yourself to be exactly as you are."

Mindfulness may be simple but it is not necessarily easy, he warns. Not only does it require effort and discipline but often the very act of stopping and listening can summon up deep emotions such as grief, sadness, anger and fear that have been unconsciously suppressed over the years. However Kabat-Zinn promises that not all the surprises are necessarily unpleasant: "Mindfulness can often help us to appreciate feelings such as joy, peacefulness and happiness which often go by fleetingly and unacknowledged," he comments.

Indeed, he stresses, one of the true benefits of mindfulness is that it allow people to discover what they really want in life; their true "Path with a capital P" as he puts it. It allows them to let go of feelings of inadequacy and self-dislike and instead fosters feelings of self-esteem and courage. As Kabat-Zinn puts it, "Mindfulness is a roadmap to our radiant selves, not to the gold of a childhood innocence already past but to that of a fully developed adult. It is a way of walking along the path of life and being in harmony with things as they are."

MAKING MINDFULNESS WORK FOR YOU

* Start each day with mindfulness. Wake up a little earlier than usual and before you even move notice your breathing; breathe consciously for a few minutes. Feel your body lying in bed and then straighten it out and stretch. Try to think of the day ahead as an adventure, filled with possibilities. Remember you can never really know what the day will hold.

* Try stopping, sitting down and becoming aware of your breathing once in a while throughout the day. It can be for five minutes or even five seconds. Just breathe and let go, allow yourself to be exactly as you are.

* Set aside a time every day to just be: five minutes would be fine, or twenty or thirty. Sit and become aware of your breath and every time your mind wanders, simply return to the breath.

* Use your mindfulness time to contemplate what you really want from life. Ask yourself questions like, "Who am I?" , "Where am I going?", "If I could choose a path now in which direction would I head?", "What do I truly love?" You don't have to come up with answers, just persist in asking the question.

* Try getting down on the floor once a day and stretching your body mindfully, if only for three or four minutes. Stay in touch with your breathing and listen to what your body has to tell you.

* Use ordinary occasions to become mindful. When you are in the shower really feel the water on the skin rather than losing yourself in thought. When you eat, really taste your food. Notice how you feel when the phone rings.

* Practice kindness to yourself. As you sit and breathe, invite a sense of self-acceptance and cherishing to arise in your heart. If it starts to go away gently bring it back. Imagine you are being held in the arms of a loving parent, completely accepted and completely loved.

THE MYSTERY OF THE ENNEAGRAM

Another system which hits straight to our very inner selves, our souls, is the mysterious Enneagram. The Enneagram is an ancient psychological system based on nine personality types. It helps people answer those big questions in life: What is it that drives me? Why am I always drawn to certain people and certain situations? How did I end up where I am? When will I learn from my mistakes? And, underpinning it all, the real biggie: Who am I? What is the purpose of my life? What is my inner self, my true soul? Sometimes, when we get a spare minute, when we sit down after the Christmas rush and actually have time to reflect, we might just start to ponder these kinds of questions.

But if you really want to prod down deep into the (often murky) waters of your psyche; if you really want some answers to the "big" questions of life then the Enneagram just might be the solution.

Solution probably isn't the right word; embarking on the Enneagram is like buying a bus ticket into the unknown, you know where you got on but there's no guarantee where you'll end up. It's a Magical Mystery Tour and the terrain is your psyche and your soul.

The Enneagram is, at its simplest form, a system which maps out nine personality types. By identifying your type you can learn about your inner self, discover what drives you and, hopefully, learn how to break out of self-defeating patterns. It's a way of discovering both your strengths and your weaknesses.

No-one knows exactly who created the Enneagram. It is thought to date back perhaps 4,500 years and it seems certain that its original source was the Middle East. Those who have studied the system believe that the Enneagram has influenced most of the world's great religions. Several of the New Testament writers seem to have been familiar with its philosophy and there is clear evidence that the Sufis used the Enneagram for both personal and spiritual development. The Magi, ancient philosophers, psychologists and theologians, are also thought to have used the system.

Studying the Enneagram can take a lifetime. It is a complex system which benefits from time, effort and considerable self-reflection and honesty. Most people start their interest with a book and then progress onto workshops which are held quite regularly. By introducing a very abbreviated version of the Enneagram here my purpose is to give you a tiny "taster". And yet even such a cursory examination can lead to fascinating insights and revelations.

Basically the Enneagram teaches that we all have a prime "addiction", an obsessive way of approaching life which makes us focus on one aspect of reality while discarding the rest. These addictions are so pervasive that no-one can have more than one: hence we all have one, and only one, Enneagram number. This is the kick-off point for the whole study. The following sketches of the Enneagram personality types are taken from the workshops by Helen Palmer who is also the author of several books on the subject.

Read them through and see if any strike you as being particularly "you". Although we all have just one Enneagram number it is easy to find yourself identifying with several. The key is to try to go beyond mere personality characteristics and try to look for your hidden motivation. Helen Palmer suggests you also bear in mind how you would have reacted in your younger years - we particularly explore our prime addiction during childhood and adolescence. Also think about how you react under stress because in difficult situations we often fall back on our most basic defense systems. Finally, if in doubt, ask a truthful (but tactful) friend for some help.

ONE: THE PERFECTIONIST

ADDICTION: ANGER

Perfectionists are always critical of themselves and of others. They are convinced there is one correct way and often feel ethically superior. They will procrastinate for fear of making a mistake and use (or think) the words should and must a lot.

At their best they can be critically astute and moral heroes. As children Ones were good little boys and girls. They learned to behave properly, to take on responsibility and most of all to be correct in the eyes of others. They remember being painfully criticized and as a result they learned to monitor themselves severely in order to avoid making mistakes that would come to other people's attention. They quite naturally assume that everyone shares their desire for self-betterment and are often disappointed by what they see as a lapse of moral character in others.

TWO: THE GIVER

ADDICTION: PRIDE

Givers demand affection and approval at all times. They seek to be loved and appreciated by becoming indispensable to others and are devoted to meeting other people's needs. They can be manipulative and have many selves showing a different self to each good friend. Twos can be aggressively seductive.

At their best Twos can be genuinely caring and supportive. These were the children who earned love and security by meeting other people's needs. Because Givers were raised with the understanding that survival depended upon the approval of others, relationships stand out as the most important area of existence. The habit of altering to please often produces a feeling of having fooled other people by showing them only what they want to see.

THREE: THE PERFORMER

ADDICTION: DECEIT

Performers seek to be loved for performance and achievement - they are highly competitive. They are obsessed with their image and with their status in life. Threes are masters of appearances but they can confuse their real self and their work identity. They can appear to be more productive than they actually are.

At their best Threes can be effective leaders, competent promoters and captains of winning teams. These were the children who were prized for their achievements. They remember coming home from school and being asked about how well they had done, rather than how they felt about their day. They learned to suspend their own emotions and focus their attention on earning the status that would guarantee them love. Because they conform to qualities that are valued in Western culture they present a surface appearance of optimism and wellbeing. They do not appear to suffer and may live out their entire life oblivious to the fact that they have lost a vital connection to their own interior life.

FOUR: THE TRAGIC ROMANTIC

ADDICTION: ENVY

Attracted to the unavailable, Fours yearn for an ideal which is never rooted in the here and now. These are tragic, sad, artistic, sensitive souls, focussing always on the absent lover, the loss of a friend. At their best Fours are creative and able to help other people. They are committed to beauty and the passionate life: birth, sex, intensity and death

. Fours remember abandonment as children and as a result they suffer from a sense of deprivation and loss. Their decisions are based as much on the shifting chemistry of mood as upon the perception of actual facts; conversations are remembered as much for their feeling, tone and innuendo as for what words were actually expressed. Fours are unanimous in their understanding of the black mood of depression. The core issue is loss and subsequent lowering of self esteem. Fours live with the conviction that there was an original source of love which was taken away.

FIVE: THE OBSERVER

ADDICTION: GREED

Observers keep their emotional distance from others. They fiercely protect their privacy and don't like to get involved. Making do with less is a defense against involvement. They feel drained by commitment and by other people's needs. They compartmentalize their obligations and keep detached from people, feelings and things. They are greedy for special knowledge and the bare necessities that ensure their autonomy from others.

At the best Fives can be excellent decision makers, intellectuals and highly spiritual. The Observer's ego is like a castle, a high impenetrable structure with tiny windows at the top. Fives felt intruded upon as children; the castle walls were breached and their privacy stolen. Their strategic defense is withdrawal, to minimize contact, to simplify their needs, to do whatever they can to protect their private space. Fives take what little comes their way, rather than leaving the safe walls of home.

SIX: THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

ADDICTION: FEAR

These are people who are fearful, dutiful and plagued by doubt. They are always putting things off, thinking rather than doing - afraid to take action because putting themselves in the limelight might lead to attack. Sixes identify strongly with the underdog and are anti-authoritarian, self-sacrificing and always loyal to a cause. Highly phobic, Sixes vacillate, feel persecuted, and cave in when cornered. Alternatively, when cornered, they can go out to confront their terror in a highly aggressive way.

At their best Sixes can be great team players, loyal workmates and good friends. They will work for a cause with the same enthusiasm many people will work for personal gain. Sixes lost faith in authority when they were young. They remember being afraid of those who had power over them, of being unable to act on their own behalf. Sixes try to ease this insecurity by seeking a strong protector or fighting against authority by playing Devil's Advocate. Their doubt about their own impulses to action leads to procrastination, to put off the fear of punishment that Six children endured for acting against childhood authority figures.

SEVEN: THE EPICURE

ADDICTION: GLUTTONY

Sevens are the Peter Pans of the Enneagram, eternal youths who appear dilettantish, dance-away lovers. They seem superficial and adventurous, taking the gourmet approach to life. Sevens have problems with commitment, liking to keep their options open. They crave a constant emotional high. Consequently, they seem generally happy people, stimulating to be around although they have a habit of starting things but not seeing them through.

At their best, Sevens are true Renaissance types. Seven children coped with their childhood fears by escaping into their imaginations, thinking about pleasant possibilities and plans for the future. They appear lighthearted and sunny, often addicted to planning and play. Buoyed by a belief that life is unlimited, their underlying paranoia does not surface as long as they can channel their thinking into projects and dreams of future success.

EIGHT: THE BOSS

ADDICTION: LUST

Eights are extremely protective - they will stick up for themselves and for friends and have no fears of taking charge. They actually love a good fight. Bosses have to be in control and often give open displays of anger and force. But they will show great respect for opponents who have the guts to stand and fight back. These are people whose way of life is totally excessive - too much, too late at night, too loud.

At their best Eights are excellent leaders and particularly good in adversorial roles. They can be powerful supporters for others and like to make life safe for their friends. Eights have combative childhoods - the strong were respected, the weak were not. Expecting to be disadvantaged, Eights learned early to protect themselves, becoming highly sensitized to the negative intentions of others. Eights see themselves as protectors, shielding their friends by placing themselves in front. Eights tend to test people by probing their vulnerable spots and watching how they react.

NINE: THE MEDIATOR

ADDICTION: LAZINESS

Mediators are totally ambivalent. They can see all points of view and will readily replace their own wishes with those of others, and real goals with inessential activities. They tend to dull their senses through food, drink or television. Nines know other people's needs better than their own. They have a tendency to "space out" and are never quite sure if they want to be here, or not, whether they want to be on the team or not. Nines are agreeable people and their anger comes out only in indirect ways.

At their best Nines are excellent peacemakers, counsellors, negotiators and can achieve well. As children, Nines felt overlooked. They remember that their viewpoint was seldom heard and that other people's needs were more important than their own. Eventually Nines fell asleep. Realising that their own priorities were likely to be discounted, they learned to numb themselves and divert their energy from priorities. They learned how to forget themselves.

What you do after you have found your enneagram number is another question altogether. As I've said, it can be a lifetime study and I would recommend you buy a book and, preferably, seek out workshops if you really want to work with this system. However I know how frustrating it is to have been given a part of the puzzle and then told to look elsewhere. So, briefly, what the enneagram experts say you need to do in order to feel more at peace in the world is to try to focus on the positive aspects of your "opposite" number. Hence:

ONES: need to develop the positive qualities of SEVENS. Sevens are generally happy and optimistic; they create laughter and joy wherever they go. Ones need to take on board a little of that lightness, you should try to play more, to become more enthusiastic about the whole process of life. Above all, you need to stop being so intense so you can look at the wonder and beauty of the world and life - it will feed your soul.

TWOS: need to focus on the positive attributes of FOURS - you need to learn to recognise and allow your own feelings, to realise that you have a valid place in life in your own right - you need to accept that you are lovable. Try seeking time on your own to discover what you really want - for yourself rather than anyone else. Your core need is to discover your own weaknesses and needs - to look deep into your own heart.

THREES: should look at the positive qualities of SIXES and learn how to function in groups. You need to learn how to appreciate other people, to include other people in your plans, to share successes. Try to allow yourself time to relax, to have fun and simply to enjoy being with other people. Your real need is to become vulnerable - by opening your heart and allowing other people in.

FOURS: need to take a glance at the good side of the ONES. Look for projects that turn your energy outward, into the larger world outside. You need to get involved in the world, in large projects, to learn that you can achieve whatever you desire. Look for work that has practical value, good solid projects. Your life work is to work on making changes that will improve the world.

FIVES: should take on board the positive side of EIGHTS. You also need to become involved in the world outside. Get involved, really involved - allow yourself to become totally absorbed, be generous with your energy (there is always more). Share your insights with other people. Your overwhelming need is to become involved in other people's lives, to share yourself.

SIXES: would be helped by taking on the positive qualities of NINES, learning how to feel peaceful and assured of your own inner power. Take time to be alone, to face your fears and acknowledge your own thoughts and feelings. Don't be afraid that life will race on without you - being alone sometimes will give you a far greater sense of peace. Your deep need is to find interior peace through quiet reflection.

SEVENS: can help themselves by looking to the FIVES. Spend time quietly reflecting on all sides of an issue. You need safe opportunities to look at all the repressed emotions you have probably denied throughout your life. It is often not easy to look at the painful side of life but you would benefit greatly from being truly honest. You need to confront pain as well as joy and then to work to improve conditions around you.

EIGHTS: should develop the positive qualities of TWOS who are gentle, compassionate people - full of sharing, nurturing and selflessness. It takes quite a lot for a confronter to recognise that sensitivity is not mere weakness. Developing spiritual awareness and true caring will help confronters no end. You should aim to develop compassion in your life, to appreciate the needs and feelings of other people.

NINES: need to look to the THREES and develop their positive qualities. Goal-setting and moving towards the fulfillment of tasks well done will give Nines a strong sense of power. You also need to think about your life and acknowledge the importance of both your own self and others.

Your true goal should be to recognise your own self-worth, to live life with true passion.