Autumn is a season of great energy and a lot of change. The world around us undergoes an immense transformation, as evident in the shorter days, cooler temperatures, and falling leaves. Our daily routines also become more complicated, especially with back-to-school activities and preparations for upcoming holidays. The energetic and seasonal shift may cause you to feel overwhelmed, unbalanced, or detached from your true self.
Although it may seem difficult to make time for yoga at this time of year, practicing regularly can help calm the chaotic and variable energy of this season. Try incorporating more grounding asanas and maintaining the poses for several additional breaths. It’s also a great time to enroll in gentle or restorative yoga classes.
Fall is also associated with the harvest, which makes it an excellent season to reflect on how you have grown during the year so far. Take time to look back on all that you have accomplished, and to truly appreciate the results of your efforts. Acknowledge all of your progress, whether you realized any specific goal or not. Then, look forward to the remainder of the year and all the potential it still holds. Either reaffirm your current intention, or create a new one that supports your goals.
Finally, with Thanksgiving just a few months away, this is the right time of year to begin incorporating gratitude into your meditations. We typically direct our gratitude outward, towards people or events around us, and neglect to turn it inward. So take a moment, right now, to acknowledge and be thankful for yourself.
I am thankful for my body, and for all the sensations it allows me to experience.
I am thankful for my mind, and for all the ways it supports and guides me.
I am thankful for my spirit, and for all the knowledge and wisdom it holds.
I am thankful for myself, and for all the ways I care for myself.
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