Oct 15, 2021

Seasonal Shifts and Practices

We welcome the season of Autumn with its crisp and light energy. It's a natural time to feel we have much to do, our energy is high, and like the weather, we can feel erratic and pulled in many directions.

In the Ayurvedic practices, Autumn is a classic season of Vata energy. A time to harvest and prepare for the cold winter months ahead. Autumn/Vata is dry, rough, windy, erratic, cool, subtle, and clear.

We naturally are driven to connect to Earth elements and stroll through the woods for a walk and marvel at the seasonal foliage. We feel a deep sense of energy and naturally, feel lightness and exuberance. Vata is pure locomotion, the energy that moves all things. It's the movement of the Earth, and all activity in our body from the number of thoughts we have to how quickly we digest food. When in balance we feel joyful, energetic, and clear-minded. With an excess of Vata, we can experience nervousness, anxiousness, light, interrupted sleep, and feel spacey and scattered. Physically excess Vata energy can manifest itself as Sciatica, and muscle tightness.

To balance Vata energy, we welcome routine and ritual into our daily lives. It provides us with a sense of stability, focus, and connection. Ayurveda and Yoga teach us that opposites bring balance and excess creates an imbalance. Within our yoga practice, we'll slow down, and remain focused to cultivate physical stability, strength, and peaceful presence.

Ayurveda teaches us to practice moderation in all things. Our yoga practice shouldn't be too overstimulating, nor overexerting. We should practice at 50 -70 percent of our capacity. Enough to produce a little sweat on the brow. More than that creates an imbalance in our health.

Our western culture wants immediate gratification, though. We want it now. We are the first generations of people to have immediate access to all things right in the palm of our hands. Through our connected devices, we have all the information and products we want at our fingertips. It's Vata energy overload.

So, how do we balance excess Vata? In the studio, we will slow down, get really intentionally focused on our physical movement, breath, and build internal heat to pacify all the cool, light, scattered, and erratic energy of Vata into balance. But we need to pacify it off our mat also.

Keep a regular routine: the opposite of erratic, unfocused energy is a focused routine. Wake up and go to bed at the same time daily. Create a calming routine throughout your day. At the very least put some time aside to be quiet and with nature. (Nature includes YOU, you are a natural part of this world, take time to self reflect and meditate :)
What energy do we surround ourselves with? Loud noise, fast-paced music, TV & movies, and fast-paced activities create more Vata energy and leave us feeling overstimulated. Sometimes this is unavoidable and fun. Who doesn't want to go to a concert or a party? However, we should also schedule a time to be quiet and go for a slow stroll in the woods, the beach, or sit in nature with a warm cup of tea to balance excess Vata?
Take a social media, electronics cleanse! We all can benefit from this. Start small. Just one whole day. Maybe two, three, four... you get the point. I speak with lots of folks about social media and I have not heard anyone say they feel great after being on it. So why do we do it? That's a lot of energy we are absorbing as we scroll through the curated lives of others. Wasted time, that's what it is. It's time we could spend doing something that makes us calm and happy.
Incorporate a sesame oil self-massage into your morning routine. Sesame oil is a great warming oil for the season and nourishes the skin preventing the dry, chapped skin often associated with the Fall and Winter seasons. REMEMBER: our skin is our largest organ. It absorbs all that we apply to it. Ayurveda advises “If you won't eat it, don't put it on your skin”. Apply the oil until your skin no longer absorbs it, then take a warm shower. Leave some oil on your skin, don't wash it all off. it will protect your skin and make you feel warm.
Eat warm foods and spices
Avoid raw foods
Avoid cold foods
Keep warm
Keep calm

All of our Fall courses and Workshops are designed with the seasonal shift in mind to assist in cultivating balance in your daily life. If you have any questions about which is the correct practice for you, reach out for a quick chat.

Take good care of yourself, be well and join us in practice.

Fall Schedule