The Fall Equinox is this Saturday! This week feels like a shift from "socializing summer" to "focused fall".
Fall from the Ayurveda perspective:
Ayurveda encourages us to find balance with nature around us. Summer can make us feel very warm, sweaty, and kind of intense with more socializing on the calendar and all the trips to the beach, the mountains, or to see family. But we also tend to find some balance by frequently hydrating, seeking out the shade of trees, and maybe even escaping some days with a blanket and a book.
As the season shifts, the cool, windy days of fall are often a relief after the hot summer. But they can sometimes leave us feeling energetically and mentally dispersed and scattered. We see this in the familiar changing colors of the leaves on the trees. As the temperatures drop and the amount of daylight slowly decreases, the leaves start to dry out, losing their food-making chlorophyll, and transforming from lustrous green to beautiful yellows and oranges. As the fall continues and temperatures drop even more, the leaves dry out even more. Suddenly, whoosh! With a gust of wind, they get pulled up and off and then dance their way, to and fro through the air, down to their landing spot in the accumulating pile of leaves on the ground. This is one of the fun, gorgeous aspects of the fall season.
We follow nature and what happens to the leaves takes place in our bodies as well. The cooler, lighter air of fall will dry out the summertime humidity in our muscles, skin, and joints, making us feel lighter and drier. You might already be noticing that your ankles, wrists, and fingers are feeling more stiff in the mornings. If you're feeling tight- you are not alone! All the dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, and mobile energy that Ayurveda associates with the fall season makes us all feel like those dry leaves that will eventually be falling from the trees this fall.
Ayurveda always suggests bringing in Opposite elements to create Balance. An easy way to do this is by minimizing crunchy, dry, chips, crackers, or pretzel snacks and cold, iced coffee this season. They help out during the hot, humid summer months but will contribute to you feeling even more dry, cold, and crunchy in the fall. I'm not saying that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is an Ayurveda suggestion, but there's a reason that this warm, aromatic, cozy feeling drink takes over this season!
Fall Yoga from the Ayurveda perspective: Create Routines to build Balance, Adaptability, and Flexibility during times of change.
To counter this stimulating, windy, dry, "to and fro" energy of fall, my Fall Season Ayurvedic-influenced yoga classes will:
Create a weekly landing place for you to arrive and "Be".
Offer poses that help you play around with finding (and losing) your balance.
Encourage adaptability and flexibility in your body, mind, and spirit.
Enhance your focus and concentration
Create a Routine to counterbalance all the fluctuating changes happening in your home, school, work schedules, or hormones.
Build a sense of calm stability for your mind and your nervous system.
Joyfully move your muscles, joints, and bones in yoga sequences.
Add a smile to your face as you feel centered, nourished, and connected.
If this sounds delightful to you, I encourage you to register for my 12-week Fall Yoga Season Series or purchase a 5-class card for drop-in classes. I look forward to seeing you in class!
Talk to you soon, Elyce
Comments