Fall has its big fans like me: Cozy warms pullovers, guilt free hot cocoa, snuggy Uggs and permission to add a couple of kg because it’s coooold ! Is there a better feeling than snuggling in beds with the kids, sharing long hugs to keep warm? I definitely won’t miss the mosquitos and the wasps!
Yet it is a season that is also feared by many, as it it associated with sadness – after all aren’t we leaving the hype vibes of Summer, the fun, the long diners, all the light we bathed into for weeks? this fear can lead to depression for them, if they isolate instead of being social.
Traditional Chinese Medicine sees us as a microcosm of the universe. And when we follow the cycle of the seasons we live in harmony with Nature. So look around at the trees: they don’t hang desperately to their leaves, they let them go; They can teach us non attachment 🙂
1.The power of Introspection
With more time at hand, less temptations to get out for diners (baby it’s cold outside!) we have a chance to press on pause. Instead of reacting, we can focus on long term and envision and plan our future, the way We want it.
Just like the nature around us, we are getting ready to hibernate, somehow. It doesn’t have to mean sadness, if we look at the big picture. It means it is a time to get organized and like the trees, let go of what we no longer need, what feels burdensome. It is the ritual of this time of year: taking the time to ask ourselves what is it we can let go. Sometimes it’s a feeling, a limiting belief. Maybe the heaviness in our life is linked to a relationship that is draining us, a situation at work. Or just too much material stuff or papers we need to sort out.
2.The power of tidying up – physically and mentally
Think about fall as an opportunity to pause and organise. Think Marie Kondo method when tidying for the new season: keep only the relationships, stuff, attitudes, feelings, dreams that speak to your heart and discard items that no longer spark joy; Thank them for their service and let them go.
3.Mindfully Picking up the seeds you want to grow in your garden
Once we’ve done this clearing work, we are making space for what we want to grow in our life. Is there a quality you’d like to embody? What would your life look life is you got rid of this feeling of inferiority? what can you grow to make you a better person, a more content one?
The element linked to the Autumn season is metal: think something sharp. A beautiful instrument that will help you carving the kind of relationships and dreams you want.
4. Learning to avoid cold and flu: Focus on the lungs and large intestine meridians
The Fall meridians are the lungs and the large intestin. What you take in, what you take out. Physically and mentally.
You can stimulate them with practicing arms and shoulders openers, following the path of the meridians. I guarantee you’ll breath better and feel less stressed.
The supported fish pose is among my 5 favorite poses ever: you can use a bolster if you don’t have blocks or simply lie down framing your hands above your head (grab the opposite elbow); Breath deeply and slowly . You can use your Inhale to call in the quality you’d like to invite; and the exhalation to release what no longer serves you. Like anything in life, you’ll feel better benefits when you add an intention.
After a few minutes, lie down flat, arms to the side. Time to feel the space you’ve created in your chest area, how is your breathing and notice the emotions that came up 🙂
Open your heart, open your mind, and approach Autumn with anticipation, preparation and anticipation (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas coming!). Observe its energy, its phases of transition, sometimes sweet, sometimes intense. Let it inspire you: slow down to feel.
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