5 Ways to Fall Hard for Autumn
Not too long ago, while working my elite corporate job and traveling almost nonstop around this country of ours, I used to miss the sweetness of the changing seasons. I have a vivid memory of arriving home on one chilly Washington, D.C. morning and realizing it was winter. And somehow, I had missed Autumn. All of it.
Well not this year. This year I am savoring every ounce of the transition spaces. The brightness that you can feel in the harvest of such beautiful pumpkins and squash – the literal bounty of the earth that’s been waiting for just this time to fully mature and blossom.
I feel too it is the time to harvest all the seeds that have been planted and cultivated from the beginning of this year. A time to check in with the goals I had for 2016 and find ways to see them through or adjust in these final months. This season also reminds us so clearly of impermanence and the immense beauty that comes with such transience. Just as the leaves fall from the trees, so too do things in life mature, release, and decompose. But the cycle begins again and again – it is such a comfort in this spinning wheel of wonder we call life.
To fully embrace, savor and tune into this Autumn season, here are a few recommended practices:
GET COOKING | There are so many fun fall recipes to embrace. Try this butternut squash macaroni and cheese recipe or these crowd-pleasing beet burgers.
BREATHE DEEPER | Autumn is associated with the lungs in Chinese medicine so it is a perfect time for all you shallow breathers out there to pause and practice actually expanding your breath. Try this surefire way to feel open and awesome after only a few minutes.
HAVE A GOOD CRY | Autumn is also said to be a time associated with grief and letting go of the old to make space for the new. If you’re feeling sad, instead of pushing it away try to go with it. Cry it out. Be sad for anything lost, but also allow that hint of excitement for what's to come. Let it out, and I'll bet you feel lighter and better afterwards.
SLOW DOWN | I share this with my clients all the time but when we take a cue from nature and live our life in greater alignment with the natural world, things start to fall into place. Our health, our mental state, even our physical body feels better when it’s attuned to the shifting cycles of the natural world. Nature is slowing down. You should too.
GET GROUNDED | Incorporate more grounding practices into your morning or evening routine. You could start with a few minutes of meditation or journaling. Maybe you begin your day with 5 minute of sun salutations. Whatever it is for you, find a way to root into your own self and your own wisdom and you will harvest a great deal of abundance this season.