Feeling emotional, spacey, addicted or like you can’t follow through?

Fall, being Vata season, represented by the qualities cold, light, dry, irregular, moving, quick and changeable, can be a time of year that challenges us emotionally and physically.

It becomes increasingly difficult to maintain our self care practices, healthy diets and positive thoughts, as school and activity schedules increase. This is one of the reasons many of us come down with illness during this time of year or chronic pain gets worse.

As my family was increasingly “losing it” the other day with eight-year-old tears, lost car keys and swimming in the sea of colored pages that float upon every table top, my husband looked at me and said, “You seem really grounded.”

I am not immune when it comes to this season. Even on the best days I feel my balanced state of mind and genuine peace succumbing to desires, daydreams and daily to-dos.

Just as the leaves outside are changing and displaying their full range of color, we can take a lesson from nature to embrace ours. Here are a few things I do to stay grounded and grateful during “the fall.”

What we resist persists

Fall is a time for change. However, stop trying to change what cannot be moved.

Take time to re-direct your attention and energy to something that can be changed, maybe something you have been avoiding. We tend to give our energy away to things that cannot be changed and avoid the things we can, because we know we have the power to co-create and that can be a bit frightening. If there is a nagging voice inside wanting big change, it is there for a reason. Sit with it (literally, sit still).

Get outside

Easy! We may not have much of this nice weather left, so even if it is a bit more chilly than you like, bundle up and get outside to enjoy nature’s colors.

Be Thankful

Gratitude, like all of our practices, only happens by grace, but you will never become it if you do not take a moment to practice it each day. Feel your feet upon the earth, stop and say Thank You! Eventually, you will feel the fruits of your practice.

Do it with Both Hands

Sounds a little dirty, I know, but love often is. Our hands are an extension of the heart, which is why we express our emotions through our hands. If the ground is always moving beneath us, moving from our heart is the only way to stay grounded.

We often move through life only revealing certain parts of ourselves. Don’t be afraid to use all sides of yourself. Create a practice of watching your hands do your work from a place of genuine, caring and authentic presence.

Gaze Upon the Earth

In your yoga practice, turn your attention to the earth. I love practicing with my eyes closed. It is like I am swimming down deep into the oceans of my soul.

However, fall is not the best time for this and can make you more spacey, less grounded and more vulnerable to addictions. Place your gaze and your desires upon the earth so only what serves will become seeds in the soil of your asana practice and life. Use your drishti (gaze) to focus, become alert and stay present to your changing scenery.

Love elephant and want to go steady?

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Editor: Emily Bartran

Photo: Used with Permission by Tim Brumbeloe