With Autumn having truly set in; this is the time when we naturally start to turn inward.
Autumn is traditionally the time when crops are harvested; people and animals gather food (energy) for the coming winter. On a subtle level we can look at this time as an invitation to harvest the fruits of our labours and reflect upon the year behind us to see which of the seeds we planted grew healthy and strong, and which didn't.
This is the time when trees shed leaves and nature slowly starts to shed the old in preparation for the stillness (winter) before the new cycle and a new beginning comes with spring. This is when we prepare for the new cycle; this is the time to shed the leaves of the past, leave behind whatever doesn't serve our seeds to grow healthy and strong.
During next few months we can slowly start to make changes to our daily routines. Here are a few suggestions:
Do a one-day detox to cleanse and prepare your digestive system.
Eat less raw foods, add more steamed or cooked vegetables to your diet. As the days get colder and we enter Vata season, it is good to add more spices to our food to help build up digestive fire. Especially if you are Vata constitution. Soups and stews with seasonal vegetables are great, as are rice and root vegetables. Add kurkuma, ginger, black pepper, cardamom and cinnamon into your food. As the days get colder, hot ginger tea is a good way to keep you warm as well as to aid digestion.
Use a dry brush before showering to help your skin shed the old, dry layers.
During summer you can use coconut oil to feed my skin, but when colder days come, your skin may be craving something thicker like coco or shea butter. Coconut is great but it's a cooling oil perfect for summer. As it gets cooler, we need oils like sesame, avocado and jojoba.
Meditate daily.
Find a time in the day when you can take five to ten minutes of quiet time to spend in meditation and contemplation. There are so many free meditations Take long walks in the woods to re-connect. Summer is all about beach, sun and water, as we move into fall season, connecting to the earth will help us make a smooth transition.
Avoid vigorous asana practice in the evening.
Do a more restorative yoga sequence every other day to ground and calm your nervous system.
As the nights get longer and we enter late autumn, take time to look within, to introspect. Look into the dark corners of yourself if you can, and when ready, bring to light and integrate whatever is hiding there. The dark and the stillness that come during this time of year is a gift, allowing us to become once again part of the natural cycle, the web of nature.
Most of all, be kind to yourself.
Original Article – Super Soul.