It doesn’t seem to matter how old we are, September always has that quality of beginning afresh, the ‘back to school’ energy that says summer is over and it’s time to get on with things.
But not everyone enjoys letting go of summer. Autumn can seem like an inevitable slide towards winter…. which of course it is. But we can also see it as a mellowing of the year, a softening into something deeper and more subtle than the full glare of summer.
Preparation is the theme of this season – getting everything ready (including ourselves) for the darker half of the year. It’s the time to establish the habits that will carry us through in good heart and health.
Yoga can help us – and it’s so obvious that I forget to mention it enough!
~ Intelligent approaches to movement can reverse the negative effects of cooler, damper weather on our joints and muscles
~ Improving our breathing can help us resist seasonal coughs and colds (along with the immune-enhancing effects of gentle physical movement)
~ Practising challenging poses builds self-trust and confidence, releasing feel-good hormones when we need a lift in our spirits
~ Making time for high quality rest at the end of our practice allows the ‘squirrel energy’ of mind and body to be soothed and fully integrated, so we can move into the rest of our day with renewed energy and focus
And of course, there is so much more that we get out of our yoga when we come to the mat regularly and with clear intention.
Build up weeks, months and years of yoga practice and we make huge impacts on our health and quality of life. In uncertain times, taking responsibility for our own wellbeing is a priority and yoga gives us plenty of ways to do that.
August 28th, 2023
Tracey Roberts 