Autumn. A beautiful time of year. If we look closely enough and listen deeply we can learn so much from nature and autumn is no exception.
Here are my favourite reflections as the leaves start to fall:
Let Yourself Grieve
Autumn is a season of change, of letting go. It’s a time to shed the old in order for us to eventually welcome the new. What have you been holding onto that no longer serves you and that cannot come with you into your next chapter? Think about this and allow yourself time to grieve what you’ve lost or voluntarily left behind. Just because we’ve chosen to release something doesn’t mean there isn’t grieving to be done. Grieve not just what’s falling away at this time but the expectations you had around those things. Sometimes things turn out different than what we expect and this is ok. Trust the process and allow yourself to feel everything as you let yourself grieve the past, the lost, the not to be.
Chinese medicine speaks to how autumn represents the metal element which is connected to our lungs. Our lungs are the organ that holds grief and therefore we can more easily develop lung related diseases if we hold onto grief and don’t release it. It’s hard to allow ourselves to deeply feel the pain but it’s essential for our health and wellbeing that we release emotions in a healthy way.
Here is a Qigong routine by Nick Loffre for you to enjoy:
Go Within
As it gets darker and colder in preparation for the oncoming winter we are called to soften and go within. This means shifting from being externally focused to internally focused. It’s time to spend time in reflection and contemplation, slowing down to make space for the colder months.
Autumn is a wonderful time to enjoy nurturing slow paced practices like yoga, qigong, pilates, meditation, walks in nature. Allow yourself to slow down this autumn even if you have a busy schedule. Nature is calling us to take it easy and listen to ourselves, giving ourselves time to feel and heal through all the changes.
Declutter
Just like we do spring cleaning, autumn is a perfect time to declutter. Take stock of what you hold onto of material possessions that you haven’t used for a long time and that you’re unlikely to use again in the near future. Like Marie Kondo says it’s time to clear out anything that doesn’t spark joy!
This can also be an emotional and difficult process as old memories and energies as stuck in our old clothing and items. This is the perfect time to let go and create space for new energy and new beginnings.
The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.
- Marie Kondo
Warm Nourishing Dishes
It’s time to say goodbye to salads! This season is all about building immunity and preparing for the cold winter ahead. That means warm soups, warming herbs like ginger, turmeric and cinnamon. Seasonal foods like apples are great too. If you fancy something sweet why not add some honey to a hot drink? Autumn is a time for warmth and healing.
Embrace Change
As you wind down this season remember that you are an extension of nature. As the trees change colours and the leaves fall from the trees allow yourself to change and become someone new. Be gentle with yourself throughout this process. The only constant in life is change after all and that includes us. We are not meant to stay the same. There are many different versions of you. Who you were yesterday is not who you are today nor who you’ll become tomorrow. Embrace each chapter and every version of yourself. This is a time of change and transformation.
Change in all things is sweet
- Aristotle
Autumn is a season of grief, letting go, going within and nurturing ourselves as we evolve and grow. It’s one of my favourite seasons and I hope you embrace everything autumn represents.
On that note, here’s some autumn jazz to accompany your day:
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Beautiful, Hege!
Perfect wisdom for the cycle !