Greetings, Reader!
How are you meeting the changing of the seasons?
It is unseasonably warm and dry here in Vermont, but the trees are changing colors and the light is fading.
Yesterday, I took a tractor ride to pick two gigantic pumpkins from an adorable pumpkin patch, and this morning I snacked on apples picked from the orchard down the street.
It is unmistakably autumn, even if it is 80 degrees out.
We cannot escape the rhythms of nature, no matter how hard we try to resist. And yet, even though nature flows in cycles, it can be difficult to adapt to these changes.
I've been hearing so many clients and friends expressing their dismay over the fading light. Maybe you feel it too, Reader.
There is a grief that accompanies letting go of summer. It isn't an accident that the lungs and large intestine are the organs associated with autumn in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both organs are tasked with the complicated work of letting go, and grief is the primary emotion associated with the lungs.
While there is so much to celebrate in autumn, with the harvest feasts and spectacular colors on display, there is also a tacit understanding that letting go of the light will inevitably lead to going into the darkness.
Those of us who live in northern climates know the perils of a long, cold winter, and many of us, whether we realize it or not, are afraid of the dark.
Every other being in nature has a seasonal rhythm. The trees let go of their leaves to conserve their energy at their roots, while animals that do not migrate burrow underground, hibernate in dens, and lower their metabolic rates so they can survive on less.
Essentially, every other being in nature turns to stillness, rest, and fasting to survive the winter, and this period of dormancy enables them to reawaken in spring revived and refreshed.
In contrast, many humans burnout trying to maintain the same pace all year.
Every other creature in nature "goes to bed" when it gets dark out, but electricity has enabled humans to override this natural rhythm and stay up way past nature's bedtime.
We import tomatoes, strawberries, and other jewels of summer onto our dinner plates in the dead of winter.
We fight against the stillness to keep doing, and against the dormancy to keep producing.
No wonder we struggle with the seasonal shifts.
Our nervous systems were not designed to resist nature.
Imagine if the trees tried to keep their leaves through the winter. Or if the dahlias tried to maintain their blooms in freezing temperatures. How strange it would be to see roses flourishing underneath a foot of snow.
Why do we expect ourselves to be exempt from nature's cycles?
Perhaps what we pathologize as Seasonal Affective Disorder is actually our nervous system's way of letting us know that we are out of alignment with our true nature.
What if, instead of pushing through, we allowed ourselves to slow down and be less productive during the shorter days of autumn and winter?
Instead of burning out our energy trying to push through the fatigue that comes with increased melatonin production in the darker times of year, what if we let ourselves rest?
Rather than forcing ourselves to overcome lethargy, what if we allowed ourselves to be still?
The more we cling to the light, the more disconnected we become from our own source of renewal, which is why so many of us feel depleted, exhausted, lonely, and sad during the colder, shorter days of autumn and winter.
That's why I love practicing and teaching qigong and ayurvedic yoga. These practices honor the seasonal rhythms, providing the rituals we need to shepherd our bodies through these shifts, and the medicine we need to recalibrate.
In the autumn, practices focus on harmonizing lung and large intestine qi. These organs are responsible for integration and elimination, which are essential components on the path to acceptance and appreciation. Letting go opens space and energy to be present with the moment, and to navigate the unknown.
In harmony, these organs support:
- Integrity
- Self-worth
- Embodiment
- Honesty
- Courage
- Awe & Inspiration
- Presence
In disharmony, we may feel:
- Despair
- Worthlessness
- Anxiety
- Sorrow
- Fear
- Uninspired
- Stuck
- Rigid
- Isolated
The good news is, there are simple, effective practices you can use to harmonize your energy with each season, which might even help you learn to embrace the waning light and the shorter days.
Offerings to Align Your Nervous System with the Rhythms of Nature
The Fall Yoga & Qigong Series begins on October 18th, with options to join in person in Burlington, VT and online.
Join us for the full 8-week fall series, or drop-in to any class.
We'll be exploring qigong forms that energetically and physically support the metal element and the lungs and colon, helping us to clarify what is truly needed, appreciate the abundance we already have, and let go of what isn't aligned with this season of our lives.
I'm also offering a special Restorative Yoga & Energy Healing practice to balance the energies and emotions of autumn on October 19th.
This practice is included in the 8-week Fall Yoga & Qigong series, or you can drop-in.
I hope to practice with you this autumn.
In love and solidarity,
|
|
Rachel
Doctor of Physical Therapy & Integrative Pain Specialist
Build a resilient nervous system to help you flow through the seasons of your life with courage, wisdom, and compassion.
|
PS: For years I taught a benefit class for Hunger Free Vermont on Thanksgiving Day and I'm thinking of reviving the tradition! Would you come? Fill out this short survey to help me plan.
