Greetings, Reader!

On the eve of the first real frost this week, I was at the Intervale Community Farm picking the last of the peppers, tomatoes, and flowers of the season and I was flooded with unexpected grief.

I've loved this weekly ritual, and it has brought me great joy this summer to fill my home with freshly picked flowers that I lovingly arrange into whimsical bouquets each week.

As much as I embrace the seasonal transitions and have been looking forward to the stillness of winter, letting go of the flowers was hard this year.

Perhaps it is because it felt so abrupt. Earlier that week, it had been 80 degrees. By Thursday, it barely hit 50, but the bees were still buzzing in the flower garden, blissfully unaware that it would be 30 degrees that night.

​As I shared last week, grief is one of the primary emotions of autumn. Letting go involves loss, but it is also an act of love. We only mourn what really matters to us.

In reflecting upon what brought on this wave of grief, I realized that it was more than the simple pleasure and beauty that I would miss. What really matters to me about this weekly ritual is the experience of being in nature simply for pleasure, having scheduled time each week that has nothing to do with productivity, and having a creative outlet that brings joy into my life.

I'm so grateful to my body's wisdom for inviting me to pause and reflect. It has brought me needed clarity as I head into the next season of my life.

Although I will miss my weekly flower ritual, I know that, just like the farmers will be pruning to make way for new growth, autumn is also an opportunity for me to pare back and focus on what will sustain me through this next season.

Nothing in nature blooms all year.

In fact, as Ailey Jolie says,

I know my soul needs the quiet solitude and rest of the cold, dark months. In fact, the wellspring of grief I unearthed this week showed me just how important it is to me to have time to recharge.

What does your soul need in this season of your life, Reader?

Seasonal transitions can be hard. In autumn, chronic pains and chronic illnesses often flare up, and we can feel stuck, uninspired, depressed, and unmotivated.

These challenges often surface when we don't allow ourselves to change with the seasons.

While autumn can bring sorrow and grief, when our true nature is in harmony with the natural world, autumn can also bring integrity, awe, inspiration, honesty, courage, and presence.

My fall yoga and qigong series begins next weekend and I'd love for you to join.

We'll be exploring practices 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.

These practices are more than exercises, they are medicine for the mind, body, and soul.

Join us for the full 8-week fall series, or drop-in to any class.

*Note: NEW TIME AND LOCATION FOR SATURDAY PRACTICES!

We'll be sharing space with Murmurations Aerial Dance studio, which is a beautiful space full of natural light, plants, and colorful paper cranes on Flynn Ave in Burlington. The studio is in the same building as Nomad Coffee, right across the street from the South End City Market.

Saturday classes begin at 7:45 am this season, and are also livestreamed for those who can't make it to the studio. Monday classes are from 7 - 8 am on zoom only.

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.

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In love and solidarity,

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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.

CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle form of manual therapy for the nervous system that guides the nervous system back to center so you feel relaxed, aligned, and present.

If you are experiencing signs of seasonal imbalance, CranioSacral Therapy can help you recalibrate.

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