5 Tips to transition from Summer to Autumn
There is change in the air.
As we transition from the heat of summer to cooler mornings and shorter days there is a need to take more care of our health.
According to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life from which yoga flourished, all diseases begin at the junctions of the seasons.
Depending on your dosha (constitution) the changing to cooler weather may be a good thing or not. I am dominant Pitta which means I am hot by nature, fiery and intense in my temperament and this is only compounded through the heating energy of the sun, high in the summer sky. If you are more Vata you will dislike the cold, experience rough or dry skin and as we come into Autumn you may feel anxious or be feeling the need to move, to run away. These results of our make up are not positive, or negative, they simply are. By being aware of why we are feeling a certain way we can live according to nature and its cycles, the result being a balanced, healthy and vibrant life.
Here are 5 tips on making a smooth transition from Summer to Autumn…
1. Rest – Autumn is the season of the harvest. Taking a cue from nature it is a time to ground yourself through gathering the harvest in your life and storing gratitude for a long dark winter. Vata energy (which is the ruler of Autumn) is represented by the wind, it can be erratic, and make us feel we are overly busy and rushed. Take the next 7 days to stop and be still, meditate, move slowly and deliberately and avoid over committing yourself. Rest and restore your body, mind and spirit.
2. Eat – we nourish ourselves through food and as we move from one season to the next it is important to be mindful of what we are fuelling our bodies with. It is a good time to eat warm, light, highly nutritious foods such as soups, or light meals of mildly spiced vegetables with grains such as quinoa. Eating a lighter diet for a few weeks while the weather is changing will help burn away the toxins rather than accumulate them. Imagine you are strengthening your immune system by the foods you choose, spice up your food and life with cumin, fennel, coriander, turmeric, ginger and black pepper. Nourish and love your body through your eating choices.
3. Cleanse – throughout summer we have a build up of Pitta energy (represented by fire) and when this heat is met with Vata (represented by wind) it can lead to a general burned out feeling. The result of this is a physical and mental imbalance, through this the body’s natural detoxification processes are placed on hold, leading to constipation, skin irritations and weakened nervous and immune systems. Upon rising tongue scrape to remove the toxins that build up overnight, sit quietly with a warm lemon, ginger and honey water to kick start the bodies detoxification process. You can also dry body brush before your shower to shed excess toxins from the skin. Aim to reduce or eliminate any outside toxins over the following 7 days to allow for the body to cleanse itself, moving into Autumn with a fresh body and mind.
4. Move – The most effective way to develop awareness around what your body needs and what state your mind and body are in at any given time is to practice yoga. Yoga is thousands of years old, it is a health science and through moving, twisting, bending, folding and turning our bodies upside down we squeeze out residue toxins, we remove blockages from our past, both physical and emotional and we create a healthy internal environment to live our best lives. So do more yoga!
5. Sleep – How much sleep you need depends of your dosha, however through a period when nature is shifting we should take our cues from the planet and take longer sleeps to allow your body, and mind, to revitalise. If we look to the cycles of the seasons and follow them we really should be going to bed and waking with the sun, which means more sleep in winter. I find this one the hardest as I need to get up before the sun to fit everything into my day! Over the next week try for 8 hours sleep a night, remind yourself that while we sleep our bodies work hard at getting us back to a state of equanimity, so turn off the TV and go to bed!
To check out the next HappyFit Retreat, where we take time to restore ourselves through this seasonal transition click here
To find out what dosha you are click here