Presence in Transitions

Hello lovely!

How is the transition into fall going for you? As we welcome this seasonal shift, I wanted to remind you of a teaching from Ayurveda:  Like increases like and opposites balance.  I find myself sourcing choices from this principle often during seasonal changes. 

As I walk through a forest scattered with leaves, I notice the ground hardening beneath my feet, I see leaves drying, falling and taking on their signature “crunch”.  I notice the interplay of dark and light, wet and dry, warm and cold.  I feel the crispness in the air and the increased wind.  These are some of the qualities of vata dosha: cool, dry, rough, erratic, mobile.

Here are a few examples and ways you might apply this teaching.

Opposites balance:

Cool: Favor warmed cooked foods, enjoy hot tea/warm beverages

Dry: Apply warm oil to the skin (abhyanga) and nasal passages (nasya)

Rough: Wear some cozy socks or snuggle up with a soft blanket.  Notice any raggedness or hitching in the breath cycle and gradually Invite smoothness into the flow of the breath.

Erratic: Practice sama vritti pranayama: same wave breath (ie: inhale four counts, exhale four counts).  When this pattern becomes effortless, apply it in your practice of nadi shodhana.  Unplug from tech and unnecessary distractions – absorb nature through all your senses.

Mobile: Source foundation.  Feel your feet on the ground.  Slow down and cultivate presence in transitions.  Practice so hum meditation.  Connect with the essence I am-ness that is unafflicted and unchanging.

To give you another option to try in sourcing foundation I recorded a short asana practice. Click the button below to view it.  I invite you to let me know how these practices felt in your body and mind when you tried them. 

Contact me anytime with insights or questions.