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.
Meghan Hogan, E-RYT 500, CCC-SLP is Lead Faculty for the Yoga Vidya Teacher Training and In-Depth Studies program, a Speech-Language Pathologist supporting preschool children with disabilities and their families, a wife and mother.
Her mission in sharing yoga is to provide caregivers of all walks of life tools for self-care and stress management.