Real Life Ayurvedic Practices For Autumn.

In today's blog, I want to share my real-life Ayurvedic practices for autumn which help me balance my mind and body through the season's transition.

As I was out for a walk a couple of days  ago, I noticed that the winds had changed. There was a freshness in the air that hadn’t been there a day or two before, and after the long hot summer that had brought drought and fire, it felt like it was bringing us a breath of hope. The seasons are changing, and for the first time I feel almost itchy with anticipation for the one to come; we are about to come into Ayurveda's Vata season, the autumn season

Over the past few months I have spent my free time reading about how ayurvedic philosophies can help guide us into a healthier state of being through looking after our minds and bodies. I first started looking at this ancient practice whilst researching our nervous systems when I was looking for sustainable routines to help my clients in their first year of parenthood, as well as for my own self care. But, as I started delving into the sources, I quickly realised that what I was learning could help all of us if we simply dedicated the time to listening to our inner and outer worlds; the ones that come together to contain and nourish us as we journey through this crazy thing called ‘Life’. 

What I find so interesting about the way of looking at autumn with an ayurvedic lens is that it seems to put the poetic words to what we inherently feel about this time of the year. It is light and airy as the winds bring movement and change, but it can also make us feel cool, dry and itchy, or a little out-of-sorts. This is vata in a nutshell, and it is important to celebrate it, whilst also making sure it stays balanced so that it doesn’t overwhelm us. In today’s blog, I want to share with you my personal ways of staying healthy through this transition month, which sees the start of autumn during the September Equinox which is on the 23rd this year.

Nourishing Our Bodies

Here in England, the September Equinox is the mid-point between August 1st and October 1st and many ancient beliefs celebrated this as the second harvest, where the bounty of the land was harvested in order to keep us nourished through the winter. 

What I love is that the foods that are in season during September are the ones that naturally allow us to thrive through the Vata season, as they not only celebrate the last of the summer, but also bring the changes into Autumn. Packed full of immunity boosting vitamins and minerals, blueberries, late raspberries and blackberries, along with the first of the season apples help us to ward off the first rounds of coughs and colds, which are ripe as all the kids go back to school! Colourful plants such as beetroots, chard and figs not only bring a joyful sight to our dinner plates, but help our gut microbiome remain active and healthy for the season to come, ready to fight for us when needed. I also love that the sweet-corns, tomatoes, and french beans are still with us, which always remind me of summer evenings shared with friends and family around the BBQ. They are joined by pepper and chillies, which are wonderful anti-oxidant foods, and ones that can be overlooked. September is truly a month of bounty in the kitchen, and it helps us get physically ready for the darker days to come. All these foods are also very grounding, and I personally believe that foods like carrots and pears, plums and shallots allow my energy to sink into a much more stable space, rather than the sugar filled watermelons of July! 

Along with the grounding fruit and veg, it is the start of the nut season. This is a fresh view of nutrition for me; blending how I see Vata in my own life as I wander through the farmers markets at the weekend. Vata is the season of itchy dryness, but to counter this in our bodies, the earth offers us the natural balance which is essential fatty acids that we can find in nuts like cobnuts, walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts. The oils and nutrients found in these nuts help our skin remain smooth rather than patchy and dry,, and our joints remain oiled. All of these nuts are about to come into their freshest season, but can be stored to help us get through the winter. 

Here in the UK, the fish that enjoy the cooler waters thrive in our seas, and sardines pack into our oceans; they are also full of amazing fatty acids that help our bodies stay itch-free! Shellfish are also at their best this time of year, and crab is an incredibly nutrient dense food that brings so much to our bodies that we can be lacking, B12, zinc and selenium included. 

Embracing The Change

Making time to sit and think about how to let go of things, as well as opening yourself up to change, is a wonderful way to ease into the autumn.

As we prepare for autumn, Vata encourages us to let go of what we have been hanging on to so that we can come into the darker seasons lighter and with increased health. For me, I have been meditating on what I can let go of mentally. There are a few hurts that have been dragging me down, and cutting those cords would help me accept the winds of change so that I can become lighter through the next season. This also allows me to breathe more deeply, filling my lungs with fresh, easy air, so that I can become unbound from those memories that have caused me pain. This is not so easily done, and I would never suggest that we can just flick a switch to feel better, which is why I always work with my talking therapist to help me on this part of my journey. The season of Vata gives us focus for our sessions together, and then during the week I can work through what we have discussed during my yoga and walking sessions, which not only brings my mind and body together, but  helps balance the need for movement through vata’s season. 

This process also helps us change our relationships with those around us, and we see movement in our friendships. Forgiveness can be offered and received. Some friendships can be let go of gently, whilst others can be deepened. As we find balance together in preparation for the winter, we move into autumn feeling lighter, less out of balance, and able to come together to celebrate the gathering of the second harvest. 

Calming The Jangle

Heading out to the garden to clean up the leaves is a wonderful way to balance your body and mind through the Vata season.

As autumn encourages me to build new habits and rituals for the darker seasons to come, I like to start clearing the spaces in my house that have become a little bit cluttered through the summer. Piles of summer-reads that need to be put on shelves or donated, beach bags filled with flip-flops and sand that need cleaning out and putting back into storage, or that corner of the entrance hall that has become a catch-all for all-the-things that needs dealing with! Clearing out these little areas of my home allows me to declutter the mental jangle that can build up over the beautifully chaotic time of summer. The joy of placing fresh candles and a bunch of autumn coloured flowers on a dining table that had been strewn with a long abandoned and half completed puzzle and a pack of cards that had escaped their box, can never be over stated! 

To help calm my body of jangles, I also begin to change my yoga practice at this time of year. I sometimes use weights, and I start to lower these just a little. My flows start to drop a couple of beats, and I spend a little more time on my bolsters. I don’t find the need to go to a full Yin practice at the moment, but I do enjoy resting a little more and softening my daily intentions. The mornings are still light at 6am, and so my early morning sessions are still filled with daylight energy, but it is a lot calmer than a month ago, and the greyness of dawn is finding its way to join me on my mat. The same energy shift can be felt on my dog walks, and I am aware that those will soon be changing for wetter, darker times on the footpaths. 

Wrapping Up Warm

As I start to pull my favourite knitted cardigans around me, I realise that the blended approach of Ayurvedic philosophies are the natural ones for me to lean into as I learn more about myself and the world around me. I live a full and busy life here in the home-counties of England, with a thriving post-natal doula practice, a daughter going into her final year of high-school, and a husband who is often on a plane on his way to another meeting across the globe. Our lives are hustle and bustle! As I come to my daily life and start to work out how to balance these ancient, healing practices with the school’s WhatsApp group, I need to find a natural flow that allows the blending of the worlds. I don’t get it right all the time, but the more I learn about how my body and mind benefit from the wisdom that was held thousands of years ago, the more I want to normalize it in my life that I live today. 

As I share more about my personal interests and passions here on the blog, I hope that they inspire you to delve a little deeper to find what works for you in your home as well. We can drink warming tea together, make fire ciders, and stay rooted in our earth and communities as we grow. 

And remember, once your doula, always your doula, 

Love, Sam xx