The Fall Season is a time to nourish and fortify yourself physically and emotionally from the cooling changing elements outside.
Fall is a season of change and transition. The air is dry, leaves are crunchy and falling from the trees. The earth is contracting from the cold. Life is sinking back to its roots. It’s a time for simplicity but also a time of deficiencies, depletion, and unpredictability. We need to head indoors and look inward.
One vital principle in the health and healing sister science of yoga called Ayurveda is that opposites bring balance. With this in mind, Fall has distinct qualities: cold, rough, dry, and mobile/windy. We can reduce seasonal aggravations/disruptions in our bodies and minds with Fall’s opposing qualities of warmth, oiliness, stability/grounding, and loving relationships.
You may have noticed you’re feeling unsettled, scattered, sleepless, and, on top if it all, your appetite has increased, as has your cravings for starchy foods. As the cold winds blow, blood returns to the core and we get more hungry. This time of year our bodies are programmed to build a layer of insulating fat too. We are preparing for Winter. Don’t panic, this is the circle of life at play.
SO, WHAT TO DO to stay healthy this Fall...adjust your diet for the season, take steps to strengthen your digestion, and focus on finding a sound and sustainable routine.
AND, HOW TO DO IT…
Most importantly…establish a daily routine!
The nervous system is easily disrupted in the Fall. Avoid travel and change if you can. Seek out company, share a meal, or curl up with a good book.
But don’t binge watch alone, as this will invite anxiety and feelings of being unsettled. Set the tone for the day by rising early when the world outside is silent, still, and peaceful. Try to do the same things at the same time everyday (when you wake, eat, exercise, and go to bed). Avoid getting over-stimulated and choose nurturing activities. Don’t forget...bedtime by 10pm.
Add body massage of warm sesame or sunflower oil to calm your nervous system and ground your energy.
Body massage with oils will soften and protect the skin and improve immunity. Essential oils to consider adding to the base oil (sesame or sunflower): geranium, vetiver and citruses.
Eat warm cooked foods at regular mealtimes.
Cut back on raw vegetables and frozen foods. Choose warm stews and soups and foods high in protein. You want to keep the heat in (don’t want to sweat) by using spices that help digest the heavy Fall foods but don’t push heat to the body’s surface and out. They include salt, black pepper, turmeric, fennel, garlic, ginger, horseradish, rosemary, thyme, and sage. Choose foods from the Fall Harvest in the region, such as acorn squash, beets, cabbage, carrots, radishes, mushrooms, onions/scallions, potatoes, and zucchini. Fruits include apples and cranberries. And consider planning meals the night before.
Start dressing in warm layers to protect yourself from the temperature swings outside.
Also consider wearing autumn colors of red, orange, and yellow.
The Fall season ends at Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family. So it is only appropriate to start desiring hot apple cider and sauce, warm soups, and letting loved ones (human, canine, feline or other loving critters) curl up in bed with us for warmth.
Let’s get ready for Winter and apply a few simple principles to avoid Free FALLin.
DARE daily! Here if you need anything...maggie