Navigating Change

The change of season is upon us and with it comes an opportunity to transition to new ways of being. This time of year is great for reflection and planning as we go into the winter months. It is also a time for extra rest and caring for your body in gentle and respectful ways. From an Ayurvedic perspective we are moving from the pitta time of year to the vata time of year. We are going from more fire from the sun and longer days, to shorter days with less sun and more wind and lightness. There is more movement and therefore more instability and vulnerability as a result. When we don’t respect this change, we tend to get sick or experience problems.

When I first came to Ayurveda I had a pattern of having emotional difficulty in early October each year. When I recognized the pattern and its relationship to my past experiences, I wanted to change but it was not happening. I had the awareness but wasn’t able to make real and lasting change in this area.

Learning about Ayurveda and the significance of the doshas in how I felt had it all start to make sense. With the Ayurvedic perspective on the transitions of the seasons it helped me look at the energetic patterns and their relationship to imbalanced doshas. As my doshas came back toward a balanced place, I was able to develop a new perspective that allowed for clearing out old patterns. For a number of years I still had awareness of the time of year, memories and old patterns, but I didn’t have to repeat them. Now, after more time, that suffering is all a thing of the past and I have no more emotional difficulty in the autumn transition.

Ayurveda and Yoga supports us in moving forward in life at whatever pace we are ready for. With Ayurveda we can learn to utilize the information our body, mind, and spirit offers on a moment-to-moment basis. We can experience better living in all areas of our lives.

Be gentle with yourself. Respect the signals from your body when you need rest to avoid illness. Ride this wave of transition into our earth’s cooler months with grace and ease. Simple steps like conscious breathing, “stopping to smell the flowers,” and nourishing foods in appropriate amounts will make a big difference in your transition to winter.

Image courtesy of Morguefile.com.