Labor Day marks the official end of late nights, fireflies,
running through the sprinkler and sipping iced tea on the porch. Our bodies naturally begin to shift into a
fall routine – going to bed earlier, returning to the gym, taking the kids to
afterschool practices. Even our diets
begin to change from the cool salads to warmer dishes like chili and soup. (Tailgating, anyone?)
Vata, one of the three Ayurveda doshas, begins to rise, as
the air grows crisp and dry. When in
balance, Vata creates mental awareness and creativity. When out of balance, Vata causes anxiety,
irritability and constipation. Vata is at its
peak come November and December just in time for the holiday season.
We can lay a strong foundation now to prevent any added
anxiety in the winter. I, too, have
struggled with my own meditation practice abandoning it when my daughter
arrived this summer. I noticed I became
more agitated and impatient without a few minutes of mental silence a day. Before I became a parent, I would awake after
a full night of sleep ready to jump into a meditation practice. But now, I find myself falling asleep and
struggling to calm my mind when I know the baby will wake in less than an hour.
Now that summer is over, I’m ready to try again. I’ve thrown out what I did before and started
fresh. Each morning, I spend quality
time with my daughter first then move into a yoga practice. My practices change depending on what I need
that day – energizing, rejuvenating, restoring.
After I’ve moved, I can then find the quietness in my mind to lie in
meditation. That’s right – LIE in
meditation. I take on the same savasana
(deep relaxation / corpse pose) we are familiar with at the end of a yoga class
for my own meditation time. Connecting
and sinking into the earth comforts my mind and allows me to let go of my
racing thoughts.
Get back to your practice.
Set up a routine now and reap the benefits come winter.
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