Autumn is a special time of year where the pace begins to slow right down. After the hyper-energy of summer, holidays, Christmas, the turn of the New Year, summer and the Silly Season, our bodies are ready and craving a break. It’s time to turn the outward energy inward and withdraw somewhat from extraverted activities and begin to look within at what our body, mind and soul is calling out for.
Traditionally, autumn was a time of foraging, fermenting, drying and bulking up for the cooler months ahead when the earth experiences less sunlight and therefore tends to produce less, so it’s about harvesting and honouring what already abounds.
In today’s culture, we have access to almost anything we want all year round. Although convenient, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. Plants grow seasonally for a reason. Mother Nature provides what we need when we need it. Consuming tropical fruits throughout winter is actually counter-intuitive to our natural diet. Fruit is high in sugar, water and is cooling – which suits a summer lifestyle where we are much more active, operate at a higher body temperature and require more hydration to battle the heat. Autumn and winter are for spices, teas, warming meals and grounding root vegetables.
Taking a step back, slowing down the pace and looking within are wonderful practices to adopt during autumn. It’s also a great time to check in with yourself and ensure that all of your intentions for 2020 are underway.
Autumn rituals we love:
Reflecting on your new year’s resolutions/aspirations and putting practices in place to ensure you are on the right path to where you want to be.
Rising slowly and slipping straight into meditation.
Warm oil massages. Lightly heating up some black sesame oil with heating essential oils such as black pepper and ginger to stimulate circulation, healing and raise your body temperature.
Slow flow yoga versus high-intensity sports.
Hot Epsom salt baths with dried flowers and luminous candles.
Creative activities such as knitting, crochet and macrame.
Cooking delicious hearty stews, soups, stir-fries, curries and pies.
Sipping warm tea throughout the day, such as chamomile for calming, fennel & peppermint for digestion, nettle for iron, green for antioxidants, raspberry leaf to support your hormones/cycle, ginger & lemon for immunity, spiced chai for energy and dandelion for detoxification. We recommend stopping the consumption of tea after 6 pm as all tea acts as a bladder flush and can cause frequent urination during the night.
Nighttime journalling to unwind from the day.
Using hot water bottles in bed (also helps to conserve energy rather than using heaters).
We’d love to hear what other Autumn rituals you like to practice? Head over to our Facebook page to share your favourites!