Autumn Leaves - Louisa Flynn, Breathe & Be Yoga
/Autumn Leaves
As summer’s end draws closer, and the leaves silently begin to prepare themselves to make their journeys down to rest on the ground, the approach of the Autumn Equinox has long been a time associated with a significant switch in our energy levels.
While the sun and moon seek to rebalance with one another, and as the day and night become equal partners once again, it is not uncommon to feel a little off-centre. Summer is often fun and exciting at the best of times, let alone a summer straight off the back of a pandemic. Long summer days and preparations to go back to school make use of the abundant sun energy that is around, fuelling these activities.
However, it is for that reason that the Autumn Equinox can take us by surprise. The innate urge to pull back a little and to take a much-needed rest; to prepare for the natural stillness of winter, can seem as though it has come out of nowhere.
The summer months, and their focus on doing and of making the most of the increase of the sun’s natural energies: the light; and the warmth, often suits our busy, modern lives. However, when the earth’s axis shifts, and the energies change, we sometimes need to take a moment or two to settle in with the world around us.
With so many of us mothers juggling work, family commitments and childcare, as well as handling the ups and downs of normal life, finding the time to check-in with ourselves is not only worthwhile, but crucial, if we are to find ourselves operating optimally, in what is, despite the movements of the earth, an extremely busy time.
Slowing down has many benefits, and what I love the most about the autumn is the lesson the tress gives us, every year, in the power of letting go.
While my body yearns to move slowly and my attention turns inwards, I find the deliciousness in the present moment to be sweeter with less to do. When my heart gets a chance to breathe, to speak, and to be heard, the relief in me opens up space for more connectedness, not only to my children and my husband, and of course my nearest and dearest, but, more importantly, to myself.
So, whether you only have two minutes, or ten, here are a few ways to check-in with yourself this season.
If you have two minutes…
Sit down, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing for two minutes. Inhale and exhale naturally. Just note the rising and the falling of the chest. If noise occurs, just notice it. If thoughts come up, allow them, then just bring your attention back to the breath.
If you have five minutes…
Complete the above breathing exercise plus, afterwards, sit for a few moments and check if there are any plans in your diary that you could say no to? If it doesn’t make your heart want to sing, and you have a choice, then don’t do it. Try to find one thing to reschedule or cancel. Instead, plan to do nothing with the time and be still, allowing for the opportunity to sit with yourself before the changing of the seasons.
If you have ten minutes…
Do all the above plus spend five minutes writing down your response to the following prompt:
Over the next few months, I would most like to…
And just see what comes up.
As the planetary energy wanes, it becomes even more vital for us mothers to prioritise what is most important, and a spot of journaling or free writing can really help to tease out this voice that is often so easily muted by the loudness of our family’s demands and our career’s expectations of us.
This piece of writing is not for anyone to read, so it doesn’t even have to make any sense. It Is more of an exercise in connecting to your inner voice.
By taking the time to listen to the wisdom of our bodies, and that of the natural world, we can better keep ourselves in balance. Ensuring that we don’t squander our precious energies on that which is wasteful, and that we are able to fully gather and harvest all that we most long for and desire.
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