5 tips for autumn wellbeing

As someone who definitely tends to be more yang than yin*, autumn can feel like a challenge! Leaves are falling, days are getting shorter and whilst some people thrive on the prospect of cosying up and slowing down, I always find this time of year quite testing for my body and mind. This year though, I am making a conscious effort to be more connected to the seasons through my own yoga practice and the ones I teach, as well as my lifestyle, and I have discovered (surprise) that it is okay to slow down! As nature sheds, changes, evolves, so do we. Listening to these subtle changes when they occur. Honouring them in your daily rituals instead of fighting them can bring us a lot of peace.

Here are a few things I have changed in my routine or have noticed myself doing more this year. Maybe it will help you too if you feel like you’re not ready to enter the dark part of the year just yet?

Doing less is being more: I am learning to appreciate doing one thing at a time. I put my phone away when I have a cup of tea and concentrate solely on this one experience of drinking a warm beverage and invite daydreaming to take over. I don’t turn the TV on anymore when I have a meal, even if I’m alone and take my time to eat and enjoy the food I am lucky to have at my disposal. Notice how many times a day you are multitasking and maybe slow it all down a bit. Your nervous system will thank you for that!

Resting is not optional: our body clocks change with the seasons as we are naturally programmed to wake up around sunrise and go to sleep around sunset. When the days get shorter it can become challenging to follow this pattern but listening to the signs your body and mind are sending you can help you find a rhythm that could benefit you. If you are getting sleepy early in the evening because the sun goes down, then can you maybe go to bed earlier and honour that you need rest and will feel better for it the next day? It is okay to need more rest as winter draws in, especially in this part of the world where we might not get much sunlight at all for a few months, so can you tweak anything in your routine to allow yourself to live with the seasons?

Choose wisely where to spend your energy: we might want to convince ourselves otherwise but we don’t have unlimited resources of energy. If you have a busy family life, a busy job, people to care for and a lot of things to do, then prioritising tasks can help you not burn out during autumn and winter. Listen to yourself, to your body and mind and notice which tasks in your routine are really draining you. Then ask yourself how you can refill your cup afterwards. If you are an introvert like me, being in social situations can be quite draining, so I know to always have some time alone following a long day of socialising to make sure I’m refilling my batteries.

Surround yourself with community: as humans, as much as we love to hibernate during winter, we still need community to hibernate together. Whether it’s your family, your friends, your running club or your yoga class, there are plenty of communities and connections out there just waiting for you. The darker days can be mentally challenging; don’t let them take over and remember that there are always people around you. If you tend to be too yin, you might be needing a little bit of yang to get you through winter! So your way of finding a better balance during the darker months might be to join a club, take up a sport, sign up to a gym, a social club, a new yoga class… Get your energy moving and it’s always easier when there is a group going through the same thing with you!

Be a cliché and enjoy the cosy season: sometimes it’s also nice to not overthink it and just embrace the little things that come with each season. Light a candle, put up fairy lights in your house, bake some cakes, drink herbal teas, cosy up with a book and your cat… There are so many things you can do all year long but that feel extra special at this time of year!

Lucie is studio manager at Maitri and teaches yoga weekly on Mondays with monthly yin yoga classes as well. Read more on her profile page. 

* yin & yang are concepts from ancient Chinese philosophy. Yin is quiet, passive, retiring, accepting while yang is active, expansive, challenging and bold.