Autumn invites us to slow down and let go, as the trees let go of their leaves. However, our hustle and grind culture tells us to ignore these seasonal rhythms, instead urging us to go, go, go. How do we learn to listen to the wisdom of Fall?
Although many of us might like to slow down and let go by quitting our jobs and running away to a fairy cottage in the woods, that's not attainable for most of us.
Instead what can we do in our day-to-day to release and slow down?
EMBODY through slow, intentional movement-try it with me at Yoga for Stress Relief at the Congregation TOMMOROW, 11/2! And my next installment of Yoga Beyond Asana: A Seasonal Journey is on 11/16, all about the FULL MOON.
Let go by saying "no" to one small request today
Or not completing some things on your to-do list (or in general adding less to it!)
Perhaps it's slowing down an activity you do on auto-pilot and try to do it mindfully, with all your awareness, like eating a meal, walking or driving to class/work, or drinking coffee or tea in the morning.
I encourage you to reflect on how you can embrace Fall and resist the hustle and grind.
Besides letting go, this particular time of year is also about CONNECTING- specifically with ancestors. Today is one of the days of Samhain, Día de los Muertos, and All Saints Day (tomorrow is All Souls Day). Samhain is a pagan Celtic holiday honoring the end of the harvest and when the veil between the worlds of the living and the spirits is thin. Día de los Muertos is Day of the Dead, a Mexican and Mexican-American holiday honoring ancestors. All Saints Day and All Souls Day were created by the Catholic Church to adapt some Samhain traditions and try to convert the Celts to Catholicism. The Spanish colonizers used this same idea when they came to Mexico, trying to adapt indigenous Día de los Muertos practices to All Saints Day and All Souls Day. (And there is so much more to all of these holidays! I encourage you to learn more!)
Working with ancestors can be incredibly healing, connecting us to our innate wisdom and cultural backgrounds. It can also be incredibly difficult, filled with trauma and disconnection. For Ancestral Healing work, here are some resources I recommended to recent participants in Sunday’s Yoga Beyond Asana: Autumnal Rituals workshop. I hope you also find them helpful!
Ancestral Medicine website with lots of courses and workshops
Ethno-autobiography workbook by Jurgen Werner Kremer & R Jackson-Paton
Podcast on connecting with ancestors: Pitru Paksha: Dark Moon Fortnight for Ancestral Healing & Practice by The Wild Temple
May your Autumn be filled with slowing down and both letting go and connecting!