Just as the leaves change colour and let go of the tree, Autumn is a time for us to do the same.
It's a time of change and letting go, a time to slow down and reflect. When we shift with the seasons we let go and make way for new things and welcome abundance.
It's a great time to spend practicing gratitude and self-nourishment.
"Life is a balance of holding on and letting go" -Rumi
It's also that time of year when we feel like hibernating.
We start to feel like sleeping more, find it hard to wake up in the cold, dark mornings and wish we could stay warm and cosy until the world outside gets warmer and brighter again.
In winter when there's a limited amount of daylight our circadian rhythm changes and we produce more melatonin, our sleep hormone. This is a natural process that occurs with reduced light and increased darkness as well as getting less vitamin D with the lack of sunlight it can cause us to feel drowsy and low on energy.
Remember that Yoga warms our body and we can increase our energy by practicing everyday.
It's not uncommon for people to suffer from 'SAD' (Seasonal affective disorder) which is a type of depression that usually happens with the change of seasons from Autumn into Winter. We have less daylight hours, less sunshine and the sun isn't as strong.
All living things need sunlight and without it we can feel lethargic, want to sleep more, feel sad and down, have no energy and don't want to do things we usually enjoy.
If you suffer with SAD then try getting outside as much as possible to increase the amount of sunlight you get, try eating foods rich in vitamin D and practice yoga everyday.
Yoga will increase your serotonin levels and decrease monoamine oxidase levels. In essence it changes our emotional state and energy levels, helping us to be more resilient and accepting of the changing season.
Some of the best poses to warm up that stiff body during the colder months are:
🧘🏽 Standing forward fold (Uttanasana) 🧘🏼♂️ Cat-cow flow (Marjari asana) 🧘🏻♀️ Standing backbend (Ardha chakrasana) 🧘🏽 Tree pose (Vrikshasana) 🧘🏼♂️ Child’s pose (Shishu asana)
Or Sun salutation (Surya namaskar) you can watch and practice this pose with me now...
I hope you enjoyed keeping warm with me and the Sun Salutation!
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