Shifting Of Seasons

 

You can feel it.  It's in the air.  Cool mornings and crisp blue skies.  We just passed Halloween here in the United States and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Our local population is beginning to swell with more cars on the road and people returning to yoga class.  This time of the year in the desert

is simply beautiful and as we begin to experience shorter days, longer nights and a shift in the external environment, it has got me thinking about how I can choose to shift my internal environment in order to be in a more harmonious relationship with the seasons.

In these modern times of having access to not only electricity 24/7 but to all types of food that is typically out of season, we have lost a primal connection to the rhythmical change of the seasons.  Want fresh strawberries in December?  Can do!  How about tomatoes?  No worries...got them available as well.  It's as though our cells are being conditioned in not being able to discriminate the change of the earth's cycle.  It may be getting dark at 6pm, but we can stay awake all night.  Our circadian rhythm has been tricked by technology.

And then we wonder why we might feel a bit out of sorts.  Could it be that we are simply out of sync with the wisdom of the earth?  I think that's a big YES.  Instead of winding down with the sunset, we continue to plug on through into the late hours of the evening and then wonder why our minds are racing when we try to drop off into sleep.  It might be cold outside, but we stay with eating cold rather than cooked foods.  How many restaurants do you frequent that have what's in season on the menu?  Or do you go to an establishment and expect to have your favorite no matter what time of year we're in?

I love the shift in the season and if I pay attention to my internal cues, I find myself wanting soups and hot tea.  My intention is to become a better listener to what the season is offering.  If the light dims, that's a cue to begin to unplug, snuggle in and relax.  The sister to science of yoga, Ayurveda, is all about adjusting how we eat and move according to the season.  We are a simple microcosmic reflection of the greater Universe and if we can recognize the shifts, we can then be in greater union with the big picture.

As the seasons change, perhaps we can step more fully into that shift on our individual internal levels.  It's an inviting time to turn more inward through the practice of meditation or mindfulness.  Pause when you're outside and notice how the trees and plants are responding to the changes by changing colors, dropping leaves or going dormant.  It's a beautiful reminder for us to perhaps do the same.

And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere...get out the flip flops, tank tops and head into that wonderful spring/summer fruit and veggie crop.  Now is the time to put your bare feet on the soil, open your arms wide and feel the energy of the sun on your face.  It's even getting close to throwing something on the barbie, eh mate?