Autumn Yoga

The air is rich with Autumn smells, damp earthy leaves, bonfires and ripe apples .  Longer nights, cozy jumpers and a slower more relaxed yoga practice are welcomed back. In the ayurvedic  system Autumn is the season of vata, which translates as wind.  This means the qualities of vata dominate at this time of year.  
Vata is a drying force and you can feel this in your hair and skin.  Vata is cold, light, irregular, dry, and always changing. To balance Vata, make choices that bring warmth, stability, and consistency to your life.  It is the element of elimination and change, which makes autumn an excellent time to detox, to clear out your life, to start something new or decide what you want to preserve.  
In this season of change and transformation, too much vata can leave you stressed out, restless and unbalanced.  You may experience dry skin, anxiety, insomnia, an inability to make decisions and cold hands and feet.  Here are some suggestions to regain your balance:-

• Try to get to bed before 10pm, awaken by 6am, and eat your meals at regular times.
• Avoid becoming chilled. Wear adequate clothing appropriate for the season and keep your head covered when the weather is cold.
• Take a more relaxed yoga practice
• Add warm spices in your food, and try to eat seasonal goods - energy rich and grounding root veg and cleansing apples
• Listen to soothing music and practice meditation to calm your mind.
•  Get regular massages treatments with oil.  This will sooth your dry skin and the aches and pains that this time of year brings.
• Copy the trees and wear warm earth colours, reds, browns, and yellows which radiate heat and connect to the grounding base chakras.

If you need some inspiration for something seasonal to preserve, here is a lovely recipe for beetroot chutney as well as some other tasty beatroot ideas mmmmmmmmmmmm.

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