It’s back to school. We are slowly moving towards fall. The transition to this new season is already underway. It’s cooler, the wind blows our hair and our days aren’t the same. With each change of season, we can realize how sensitive we are to the weather, the atmosphere of the seasons, the light and the colors of the landscape. The rhythms of nature have an impact on our internal clock, they influence our rhythm and even our mind. With each new season, yoga can help us experience the transition smoothly and find balance on a daily basis.
Want or need?
It often happens that we choose a yoga class or sequence because we like the postures offered by the teacher. This is already a good starting point! To go further, it is good to ask ourselves, beyond what we love , what practice is the most beneficial for us? However, with each season, our needs change .
Back to school and autumn are a rather “whirlwind” period, with the resumption of an active and not yet well-ordered rhythm, the wind which reappears, begins to make the leaves fall and tires us… At this time we can tend to scatter easily and we will therefore need practices that stabilize physically and mentally. In winter, the cold and the lack of light encourage us to be more sedentary. Our body and mind therefore need to be energized with a warming practice that will stimulate the immune system.
Each new season is therefore an opportunity to listen , to observe what is changing to better define what we need. If, for example, in winter we are really very tired or if we are coming out of the flu, we will rather need very gentle practices to help us recharge the batteries!
A life of cycles and transitions
Our life is made up of cycles (day and night, the seasons, the feminine cycle and the Moon, etc.) and transitions to pass from one state to another. The notion of transition is indeed essential. For example, when we finish our working day, it is not enough to lie down on your bed to successfully sleep. To go from action to sleep, it will be necessary to ensure a small transition, to send signals to our body that tell it that it can begin to relax. It will therefore be necessary to change the mindset. Stop looking at your emails, choose an activity that relaxes us, accept rest, pleasure, relaxation.
When changing seasons, the transition is just as essential and especially in spring and autumn , which are the passage between hot season and cold season! If we do not take care of this transition and this change of state of mind, our body will probably get tired and our immune defenses will decrease until we may fall ill. It’s those little colds and sore throats that often bother us with the arrival of spring and fall.
When we are aware of the impact of the seasons, we can anticipate , adapt our pace of life, our eating habits, our activities and our state of mind to the new season that is coming. This is good for our sleep, for our immune system and for our relationships, at work and at home.
Reconnect with nature
To reconnect with our rhythm and remember that each season is different, it is important to reconnect with nature. During our yoga weekends in the Perche , we have the opportunity to connect with each season.
Four times a year, we meet in this green setting that is the Moulin des Bouillons and the seasons are offered to us in all their splendour. Between yoga practices , we have time to observe the sky, the pond and the forest. We re-learn to observe nature and to “feel” the seasons in our body. How they modify our energy, our mental state, our emotions. Everything is different: the light, the sounds, the colors and the flavors that make up our plate. What a pleasure I have to rediscover this place with each new season and to learn a little more each time about myself.
It is these magical moments around the transitions of the seasons that I invite you to experience with me during three days of practice of asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques) and pole yoga meditation. To this we add the gourmet vegetarian cuisine of Caroline our host and her cooking workshops which compose with seasonal fruits and vegetables. As well as a workshop around essential oils , adapted to the season, to help you take care of yourself naturally*.
