Late September, early October…the start of the Autumn season is often marketed as the time to start buying more sweaters, drinking pumpkin spice lattes, and planning your Halloween party. In 2020, the circumstances are so different. There’s more space for the resonances of this time of the year to shine through and bring value to our lives. As the daylight shifts, it’s important to begin to gently tap the breaks on our unquestioned routines to prepare for the stillness of winter. Here’s some suggestions for slowing down to welcome Fall.
Slow your roll.
As the balance between day and night shifts noticeably towards longer periods of dark, consider decreasing the stimulants, both chemical and situational throughout your day. Cutting down on coffee, either by lowering how much you drink or taking a break for a few weeks or months, can help re-set the body’s waking cortisol response, improving sleep, anxiety symptoms, and mental clarity.
If you’re looking for substitutions, chai tea, black tea (including English and Irish breakfast), green tea and maté all have more bioavailable antioxidants than coffee. For a non-caffeine option that tastes like coffee, try Dandy Blend or RASA, both available locally at MOM’s or online. They’re powdered products that mix with water to create a warm, rich cup that tastes amazing mixed with some non-dairy milk (or half-and-half, or ice cream, or Kahlúa. No judgement).
Slow your transitions.
As we move into the more “yin” period of the year, spend time in your daily transitions between movement and stillness. Allow yourself a moment of transformation between waking and rising from your bed. This could be 10 deep breaths, a body scan, a gratitude practice, a gentle spinal twist or self massage, or even just a smile. Do the same after getting into bed and put your phone FAR away from you.
Slow your speech.
In TCM, the season of Autumn is governed by the lungs, which obviously are related to breath and sound formation. As the air becomes cooler, drier (and smokier, unfortunately), use a gentle sense of parsimony when considering how you speak, and value what you do say more greatly. Reciprocally, honor others’ speech with patient and/or radical listening.
Slow your movements.
If you’re an avid athlete, you may have been keeping up a routine throughout the COVID period. As acupuncturists who are concerned with health through the lifespan, we’d encourage you to modify your training plan to accommodate the shorter days, cooler temperatures, and overall less energetic nature of the cooler seasons. Now is the time to start being judicious about warming up your muscles before going out for a run, and honing in on what is important to keep up during the winter. If you’ve been spending the last several months enjoying the cushions of your couch, you may want to come “up to speed” a little bit, and start a gentle, brief qi gong session a few times a week, to keep your joints and lymph moving. Even just a slow walk around the block, noticing the swinging of your arms and the rhythm of your breath.
