September 20–23 in the Northern Hemisphere
March 20–23 in the Southern Hemisphere
The autumn equinox is the perfect time to explore balance in your yoga practice. And yoga is the perfect way to bring balance to body and mind.
The Wisdom of Autumn
At the autumn equinox night and day are balanced before we tip in to the darkest phase of the year. The dark will continue to expand until the sun is reborn at the winter solstice in December, when the light phase of the year begins anew.
Equinox is derived from Latin and means “equal night.” At both equinoxes Earth is perfectly balanced, with its North and South Poles tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, making day and night equal all over the world.
At the autumn equinox there is a shift of emphasis from sun to moon, light to dark, action to contemplation, growth to dormancy, fruitfulness to composting, building up to letting go, and movement to stillness. Now is a good time to pause after the frenetic activity of the growing season and consider how best to recuperate, regenerate, and replenish your energy this autumn.
This is the season of the final harvest and a good time to get together with others to celebrate and share the bounty of the earth. At my autumn yoga days, I ask participants to bring along something from their own personal harvest to donate to a harvest table. The idea is to donate something and take something else away at the end of the day. It’s wonderful to see the table heaving with produce, a biscuit tin brim-full of slices of homemade apple cake, bags bursting with apples, containers of garden-grown grapes, paper bags stuffed with runner beans, a huge marrow, and jars of jam and chutneys.
In autumn there is poignancy in the misty, mellow fruitfulness of the season, combined with a wistful longing that summer might never end. However, once we let go of summer and accept the arrival of autumn, it is a time rich with possibilities.
Nature responds to diminishing hours of daylight by gradually withdrawing into dormancy; leaves fall from the trees, vegetation dies back, and some animals prepare to hibernate. We too can honor our connection to nature and respond with wisdom to the changing season by changing our focus from activity and outward action to contemplation and inner reflection. This process of drawing inward is a continuation of the work begun at the summer solstice, when the sun’s powers began to wane and we entered the darker half of the year. In yoga we have the concept of pratyahara, which is a withdrawing of the senses from external stimuli. We are approaching a time for simply being and dreaming up plans for next year’s growing season.
Balanced Planet and Balanced You
Twice a year at the equinoxes our planet returns to a neutral, balanced state. As yoga practitioners, we can learn the art of balance by observing the earth’s graceful seasonal cycle of balance, activity, balance, rest. In our yoga practice, we too can create a healing space by learning to recognize and return to this neutral, balanced state. This state of equanimity and equilibrium is our home base, giving our body, mind, and emotions the space to realign and heal.
During our yoga practice, we move in and out of this neutral, balanced state. We begin each yoga session by pausing to find neutral, and in this way we come home to ourselves. During the pause, we recognize tension in our body, make subtle adjustments to our posture, observe the torrent of thoughts passing through the mind, tune in to our natural breath, and let things settle. This pause provides a transition from our everyday life and activities into the sacred space of yoga. Then during our yoga practice, between more dynamic postures, we return to neutral in asanas such as Mountain Pose (Tadasana), Easy Pose (Sukhasana), or Relaxation Pose (Savasana). And then at the end of the practice we conclude by coming back to neutral, and this makes for a smooth transition between our yoga practice and getting back to everyday life.
In neutral our body’s inherent wisdom is revealed, and it instinctively knows how to readjust and correct itself. Yoga teaches us to recognize neutral, both on a gross level in our body and on the subtler psychic and spiritual plane. In the stillness of this neutral state, we can hear and respond to the still, small voice of calm within.
The skill that we learn on the yoga mat of returning to this neutral, balanced state can also be applied to everyday life. How does it feel when your life is in balance? How is it different from when your life is out of balance?
We create balance in our lives by being clear about what and who are important to us. This enables us to defend our energy from being hijacked by things that are trivial and don’t really matter to us. This clarity gives us the confidence to say “yes!” to the things that we value and to be comfortable saying “no!” to that which is depleting and takes us away from the life we want to live.
A strong network of family and friends provides us with the stability and grounding we need to walk the tightrope of life. If we take a wrong step and fall, they are our safety net. They alert us to when we have strayed off balance. Strong, supportive connections with our community, family, and friends help us feel stable and rooted. We learn to give and to accept support, to be there for others, and in our hour of need we hope they will be there for us too.
When our life is out of balance, we feel cut off from the flow of life. We don’t feel at home in our own skin. We are somewhere else, not in the present. We feel time pressured, unable to find time for doing the things that we love, the things that nourish us and bring us back to a balanced state.
When our life is in balance, we feel connected, carried by the flow of life, on the right track, happy, optimistic, generous, and tolerant of others. When balance is present in our life, there is enough time, things get done with ease, there is enough love, and we feel held by the web of life.
Celebrating Harvest and the Autumn Art of Letting Go
If you are a gardener, you will have a tangible harvest: ripe tomatoes, huge marrows, green beans, colorful sweet peas, jars of apple chutney. Those of us who are not gardeners might find it harder to define our personal harvest. Take time to acknowledge, appreciate, and celebrate even your most subtle achievements. Look deeply and be prepared to sing your own praises. At the same time note which seeds failed to germinate, honestly evaluating and learning from any failures. Thank everyone who has helped you realize your harvest.
The nights are drawing in and we too draw our outer achievements inside for processing and composting. We retrieve the seeds inherent within our harvest, storing them, ready to plant out next spring. Although the dark phase of the year is not the best time for action, it’s an excellent time to incubate ideas, strategize, plan, and dream. Then we will be perfectly placed to spring into action when next spring comes around again.
There is wisdom to be found in the fading beauty of autumn. In spring the newly formed leaf contains within itself the blueprint that prompts it to fall from the tree in autumn. The tree knows that to survive the dark, cold winter months it must conserve energy. Over winter, the fallen leaves rot, forming compost that in turn nourishes the tree. And when spring comes around, new buds unfurl into fresh green leaves.
By observing and responding to the changing seasons, our awareness of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth is heightened. When we combine this seasonal awareness with meditation, we find ourselves more able to embrace the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. We find peace in a world that is constantly changing.
The tree in autumn provides the inspiration for this chapter’s Autumn Equinox Yoga Practice. We can imitate the wisdom of the tree by conserving energy over the coming autumn and winter months and letting go of unnecessary baggage. This process of letting go enables us to create a sense of physical and mental spaciousness in our lives. Letting go is about prioritizing what’s important to us and clearing a space, both physical and psychic, to nurture and nourish the things that do matter to us. To help you to cultivate the art of letting go, our autumn yoga practice concludes with the Placing Thoughts on a Leaf Visualization.
During the autumn and winter months our focus is on the inner journey. We can find a route map for this journey by studying the last three of Patanjali’s limbs of yoga, which are concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and contemplation (samadhi). Meditation allows us to let go of mental clutter and creates a sense of blue-sky spaciousness.
This practice uses visualization to help you to connect with nature and the changing season. As autumn arrives and the year winds down, nature takes steps to conserve energy and let go of that which is unnecessary; this practice will enable you to begin that same process of conserving energy and sensory withdrawal (pratyahara).
It also celebrates harvest and gives you the opportunity to consider which seeds you wish to incubate over the winter months, ready to send up green shoots next spring.
The practice is designed to be used around the time of the autumn equinox, but it’s fine to use it at any time of year. It has a calming effect, enabling you to let go of everyday cares and preoccupations. It will help you ground and center yourself and has a balancing effect.
Allow 15 to 20 minutes.
1. Standing Like a Tree in Autumn
Stand tall, feet hip width apart. Picture a tree in all its autumn splendor.
Standing Like a Tree in Autumn
2. Bend and Straighten Warm-Up
Take the feet just over hip width apart, toes turned slightly out, arms out to the side just below shoulder height. Exhale and bend both knees over the feet; lower the arms. Inhale and return to the starting position. Repeat 8 times.
Bend and Straighten Warm-Up
3. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
Stand tall, feet hip width apart; hands in Prayer Position (Namaste). Picture a tree in all its autumn splendor. Imagine that like a tree you have roots going from the soles of your feet way down into the earth. Then bring the sole of your right foot to rest on your inner left thigh, rotating your right knee out to the side. Either keep your hands at the heart or take your arms above the head, hands in prayer position. Fix your gaze on a point that is not moving. Stay for a few breaths. Repeat on the other side.
If you have balance problems, instead of bringing the foot onto the thigh, just rest the sole of the foot on the opposite inside ankle or be near a wall for support.
Tree Pose
4. Cat Pose (Marjaryasana) into Cow Pose (Bitilasana)
Start on all fours. Exhale and round the back up like an angry cat (Marjaryasana). Inhale into Cow Pose (Bitilasana), arching the back, lifting the chest up and away from the belly, and looking up slightly. Alternate between these two positions, rounding and arching the back. (If you have a back problem, don’t arch the back.) Repeat 8 times.
Cat Pose into Cow Pose
5. Child’s Pose (Balasana) into
Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
From Cow Pose (step 4) bend the knees and sit back into Child’s Pose (Balasana), arms outstretched along the floor. From Child’s Pose inhale and move forward into Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana), arching your back and keeping your knees on the floor. Stay for one breath. Exhale back into Child’s Pose. Repeat 6 times.
Child’s Pose into Upward-Facing Dog
6. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
Sit tall, legs outstretched (bend the knees to ease the pose). Inhale and raise both arms. Exhale and fold forward over the legs. Inhale and return to starting position. Repeat 6 times. Then stay in the pose for a few breaths, and as you do so ask yourself this question: In autumn, as the trees let go of their leaves, what do I wish to let go of?
Seated Forward Bend
7. Supine Tree Pose (Supine Vrksasana)
Lie on your back, legs outstretched along the floor. Bring the sole of your left foot to rest on the inner right thigh; allow the right knee to rotate out to the side (to ease the pose, put a support under the knee). Take the arms above the head, bringing the fingertips lightly together (or to ease the pose, take the arms out at shoulder height, palms facing up). Stay here for a few breaths, picturing a tree in autumn. Repeat on the other side.
Supine Tree Pose
8. Full-Body Stretch into Curl-Up
Inhale and lengthen tall along the floor. Exhale and bring the knees to the chest, curling the head and shoulders off the floor, and bring the hands to the knees. Inhale and return to Full-Body Stretch. Repeat 4 times.
Full-Body Stretch into Curl-Up
9. Supine Butterfly Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Lie on your back, knees spread out to the sides and soles of feet together; your hands can either rest on your belly or above your head. For comfort, prop your knees on bolsters, cushions, or blocks. Silently repeat this affirmation: I welcome abundance into my life.
Supine Butterfly Pose
10. Full-Body Stretch
Take the arms above the head and lengthen tall along the floor.
Full-Body Stretch
11. Knees-to-Chest Pose (Apanasana)
Hug the knees into the chest. Rest here for a few breaths, contemplating this question: What do I wish to incubate over the winter, ready to send up green shoots next spring?
Knees-to-Chest Pose
12. Placing Thoughts on a Leaf Visualization
See page 106.
Placing Thoughts on a Leaf Visualization
Autumn Equinox Yoga Practice Overview
1. Standing Like a Tree. Picture a tree in all its autumn splendor.
2. Bend and Straighten Warm-Up. Exhale: bend both knees and lower arms. Inhale: return to starting position. Repeat × 8.
3. Tree Pose. Picture a tree in autumn. Stay for a few breaths. Repeat on other side.
4. Cat Pose to Cow Pose. Repeat × 8.
5. Child’s Pose into Upward-Facing Dog Pose. Inhale: move from Child’s Pose into Upward-Facing Dog pose; stay one breath. Exhale: sit back into Child’s Pose; stay one breath. Repeat × 6.
6. Seated Forward Bend. Ask: In autumn, as the trees let go of their leaves, what do I wish to let go of?
7. Supine Tree Pose. Stay for a few breaths, picturing a tree in autumn. Repeat on other side.
8. Full-Body Stretch into Curl-Up. Inhale: lengthen tall along the floor. Exhale: curl up. Inhale: return to stretch. Repeat × 4.
9. Supine Butterfly Pose. Affirmation: I welcome abundance into my life.
10. Full-Body Stretch. Lengthen tall along the floor.
11. Knees-to-Chest Pose. Ask: What do I wish to incubate over the winter, ready to send up green shoots next spring?
12. Placing Thoughts on a Leaf Visualization.
Placing Thoughts on a Leaf Visualization
The Placing Thoughts on a Leaf Visualization can be done at any time of year but is particularly good to do when the leaves are falling from the trees in autumn. It soothes a restless and agitated mind; it brings focus to the mind and quietens persistent, unwanted thoughts.20
It can be done sitting or lying down and takes about 10 minutes.
Find yourself a comfortable position either sitting or lying down. If you are sitting, establish an erect but relaxed posture.
Begin by noticing any thoughts and feelings that are passing through your mind. Simply observe thoughts and feelings without judgment as they come and go.
Now bring your awareness to sensations arising in your body. Notice which parts of your body already feel relaxed and where there is discomfort or tension.
Become aware of the natural flow of your breath. Notice how your belly rises and falls with each in- and out-breath. Throughout the meditation maintain a background awareness of the natural wavelike flow of your breath.
Now imagine that it is a sunny day and you are sitting under a tree on the riverbank, watching the river flow by. Shafts of sunlight stream through the trees and sparkle on the water below … The river is like a mirror reflecting blue sky, white clouds, and rippling trees. The wind whispers through the branches of the trees and blows autumn leaves onto the water below … You watch the leaves, noticing their different shapes and colors as they sail by …
Now once again return your awareness to noticing thoughts as they come and go in your mind. Imagine that as a thought arises you place it onto a leaf and watch the leaf float by. And then when another thought comes into your mind, place that thought on a leaf too and watch it sail away downstream.
If your mind gets carried away by a torrent of thoughts and feelings, congratulate yourself for noticing this, and then simply begin again by placing the next thought that comes into your mind onto a leaf. If thoughts come into your mind that the meditation isn’t working or that you’re not doing it right, these are just thoughts, so just place them on a leaf too and watch them float by …
We’re not trying to get rid of thoughts. You don’t need to push thoughts away. We’re simply observing the stream of thoughts passing through the mind and letting them float away in their own time.
Now let go of placing your thoughts on leaves. Widen your awareness to take in the whole of your imagined river scene. What do you see? Notice shapes, colors, and textures. What do you hear? Use your five senses to really picture the scene around you. Particularly, be aware of changes that herald the arrival of autumn. Enjoy the beauty of the place.
Now let go of picturing the river scene. Bring your awareness back to noticing sensations in your body and where your body is in contact with the floor or support. Notice how you are feeling now and how the meditation has affected you. Become aware of sounds inside the room and sounds outside the room. Become aware of your surroundings and when you are ready, open your eyes. Take this peaceful, patient, accepting, and more spacious awareness into the next activity you do today.
Exercise
Sending Loving Kindness
to the Earth Meditation
This meditation can be done any time of year, although it is particularly appropriate at harvest time as a way of showing gratitude for the earth’s bounty. It is particularly apt for the equinoxes, as in the meditation we are picturing a world that has regained the balance of a healthy ecosystem.
This meditation helps you develop a sense of connection to the earth. It is empowering when you are feeling overwhelmed by the “state of the world.” It helps environmental activists recharge their batteries and reconnect to the driving force of love.
Allow 10 to 20 minutes.
Find yourself a comfortable sitting position, either seated on the floor or in an upright chair. Sit tall. Feel your connection to the earth beneath you and the sky above you. Tune in to the natural flow of your breath.
Before you begin this meditation, imagine that you are drawing a circle of safety and protection around yourself. You can do this by imagining that you are drawing a circle of light around yourself, silently repeating the phrase, “I surround myself with love and light and I am safe.”
Begin by sending loving kindness and good wishes to yourself. Picture yourself happy, healthy, safe, and at ease. Surround yourself with love and compassion.
Now bring to mind a picture of your home, planet Earth. Recall all that you love and find beautiful about the earth: the trees, forests, plants, animals, birds, sea, sky, rivers, and mountains. Cultivate gratitude and love for all that the earth gives you, such as a home, air, food, water, and shelter. Immerse yourself in love and appreciation for the earth’s bounty.
As you picture the earth’s beauty, be aware of any concerns for her that may arise. If you notice concerns, try to locate where you are feeling them in your body. If any tension is building up, then imagine that you are surrounding that part of your body with love and compassion. Have compassion for the earth and for yourself.
Now begin to silently repeat loving kindness (metta) phrases for the earth:
May the earth be safe.
May the earth be happy.
May the earth be healthy.
May the earth live with ease.
As you repeat the loving kindness phrases, imagine that you are sending, love, good wishes, and compassion to the earth.
When you are ready, let go of repeating the phrases.
Now see if you can picture a world where the earth is healed and whole again. Imagine that the planet has healed itself. Its ecosystems are healthy and well balanced again. Earth, air, and water are clean and pure. Allow yourself to enjoy this image of a world where human beings live in harmony with the environment. Send out good wishes, loving kindness, and compassion to all the other human beings who share this planet with you. Send out a wish that all of us might care and look after the earth, our home, with wisdom. Repeat the loving kindness phrases for all beings on earth:
May we all be safe.
May we all be happy.
May we all be healthy.
May we all live with ease.
When you are ready, let go of repeating the phrases. Once again surround yourself with love and compassion.
Conclude the meditation by noticing your body’s connection to the earth so as to ground yourself. Become aware of your surroundings. Be aware of any insights that you might have gained from doing this meditation. Resolve to take these feelings of love, kindness, and compassion, for yourself, for others, and for the earth, back into your everyday life.
Tree Wisdom in Autumn
With the arrival of autumn, spending time around trees is the perfect way to connect with the changes occurring in nature. When you are out and about, mindfully observe a tree: the leaves changing color, the textures and shapes of fallen leaves, the sound of leaves underfoot. Watch a leaf fall from a tree. Some people think it lucky to catch a falling leaf.
Exercise
Trees and Creativity during Autumn
You can use the time that you have spent mindfully around trees as a springboard for your creativity. If you are stuck for ideas, here are a few to get you going:
• Collect objects that have fallen from trees, such as fir cones, conkers, acorns, and so on, and make a centerpiece for your table or place it in view of the space where you do yoga or meditation.
• Collect a variety of fallen leaves of different shapes and sizes. Use these leaves to inspire an act of creativity, such as these:
• Paint the leaves and print with them.
• Draw around the silhouette of the leaves and cut out the shapes (if you don’t have drawing paper, then old newspapers or magazines will do).
• Press the leaves between the pages of a book (protect the book by using two sheets of plain paper to prevent the leaf coming into contact with the print). Put the book under a pile of heavy books, and look again in a few weeks at your dried, pressed leaf (you can do the same with flowers).
• The science behind why leaves fall from the trees in autumn is fascinating. How much do you know about this phenomenon? Use the resources available to you online, in books, from a knowledgeable friend, and so on to find out more. Once you have done this, observe whether your newfound knowledge adds or detracts from your enjoyment and appreciation of trees. Share your knowledge with friends.
• Over the next four weeks, take at least one photo each week of a tree from the same angle. Once you have all your photos, compare them and notice the changes that have occurred in the tree over the four-week period. (Choose a deciduous tree—i.e., one that loses its leaves in autumn.)
• Try out the Autumn Equinox Yoga Practice in this chapter.
Meditation upon a Sycamore Tree at Autumn Equinox
In our town center is an ancient churchyard. It is an island surrounded by busy, noisy passing traffic, shops, and shoppers. In the churchyard there is a row of tall sycamore trees; they seem so still, serene, and peaceful in contrast to the relentless activity of the town around them. These sycamore trees have taught me to simply be in the midst of all the doing and to stay at the center of the circle and let all things take their course. Below is the tree prose poem that I wrote in response to meditatively spending time around these trees.
Around the sycamore tree the city draws a circle of activity. A leaf falls from the tree, down to the river, and on to the sea. The sycamore stays at the center of the circle and lets all things take their course. Life goes on around you; life goes on within you; you and life are one.
Autumn Equinox Meditation Questions
These questions are designed to be used around the time of the autumn equinox. It’s fine to use them a week or two before or after the actual date of the equinox. Guidance on how to use the seasonal meditation questions can be found in Chapter One.
• Autumn is a time of fruitfulness and harvest.
• Looking back over the past year, what have I achieved and what is my own personal harvest?
• What am I harvesting in my personal relationships?
• Which projects were fruitful and how will I celebrate and build on my success?
• Which projects failed to bear fruit and how would I do things differently next time to ensure success?
• How do I thank those people who have helped me realize my harvest?
• How will I share my harvest with others?
• How do I cultivate gratitude for all the blessings in my life?
• At the autumn equinox day and night are equal. It also corresponds with the date that the sun enters the sign of Libra, the scales of balance.
• How does it feel when my life is out of balance? What are the signs to look for?
• How does it feel when my life is in balance? What’s different?
• In what ways does yoga help me bring balance into my life? Which aspects of yoga have I found helpful for this?
• Apart from yoga, what do I find helps create balance in my life?
• After the autumn equinox the days will continue to shorten, and we will enter the darkest phase of the year. Now we move from a focus on outward action to one of contemplation and incubation.
• What do I wish to incubate over the autumn-to-winter season, ready to send up new green shoots next spring?
• What are the ways in which my yoga practice can nourish, enrich, and support me over the autumn-to-winter months?
• How will I go about bringing light in to the dark days of winter?
• In preparation for winter the trees are letting go of their leaves.
• What do I wish to let go of at this time?
• Are there any habits, ways of being, relationships, and activities, and so on that no longer serve me well? What are the steps I need to take to loosen their hold over me?
• What’s important to me? What do I need to let go of in order to prioritize the things that I value most in life?
• In what way would letting go of physical clutter improve the quality of life for me and those closest to me?
• In nature nothing is wasted. The leaves that fall from the trees are composted and provide nourishment for the tree over winter. How can I help the earth by wasting less and reusing and recycling more?
• This autumn how will I connect with nature and take time to appreciate the beauty of the season?
20. This exercise uses “placing thoughts on a leaf” imagery from Susan M. Orsillo and Lizabeth Roemer, The Mindful Way through Anxiety: Break Free from Chronic Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life (New York: The Guilford Press, 2011), 184–85.