Fall Yoga Practice Essentials

As autumn paints the world in vibrant hues and brings the crisp chill to the air, more than just the leaves are changing. The transition of seasons affects our body, mind, and soul, inviting us to adapt and grow. In this blog, we'll explore how the fall season influences us through the ruling element of Metal in Taoist Yoga's 5 Element Philosophy, and how yoga can be our essential companion during this time of transformation. Learn three yoga practice essentials to maximize your mat time and carry over the benefits into the rest of your day.

Metal Element Attributes

Like an unhinged autumn leaf blowing in the wind, many of us feel swept away with season change, a bit unsettled at best, or in despair at worst. Let's review the energy running high this time of year so that we can recognize when we need to recalibrate our words, thoughts, and actions to find harmony with ourselves and others.

Out of balance, some of the following Metal element qualities may dominant your perspective this time of year (or any time of year if Metal is your dominant personality element. You can find that out here):

• Grief

• Feeling scattered and unsure

• Inability to focus, choose a direction, or complete a task

• Trapped in the past with an inability to create forward momentum

• Quick to respond with sharp words that you may later regret

• Overly critical of yourself and/or others

• Paralyzed by a need for perfection

• A lack of joy

When in balance, our inner Metal element manifests through a variety of helpful attributes:

• A clarity of vision, goal setting, and forward momentum

• The ability to easily let go

• An appreciation for structure, discipline, and organization

• An strong sense of purpose and motivation, plus the ability to instill purpose and motivation in those around you

• A self-confidence to let your best self shine through and to bring this out in others

• Clear and effective communication skills

• Strong determination and follow-through

Top 3 Fall Yoga Practice Essentials

Now it's time to use our yoga practice as a tool to access these helpful qualities and to tamp down, purge, or transform the ones that weigh us down. Implement these 3 simple, yet effective, fall yoga practice essentials at your very next yoga class.

Maximize your practice to strengthen the lungs.

Last week's blog was all about the breath, you can revisit it here. To support the benefits of yogic breathwork and pranayama, hone in on yoga postures that strengthen the arms, as the lung meridians, the energetic highways that moderate and distribute the seasonal prana or qi, run through the arms.

Strength building and endurance poses like downward-facing dog, plank, arm balances, warriors, and triangles, for example, enhance the flow of energy through these channels. Chest openers, like cobra, locust, and floor bow, also support the lung meridian. As you physically strengthen the muscle groups that surround the meridians, your corresponding emotional resiliency associated with that meridian line will improve as well.

To enhance this emotional resiliency process, reclaim the fun of your practice.

While focus on breath in yoga is important, also focus on the joy. What about your practice makes your heart sing? The place? The people? The postures? Taking and sharing photos? All of these combined? Focus on how your personal yoga experience taps into your happiness and maximize that as much as possible.

Pro Tip

Start your practice with a smile. And yes, I do mean an actual smile on your face at the very beginning of your class. Try it before you disregard it!

Just like lungs are the seasonal element's ruling organ, grief is the season's dominant emotion. And as the Metal element's ruling organ, the lungs are responsible for more than just a physical function in TCM and Taoist Yoga. Emotionally, the lungs store and distribute grief.

We collectively feel the weight of sadness descend with the season change and it can quite literally weigh us down. When the outdoor temperature drops, atmospheric pressure increases. This means that the weight of the air pressing against the earth, and pressing against our lungs, is heavier, making inhaling harder. Grief naturally gets trapped more easily in fall because taking the full, deep breaths that purge our emotions requires more mind and effort.

We naturally breath more fully during yoga, so a consistent yoga practice in fall is essential to help us ward off the descending cold weather blues by clearing the lungs of their stored sadness. Bringing a smile to your practice readily fills the void with joy.

Drop the self-criticism in your yoga practice.

Embracing the fun in your practice will help you with this. Bring back that smile when you catch yourself being critical or reprimanding yourself. Comparison is always the thief of joy. Practice for yourself without expectation of a desired outcome.

Yogi Bhajan has a great quote about the infectious quality of happiness:

“Make yourself so happy, that by looking at you, other people become happy too.”

When we radiate happiness, that light of joy shines onto the others in our lives creating a ripple effect of happiness.

In Closing

As we navigate the transformative embrace of the fall season, let us remember that change is our constant companion, and yoga is our essential guide. The three fall yoga practice essentials we've explored are not just about nurturing our physical bodies; they also provide profound emotional and spiritual benefits.

1. Strengthen the Lungs: Through dedicated practice, we strengthen not only our physical bodies but also our emotional resilience. As we build the physical muscles surrounding our lung meridians, we enhance our capacity to navigate the emotional weight of grief that can accompany the fall season.

2. Practice for Joy: Grief may be prevalent in the fall, but so is joy. Yoga reminds us that it's essential to balance the heavy with the light. Embrace the joy in your practice. Find the aspects that make your heart sing, and let them infuse your yoga journey. Begin your practice with a simple smile, for it's often the simplest acts that bring the most joy.

3. Release Self-Criticism: While structure and discipline have their place, remember that yoga is ultimately a path to self-discovery and self-love. Let go of self-criticism and perfectionism. Instead, practice for yourself, infusing your yoga journey with a happiness that is contagious.

This fall, let your yoga practice not only strengthen your physical body but also nourish your mind and soul. As you breathe in the crisp autumn air and savor the vibrant hues of this season, invite yoga along as your faithful companion, guiding you through the dance of change with grace and serenity.

May your practice bring you joy, resilience, and an abundance of self-love, so that you may share the light of happiness with the world around you.

Namaste,

Lara