Turning to autumn

I live in an area of the city where I’m surrounded by some very big old trees, so for a lot of the year I feel like I live within a canopy of green, but in autumn it becomes a riot of colour over the days and weeks. I’ve spent a lot of time at my front window watching the squirrels running and jumping around what looks like their own personal playground as they prepare for winter. As dusk falls and the bird song gets going, the sunset and the leaves are reflected in the puddles, I’m reminded how much I love this season.

There’s something about the smell of the air in September and October mornings reminiscent of a return to school, a new start, the mist beginning to draw in, the occasional smell of wood smoke in the air making me want to wrap up warm, go for a long walk and then settle in somewhere with a hot chocolate.

But this year many of us are heading back into living under lockdown restrictions, and it’s hard to enjoy the passing of the seasons in the same way. Many of us are feeling unsettled, uncertain and to be honest, pretty fed up.

I’ve been focussing on sthira sukha this week – stability and ease. Patanjali, in the yoga sutras, outlines that asana – physical postures – should be steady and comfortable, alert and relaxed. This was originally used to describe seated postures for meditation, but we think of it more broadly now, directing the aim of finding both stability and ease across our yoga practice so we can feel grounded, yet light in the postures. So I’ve been slowing things down, paying attention to the placement of hands and feet and the subtle changes in sensation of the posture this can bring. I’ve also been playing around with balances, trying to find stability and ease and maybe even poise!

Autumn is a natural time of change and we can consider this time to help us navigate our own times of change. As the leaves turn and fall away ready for new growth next year, what do we need to let fall away to help ourselves in the future? Can we use this to find stability and ease in times of change or turmoil? Where do we find our focus, our inner peace?

Last night was a stormy night; wind and rain lashing against the windows for most of the night. Yet at around 4am I awoke and noticed it was quiet. Going to the window the sky was clear except for stars – it was such a joy to suddenly see the clear night sky in the city. By morning the rain had set in again, which made me think for a moment I’d imagined the stars. But it’s these moments, however fleeting, that we can notice, hang on to and find peace and lightness within.

More information:

The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali in Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga (1995)