I’ve always found Autumn a little bit sad. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler, the leaves are falling to the ground. Energetically, the sadness I’ve always experienced in this season makes sense. Autumn is the season for turning the attention inward to explore the "underground"-selves, for letting go of what does not bring us joy, growth and freedom anymore and for honouring the endings.
These steps can feel a bit intense! 🥵 Hence, the importance to ground yourself in this season. Invest some time in practices and rituals that give you a sense of safety & stability so you can let go of the old.
In this post, I’ll share 7 grounding yoga practices you can do this Autumn. If you find this process hard to do on your own, reach out to a yoga teacher, a space holder or a therapist you trust who can guide you through step by step.
Shredding skins is not easy, but it’s necessary to prepare you to fully EMBRACE THE NEW people, opportunities, adventures which are waiting for you!
GROUNDING YOGA PRACTICE #1 - RESTORATIVE YOGA
Restorative yoga is a slow paced style of yoga which focuses on your nervous system health and deep interiority. Most of the poses are practised on the floor and they’re held for longer periods of time with the support of many yoga props.
The ultimate restorative yoga posture for grounding is Savasana, also called corpse pose. This is the relaxation pose all yoga classes end with. The contact between the back of the body and the floor invites a sense of safety and comfort which promotes deep relaxation. To make this pose more comfortable, you can use any of the following props:
A folded blanket under the head
A bolster or 2 pillows under the knees
A blanket to cover the entire body or just the abdomen & hips
An eye pillow or a towel to cover the eyes
Rest in Savasana for 5-10mins breathing naturally in and out to the nose, noticing the little pause between the inhalations and exhalations.
GROUNDING YOGA PRACTICE #2 - HUGGING A TREE
Hugging a tree is a beautiful ritual to celebrate nature and to become aware of our connectedness, which is one of the main purposes of yoga. Go slow and switch on all your senses. As you approach the tree, feel the contact of your shoes with the Earth, feel the quality of the air flowing in and out through your nose, feel the contact of your body with the tree and maybe you can even sense the smell of the bark. The mindful approach to this ritual enhances the grounding and relaxing effect of this practice.
GROUNDING YOGA PRACTICE #3 - YOGA NIDRA
Yoga Nidra - also called yogic sleep - is a type of meditation which you normally do lying down. It blends different techniques specifically designed to bring you to a state of consciousness between waking & sleeping. This is the state where your brain is most receptive and plastic. When entering the Yoga Nidra state, you can reprogram old beliefs and mental patterns to promote healing and health.
You can find a FREE 24mins Yoga Nidra for Sleep HERE.
GROUNDING YOGA PRACTICE #4 - WALKING BAREFOOT
It’s probably a bit cold these days to walk barefoot outdoors, but you can practice this indoors on carpet or wooden floors. As best as you can, when you walk around your home feel the contact of the soles of the feet with the floor. Feel the body weight moving from the heels to the toes.
Alternatively, you can ditch those high heels, LOL! Jokes aside, if you can’t walk barefoot in your home, you can experiment with wearing more flat shoes this Autumn with the intention to keep your feet closer to the ground.
GROUNDING YOGA PRACTICE #5 - HUMMING BREATH
Humming is a simple yet powerful technique to ground yourself 🌱It combines breathing and sound vibrations.This IG REEL explains how to do it. This is a great exercise to reduce anxiety and stress 🤯.
GROUNDING YOGA PRACTICE #6 - COOK A WARM, NOURISHING MEAL
A few years ago, I was introduced to Ayurveda by my dear friend Pujaveda.
Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health. It looks at food, lifestyle and emotional journey to find the root cause of issues and it brings you back to optimal health by connecting body, mind and soul.
Since working with Puja, I’ve been cooking warm savoury breakfasts and it’s one of my favourite rituals to ground myself. I invite you to give it a try! Mindfully cook a warm, delicious meal for yourself or your family and notice how it makes you feel 💕
GROUNDING YOGA PRACTICE #7 - FULL MOON CEREMONY
The moon cycle, menstrual cycle and seasons have 4 main phases with similar qualities. The full moon is the time to be grateful for what you have and letting go of what’s not in alignment, releasing anything you’re holding onto. Here is what you can do to set up your full moon ceremony in the 2-3 days around the next full moon (8th Nov 2022):
Create a ceremonial space - be somewhere where you can be uninterrupted, lit a candle, put some background music
Move your body - do some light yoga, stretching, dancing
Journal - journal on what you’re grateful for and what you’re ready to let go of
Integrate - rest in Savasana for 5-10mins to let the energy settle
If you like, you can watch this 40mins guided FULL MOON ceremony where I’ll guide you through the process step by step.
Thanks for reading until the end!
I hope you found a practice that resonated with you. As with every new thing, it takes a bit of effort to build a habit. Adapt these practices so they work for YOU.
Don’t let these rituals become something else you add to your to-do list. Try them, adapt them and keep doing them only if they bring you JOY.
Until next time!
Be WILD, be YOU
Consuelo
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