When The Autumn Leaves Are Falling: Yoga For Autumn

Did you know that seasons are defined in two ways? The meteorological seasons that most of us adhere to are usually known as Spring (March, April, May), Summer (June, July, August), Autumn (September, October, November) and Winter (December, January, February), whereas, the lesser known astronomical seasons are a little different depending on whether you’re in the Northern or Southern hemisphere.

The astronomical calendar determines the seasons by the tilt of the Earth’s rotational axis in relation to its orbit around the sun, and both equinoxes and solstices are related to the Earth’s orbit of the sun. This is why the astronomical calendar will be different for Northern and Southern hemispheres.

For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere Spring is usually around 21 March to 20 June, Summer, 21 June to 20 September, Autumn, 21 September to 20 December and Winter, 21 December to 20 March. But for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, Spring is 21 September to 20 December, Summer, 21 December to 20 March, Autumn, 21 March to 20 June and Winter 21 June to 20 September.

So why am I talking about seasons on a yoga blog? Just as seasons change throughout the year so too do our moods and energy levels. These can be very different from one season to the next and that can mean our yoga styles can vary. You may find that in the summer months you’re feeling super energized and you like the flow of Vinyasa or the power of Ashtanga to keep those energy levels up, but, in the winter months you may not be feeling quite so energetic and a gentle Yin or restorative practice may be better suited to how you feel.

Autumn is the season of change and transformation, we see this all around us in nature, the leaves begin to fall, the weather starts to get cooler, the days will begin to get shorter and this will naturally impact the way we feel. In autumn we tend to feel a little ‘off balance’ and it’s not uncommon for many of us to feel unsettled or ungrounded. So when it comes to yoga for autumn we may benefit from poses that can bring us back to balance and ‘ground’ us.

If the weather’s not too cold and wet you may like to try some of these poses outdoors on the grass where you can feel the earth beneath you, it can give you a real sense of grounding and balance.

Sukhasana (Easy Pose)

• Start by sitting on the floor in a cross-legged position with your right ankle crossed over your left.
• Relax your legs down as close to the floor as you comfortably can.
• Place your palms on your knees.
• Lengthen your tailbone and sit up tall and straight.
• Sit here for a couple of minutes and then change the cross of your legs so you achieve balance on both sides.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

• Stand with your feet together, firmly and evenly on the ground.
• Relax your shoulders and lengthen your neck. Let your arms hang by your sides, palms facing outwards and look straight ahead.
• Take a deep breath and raise your arms above your head with your palms facing each other and your fingertips pointing to the ceiling.
• If it feels comfortable tilt your head back slightly and gaze up to the ceiling.
• If you feel any pain in your neck keep your gaze in front of you so you’re looking straight ahead.
• Hold and breathe normally.

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)

• Standing in Mountain Pose with your feet 4/5 feet apart.
• Turn your right foot out to a 90-degree angle and your left foot in at 45-degrees.
• On the inhale extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder level with your palms facing downwards and your torso facing forward.
• On the exhale bend your right knee so it’s in line with your right heel and the right thigh parallel to the floor so your leg is at a right angle.
• Your left leg should be straight and the soles of your feet pushed into the floor.

Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

• Start with your feet parallel and 3 feet apart.
• Turn your right foot out to a 90-degree angle and your left foot to a 45- degree angle.
• Raising your arms to shoulder level now extend your right arm and bring your right hand down towards the floor or rest it on a block or brick.
• Raise your left arm straight up towards the ceiling and move your torso over your front thigh.
• Keeping your core engaged turn your head toward the palm of your outstretched hand taking care not to put any pressure on your neck.
• Turn your head to look forward and bring your body beck to vertical and stretch your arms out to shoulder level.
• Relaxing your arms down by your sides bring your feet back to parallel and repeat on other side.

Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

• From Mountain Pose (Tadasana) bend your right knee and place the sole of your right foot high up against the inner left thigh.
• Keeping your left leg straight breathe in and raise arms out by your sides to shoulder level, palms facing up and breathe out.
• Stretch and extend your arms up over your head and place the palms of your hands together. You should feel a nice stretch in your shoulder blades.
• Hold and breathe normally.