September always has me on the run. And while I love the excitement of renewed schedules, new notebooks (for my List Of Things To Do), and reorganizing closets, it is also an ideal time to slow down and pause more.

For under the fresh start of September, there is an undercurrent of nostalgia; a complex intertwining of change and re-connection, good-bye and hello. And many spiritual lineages have long considered autumn as a time to turn inward: a time for reflection, contemplation, and self-transformation.

Transformation Often Begins With Setting Intentions.

Intention setting is part of the process of creating new, more nourishing habits. Doing so helps to naturally diminish old habits that do not support us. This naturally re-wires us for change and evolution.

Today is the Autumn Equinox. It is a perfect day to pause, contemplate, and set an intention to recommit to what's truly important to you.

Many spiritual traditions offer practices and rituals to reflect on behavior and choices made over the year: to review any regrets, mistakes, or challenges. These practices are meant to be a learning opportunity, so unhelpful behaviors are not repeated and instead replaced with more artful, graceful, or caring actions in the future.

I love creating rituals, especially for the message it sends: Slow down. Pay attention. This is important.

For years, I’ve incorporated the ritual of intention setting into the retreats I lead. On the last day of each retreat, after we’ve spent days getting grounded, clear, and open, we pause to set an intention before reentering “real life.” I ask each person to put some thought into how he or she wants to walk forward into life and to write it down on a note card. We then stand in a circle around a bonfire. In spiritual ceremonies, fire symbolizes purification and transformation. One by one, we step forward and offer our card to the flames. Together, we create a sacred moment around our desire to evolve.

But setting intentions doesn’t require a big ritual. I set intentions for myself regularly—and few of them involve a bonfire. I celebrate most holidays (and all my birthdays) reminding myself how I want to walk into my future. What choices I want to make. In fact, I begin my personal practice each day with an intention, "May I feel grounded and open. May I recognize when I need to pause and start again."

And after years of yoga, meditation and regular intention setting what’s happened in my life is this: I still have tough days. I still feel anger and jealousy, confusion and disappointment. But all those feelings now have a much shorter shelf life. It’s easier for me to recognize them before they take hold. It’s easier to move through them and back into a state of warmth and openness.

My students report similar experiences. The stress in their lives does not go away. But how they respond to it—and more important, how it affects them—is different.

Setting intentions is part of the process of creating new, more nourishing habits. Doing so helps to diminish old habits that do not support us. The more often we pause and set an intention, the easier it becomes to make wise choices. And then the easier it is to do it again.

In my new book, Deep Listening, I share more on how to bring intention setting into your daily life. And how even in small increments, often, these intentions set the conditions for us to evolve. And below, I share a simple practice you can do today - on the Equinox! Or any time really.

May you feel more grounded and open.