Namaste Yogis and Yoginis,

I admit it--I am a summer girl at heart. I wear my sandals well into October. Yet, no matter how much I avoid saying the final 'goodbye' to my favorite season, autumn eventually insists I move along.

Brace yourselves, for we are on the verge of Vata season.

It begins with some harmless flirting, as autumn lures us with brilliant colors, savory air, and delectable harvest treats. But quickly, autumn’s mission accelerates, unleashing more than just awe-striking beauty. Autumn is infused with wind, the energy of movement that is called Vata.

Vata is the "air" element characterized by wind and movement as well as coolness, lightness, and dryness. It is this energy that brings us through the elimination process and aging process overall. In autumn and early winter, it is the dominant energy both around and within us. Vata is the energy needed for change and re-creation.

As the seasons and nature change, so do we. And so should our yoga practice.

Ayurveda is a seasonally-based approach to living life in accord with our surroundings and seasons. And in short, practicing yoga in communion with nature is the heart of what Ayurveda is all about.

Yet, regardless of its awe-striking beauty, autumn’s windy energy can challenge even the most stable of us. Therefore, this time of year can cause us to have a harder time feeling grounded and calm; we may agitate or stress more easily, become more anxious or 'spacey', experience less rejuvenating sleep, or deplete faster than normal.

Since I travel so much (and because of my personal constitution) I am always balancing Vata. So I have some great tools to share with you that can help you stay balanced and healthy all season long! And, in this issue of Yogalicious I am including a 6-minute morning video practice that can help start you day feeling more grounded, calm, and energized!

I will also support you each week in my October blogs with lots of tips and links on how to shift your yoga practice for the season. As well as my favorite seasonal recipes, daily care tips, sleeping enhancing tools, and ways to become more grounded on the spot.

Thank you so for meeting me here and for practicing. May this month’s Yogalicious teachings help nourish your roots, even when it feels like the ground is moving!

Coming In For Landing,
Jillian

More ways to balance Vata this season

ROOTED, RELAXED, AND READY.

Enjoy this 6 -minute, slow flowing yoga sequence every morning!

In just a short practice, you can start your day with a sense of strength, ease and mindfulness. In this sequence you will flow through standing poses to create groundedness, side body openers and breathe awareness to lift your energy and promote clarity, and an active forward bend, to help soothe your nervous system with out making you sleepy. Feel free to begin or follow this practice with a seated mindfulness meditation.

KEEP IN MIND FOR YOUR DAILY PRACTICE IN CLASS OR AT HOME: THE FOCUS IS ON GROUNDING.

Make sure you do not over extend or deplete yourself in your practices this season. Practice should be strengthening and revitalizing but never draining or depleting. It is not the time to become exhausted and ungrounded.

Always move at a slow, smooth, steady pace. Let your poses be fluid (not staccato or rigid.). Move like you are moving through water.

Poses should encourage stability, but don’t hold for too long that you become rigid.

Let your awareness return over and over to your feet and your legs, the foundation of the pose. Imagine staying connected to the earth. Emphasis rooting down through your big toes even as you feel your heels deep in the earth.