Fall is a great time to reboot and refocus the mind and body. The summer days have come to a close and new habits and routines are being formed, so this is the perfect time to wipe the slate clean and start new. Whether we’re letting go, recovering from a cold, starting a new chapter in our lives, starting a new season or a new relationship, cleansing is an important part of honoring what came before and preparing for what’s next.
- Autumn Practice for Vata Season with Alex van Frank: According to Ayurveda, Fall brings about the dry and windy elements of your body. Grounding poses, coupled with movements that can also support your lungs and ears, help ease the seasonal transition. Focus on slowly and steadily warming your body with standing poses and joint rotations, then ease onto the ground for stability and strengthening. Practice this gentle flow to help support both your mind and body throughout the season. Props Needed: A strap.
- Autumn Nourishment with Marc Holzman: In Ayurveda, Rasayana means nourishment. This Rasayana practice prepares body and mind as you transition into the colder, windier months of Fall. After sitting with pranayama exercises, move into a rhythmic Hatha flow of repeated standing poses to build warmth. Continue with surya A’s, some core work and backbends. Conclude with two delicious restoratives and a sweet savasana. Props Needed: Two blankets, a block, a bolster and a strap.
- Fall Season Sequence with Darren Rhodes: A fall focused sequence to help you slow down. Enjoy a slow sun salute that segues into a supine sequence that opens your hamstrings, quads, hips and entire spine. Practice “autumn asanas” like standing forward bend, lunge variations and locust with slightly longer holds and less instruction. Use this practice to connect and become introspective, while staying active and engaged.
- Fall Away to Consolidate with Jo Tastula: Align with the natural world and initiate your own seasonal change, connecting to the energy of Fall. Be guided through a meditation to identify all extraneous factors that no longer serve you, lightening your load both mentally and physically. Warm up with a sequence of abdominal toning with sun salutations and a down tempo flow of standing poses, hip openers, back bends and forward bends. Conserve energy, consolidate and celebrate the fruits of your labor. Props Suggested: A strap.
- Decrease Internal Dryness and Lubricate the Joints with Felicia: In the Fall season, you can easily feel dry or depleted. According to Ayurveda, this is characterized by an increase of the energy of wind, the vata dosha. Soothe the vata dosha by encouraging internal lubrication. Move your joints in long holds providing more energy to your fascia (connective tissue) while focusing on circular movements and nourishing breath. Props Needed: A blanket.
