Autumn Trees - Samhain 2007

What wonderful colour the autumn trees are showing us. I hope you’ve been able to get out and watch some leaves dancing their way down to earth, or crunched your way along a woodland path.

 

Autumn is a time of reflection, and Nature has much to teach us.  Just recently, I’ve been inspired by deciduous trees and the ease with which they let go into winter.

 

This Samhain, my suggestion is to mirror their action, and feel what happens. (Those of you who attend my Yoga weekly classes have already experienced this exercise, but it’s a great one to repeat each evening, to mark, or make your transition into the dark time of the day.) 

 

To make a start, begin to move your shoulders round. As you do so, gently circle your wrists. Wriggle your fingers. Then shake out your arms. Gently shake out your whole body. Try to get a sense of what you might resist about moving into the season of winter. Think of this resistance as your ‘autumn leaves’.  

 

Stand up (could also be done sitting). Make sure you have space either side of you. Press your feet into the ground. Lengthen your spine. Lift your crown toward the sky. Feel your body growing stronger and stiller.  Then cross your wrists in front of your body and slowly lift your arms up (as if taking off a jumper). Continue to lift your arms overhead and stretch all your fingers, hands, and arms upwards. Then bring your arms down (left arm, left side and right arm, right side). As you lower arms, make circling movements with your wrists and fingers – these are your autumn leaves dancing their way to the earth.  

 

Now you have the arm movements, pause to remember what you are choosing to let go off. Lift your arms again, but this time feel as though you are ‘peeling off’ this layer of resistance, then when you bring your arms back down, imagine yourself getting lighter as you shed your autumn leaves.  

 

The next step is to include your breath in this. So, breathe in as you lift your arms up and over head, then for as long as your outer breath lasts ‘dance’ your autumn leaves down. Repeat 5 times. For maximum effect, practice as a transition into the evening of each day.

 

Of course this exercise can be practiced anytime, and can be used to release whatever negative feelings you notice have accumulated.  

I hope you find this practice beneficial, and would love to hear how you get on.

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Guidance from nature - Lammas 2007

Renewing contact with your inner light - Winter Solstice 2006

Get closer to nature - Imbolc 2006