Fall into Balance
As the seasons shift and change we too are invited to share in the rhythms of the earth. There is a time to play and a time to rest. A time to grieve and a time to heal. A time to feast and a time for cleansing. The earth goes through these cycles and seasons gracefully and with ease. Are you able to do the same?
It can be easy to forget that our bodies need to shift and that there are seasons to our own lives. We are bombarded by hustle culture and are expected to be productive in every season. We have access to information and news all of the time as we go, go, go and push ever towards “progress”. This “progress” however, eventually comes at the cost of our own health and well-being.
There is a saying from Lao Tzu that I love and it states; “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Do you believe that? Do you feel that to be true?
The key lies in learning how to live that. But how?
By learning to live and feel into the rhythm of the seasons.
Our ancestors took note of the moon and water cycles, the growing and resting seasons, the planting and harvesting of nourishing and medicinal crops. Their life depended on being able to live in harmony with the seasons of the Earth. 
As we transition into Autumn/Fall, are you able to take a pause and adjust? I am the first to admit that slowing down from the energy of Summer is a tough one. I do eventually feel a sense of “burning out” from all the expansive summer activities, weather, and work. I look forward to the shift in cooler weather, and the days coming into balance during the Fall Equinox then slowly growing shorter. I start to crave earlier bedtimes and more evenings curled up with a cup of tea and a good book. Do you have little seasonal rituals that get you excited for change?
The Energy of Autumn
Autumn (or Fall) comes to us at the end of summer when the surface heat of our bodies starts to move slowly inward. It is a pulling in and building up of our energy reserves to be stored for Winter. It is a time to pull inward and gather together on all levels.
That being said, you may also find yourself in an energy of excess, through maybe too many summer treats and travel foods. This can also be a nice time to cleanse your body, do a resetting of your digestive system and eliminate parasites and/or candida that may have affected you during the warm summer months. Autumn is a wonderful time to bring your diet, movement, and healing practices back into balance. Let’s talk about what some of those are.
Autumn Inspired Herbs & Foods
Look for herbs and foods that stimulate the functions of the body and break through obstructions and congestion. This will eliminate any mucus which the Lungs and Colon may have overproduced.
Autumn Herbs
- Pepper, Cinnamon, Citrus Peel, Turmeric, and Ginger are all good herbs for fall.
- Drink herbal teas with a calming, warming and/or cleansing nature. We have some here at the Farmacy. Check out the Tropical Chai, Puritea, Love Potion, Soursop, and Tranquility teas.
Autumn Foods
- Include more warm foods in the diet like well cooked vegetables, soups and stews.
- Root vegetables, steamed greens and winter squash.
- Seasonal fruits.
- Include sour foods like sauerkraut, olives, pickles, sourdough, vinegar, lemons, limes, and apples, as they encourage the contracting and inward nature of Autumn and can also reset healthy gut bacteria.
- Eliminate highly processed food, poor food combining, late night eating and overeating.
- Check out our recipes!
Autumn Inspired Movement & Healing Practices
The Lungs and Colon are the organs associated with Autumn. Those with strong Lungs have a hold on their principals and keep their commitments. In health, Lung Energy is able to gather together, maintain strength and unify against disease and rebuild cellular immunity. People with healthy Colons are able to “let go” and release what is no longer needed. In Chinese healing traditions, this release is not just on a physical level but on an emotional one as well.
Grief is the emotion associated with the Lungs and the Colon. Grief that is expressed strengthens our internal basis of health and if used constructively can help to clear repression. Here’s some ways to support yourself if you have been holding onto or are moving through grief.
- Sharing your feelings with others, or Journal. This can help to heal and move this energy.
- Develop a breathing practice focused on long, deep breathing.
- “Eat your grief” by incorporating more pungent foods in your diet. Use herbs like Ginger, Turmeric, and those found in our Superfood Powders to nourish your Lungs and Cleanse your colon.
- Go for walks when the sun is rising and in the late afternoons. These are potent times to connect with the changing weather.
- Create a gratitude practice or prayer.
Body Oiling is a wonderful practice that can assist you in slowing down, connecting with your body and nourishing your health. Through Body Oiling the skin is renewed and fed. Tight muscles begin to find ease, and your immune system gets support through the stimulation of the lymphatic system. I find it is most beneficial after a warm shower at the end of the day. Put on some music or even your favorite show and start with your limbs, always rubbing and lathering towards your heart. Be sure to do your face, head, and ears and spend a generous time on your torso and feet.
On an emotional level, Body Oiling works to ground you and soothe your nervous system. It’s a great tool if you find yourself in the midst of an emotional upheaval. It can be a devotional act of love to your beautiful body which does so much! It is a great practice to tune into during this inward turn of Autumn. (See our shop for the best in Herbal Salves & Herbal Serums!)
Autumn Skies and Inward Eyes
These Herbs, foods, and practices are just suggestions to encourage you to start thinking about ways you can begin to live in balance with the seasons. When we mirror our lifestyles and diets to those already at work on the earth we start to live in greater Harmony and find ease in the changes that come.
We are able to move through our emotions and embrace changes with greater acceptance and peace when we learn that everything has a season.
Watching the herbs on the farm go through their own seasons of growth, harvest, and rest has inspired me to imitate them as best as I humanly can. Learning from the plants on how to transition and thrive is sometimes the greatest medicine of all.
Be well friends and Happy Autumn!
