Autumn - A time of reflection

As we move from the energetic expansiveness of summer to the quieter, shorter months of Autumn, we naturally start to turn more inwards.

September is that time of year when we begin to reflect on the year gone by. What was good about it? What was bad? And what we’d like to do differently next year. We start to get busy setting goals and putting plans in place for the new year.

But we need to be careful not to get so wrapped up in achieving our goals that we lose sight of what’s important. It’s vital that we find time to pause, to reflect, and ensure we stay aligned with our values i.e. what’s really important to us and who we are as a person. Otherwise reaching the goal may not bring the fulfilment we are searching for.

We need to be realistic when setting goals.

It’s good to be driven, but we must also make space for rest in order to be our best. Also be patient and realistic with our expectations. In our fast paced world we expect immediate results, but achieving our goals takes time, care and effort. Enjoy the process. There are no shortcuts or easy paths to achieving our goals. You will hit stumbling blocks. But overcoming these is part of the process. We learn so much about ourselves, build resilience, and we grow as humans, which is what makes the experience so rewarding.

How can the practice of Yoga help?

Yoga gives us some useful tools to support this process. The practice of Yoga helps us to align our mind, body and spirit. The three aspects of ourselves which influence everything we think, feel and experience on a daily basis. They make us the person we are. When any of these are out of balance our lives can start to feel unsatisfactory, even chaotic.

Meditation

We can begin to understand ourselves better and improve our relationship to ourselves and to others through the practice of meditation. Even if you can only find 5-10 minutes to sit quietly in contemplation each morning, and bring your attention to your direct experience before you rush into your day, it can make a difference. It’s an opportunity to check in, untangle ourselves from messy or unhelpful thoughts and emotions, gain fresh perspectives, relax, and find a bit of calm and clarity.

Journalling

Writing down our thoughts and feelings can help us to understand them more clearly, process emotions, develop awareness and self-awareness. It can be a useful tool and process to help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and recognise what’s driving certain behaviours. It is only with this awareness that we can start to make positive changes.

Keep practicing!

With commitment and persistence the practice of yoga brings deeper insight and understanding of self. Eventually becoming so ingrained in us that it becomes a part of us and starts to have a positive effect on our lives.

Vanda Scaravelli quotes in her book ‘Awakening the Spine’, “In this kind of work, continuity and perseverance are required. We will progress much more effectively through daily training…….at first you must force yourself to do yoga; eventually, yoga will pull you up by the hair and make you do it."

There are no immediate results.

There will be some bumps along the way. You might have some success and then a situation arises which sets you back again. There is no quick fix. But with patience, determination and diligence you can rest-assured that so much is possible.

Trust in the process.

It is essential that we go through the process of learning to fully understand, find and connect with our true self, our true nature, reach our goals and thrive as individuals.

If you would like to explore the practice of yoga further or find out a little more I would love to hear from you. Get in touch via my Contact page.

I can offer small group and private sessions from my home studio, or if you prefer to be in your own surroundings I can come to you. Alternatively, why not drop into a class. All my classes are open to everyone. You’ll find my full schedule of classes available to book here.