fall yoga

Fall is a beautiful season that welcomes the changing of leaves, a crispness to the air and comfort of home. This new season ushers in the beginnings of the school year and the slow descent to the holiday season. There is a peace to the calmness that is swept in as summer leaves us behind. 

Autumn also creates changes in your yoga practice, the heat and bustle of summer no longer guide your poses. Let your body acclimate to the changing of the season and use this time to make adjustments to your yoga practice to gain as many benefits as possible. 

Here are 3 easy ways to transition your practice for fall yoga: 

Take more time to warm up your body before you begin your practice

Without high summer temperatures stoking your inner fire, warming up during yoga will take longer. Get to class a few minutes early and do some extra cat and cow poses. Stretch and focus on deep breathing to wake up your body. And move slowly through the first few poses of your day to give your body extra attention before you jump right into the intensity of your practice for fall yoga.

Keep drinking water

During the summer months it’s easier to constantly remind yourself to stay hydrated, but as temperatures fall and you sweat less, keeping your water bottle handy can go unnoticed. Drinking lots of water is just as important in the fall as it is in the summer. Just like animals, your body starts to go into hibernation mode when the weather gets colder. This means treating your body right by drinking plenty of fluids to keep things moving is a great idea. If ice water doesn’t seem appealing, try warm water with lemon or a nice green tea blend.

Use the new season as a time for explorations in your practice

The science of Ayurveda is in part based upon the different seasons and in this philosophy fall is seen as a transitional period. As with the change into any new season, it can be a time used to reexamine the way you are living and freshen up your routines. Use the autumn to explore new levels of your yoga. Try one of the arm balance poses you’ve been thinking about, it may be easier to balance now that you aren’t sweating as much as you were in July! Think about the intentions you want to cultivate through your practice in this new season and go after them with the energy a refreshed outlook gives you.  

How else are you getting ready for yoga this season?