Embracing Change: Late Summer Edition

The end of summer tends to be a difficult time for me. In years past I used to dread the return to school, first as a student myself, and then when my kids had to go back. But now that I’m past the “Back to School” years, I’m realizing that the difficulty simply comes from my personal resistance to moving toward the colder, darker time of the year.

We all know change is an inevitable part of life. We also know that the more we resist, the more difficult it is. But neither of these things makes changing easier. Luckily, yoga and Ayurveda offer several practical ways to ease any transition, even if you don’t personally practice either.

Below are a few ideas for finding ease during this transitional time of year. If you’d like more in-depth and detailed practices, I hope you’ll register for my workshop next Wednesday, Embracing Change: A Late Summer Reset. Details can be found on my website.

First, bookend your day with rituals you love. Go for a walk in the early morning sunshine, and take a long bath before bed. Or sit in silence before you start your day, and read inspirational books before bed. It doesn’t matter what the ritual is. What matters is that you signal to your brain and body that there are some pillars in each day that offer structure. When the structure is there, the constant change can seem less chaotic.

Second, notice when you are feeling tense, scared, angry, or any other big emotion and pause. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that this feeling is temporary. Instead of trying to push the feeling away, embrace it, feel it, describe it to yourself if it helps. According to Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist, the biochemical lifespan of an emotion is roughly 90 seconds. Unfortunately, many of us make them last much longer because of the thoughts and stories we attach to them.

Finally, don’t wait until you’re in distress to care for your nervous system. Instead, do a few things daily to keep yourself calm. Yoga, pranayama, and meditation are great for this, but the simplest thing you can do is a mindful child’s pose during the transitions of your day. My favorite times are before and after work. Child’s pose is one of the big three for nervous system regulation. Down dog and savasana are the other two, if you’d like to incorporate them as well.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!