Autumn: 5 tips to GET GROUNDED and FOCUSED

Feeling more ungrounded lately?

More in your head and not really able to focus?

Or do you feel colder in your body, maybe also waking up at night and having trouble getting back to sleep again?

These can all be typical “symptoms” of autumn being reflected in your body and mind. 

Ayurveda tells us that the seasons have a huge impact on our body and mind. They naturally affect us. When you think about it, it’s pretty logical: We are surrounded by their energy, so how can they not affect us? 

You see: All seasons come with a certain energy or quality. Summer, for example, is hot, sharp, and penetrating. We sweat a lot, we crave cooling foods and light clothing, and look for a hop in the cold ocean. All this helps us deal with aka balance out the heat. 

Autumn, in contrast, is colder and rougher than summer, it is dry and mobile (lots of wind!). In Ayurveda autumn is considered as VATA season. Vata is a bio-energetic force comprised of the elements air + ether/space. We might naturally feel colder in our bodies with temperatures dropping, or feel more scattered with so much wind blowing around! We can also feel generally less embodied and less grounded. 

That being said, same as in summer, we are wise to adapt our food, our clothing (pretty obvious!) and our daily habits in general to this new season.

Here are 5 of my favourite things to get grounded and focused and reduce the wind element within my body and mind:

1. Drink less coffee! 

This is a HUGE ONE for me! I’m really conscious about drinking less coffee, and when I drink it I’m making sure it’s got lots of fat in it. I personally like cream, or a combination of coconut milk and butter. I mix coffee, coconut milk and butter in a little pot, whisk it, and then pour it in my pre-heated mug. Yum! If you’ve never tasted it: Try it! It’s lovely and it will leave you with a better feeling and a gentler impact on your body than black coffee or coffee with just some sweet rice or soy milk.

You can also supercharge your coffee by adding some adaptogenic herbs like Astragalus or Ashwagandha or medicinal mushrooms like Reishi.

2. Snack less, eat properly! 

Set yourself proper meal times and don’t eat in between. This is way more satisfying, and from an Ayurvedic perspective it helps you to build a daily schedule. 

3. Build a daily schedule!

Keeping a schedule or daily routine helps you to stay grounded, as set times for eating, sleeping, yoga practice, work, and so on reduces the energy of wind, space and lightness (VATA). This Vata energy also expresses itself as and is fed by constant change, irregular meal times, no structure in the day and spontaneity.

4. Eat warm food!

This is crucial. In Ayurveda, like attracts like. So when you are eating cold food, your body gets colder. When you eat warm food, however, your body gets warmer. Easy. Grandma’s wisdom. Also: when we have a VATA-imbalance, we might be loving dry, cold and crispy snacks because they reflect our current state of being. The remedy to get back into balance, however, is moist, warm + warming as well as mushy, creamy food. So go for root vegetables (like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, beet roots, carrots) and steam, roast or cook them. Go for soups, Dhals (from red lentils or yellow split peas), warming spices (like cumin, fennel, cinnamon, ginger) as well as warm drinks and breakfasts.

5. Close doors!

Avoid draft or wind. When inside, I love to close room doors, not only to minimize any air breezing through, but also to to keep the energy in. For me, it really feels like creating a container for my energy and focus. And this is exactly what Vata needs: a container for its airy, spacey nature.

I hope these tips help! Try them out and let me know how you feel!

Love, Kat