Meditation in Tune with the Seasons
Seasonal Mindfulness is a meditation framework created from my own meditation journey of 30+ years, informed as a meditation teacher for 15+ years, and inspired by my teachers, from both wisdom and contemporary traditions.
When I learned to meditate it was in a very formal manner. Each morning, I would rise before sunrise and sit on my cushion, and for many years this was my daily rhythm – even though I insisted that I was not a morning person, and I struggled to accept that I had to get out of bed (most mornings).
Then, some years down the track, life suddenly threw a few curve balls and my life changed dramatically, and I found it almost impossible to keep up my daily practice.
I always say to students ‘be kind‘ when learning to meditate, and at some point, I took my own advice.
Realizing that I was undergoing a significant life change, I chose to start being a little kinder and accepting of my current season in life; definitely, an Autumn period when nature is also busy, even distracted, with the practicalities of life ie. the harvesting, gathering, and storing.
I started to listen more and adapt accordingly. I meditated for shorter periods, keeping an eye out for whenever an opportunity arose. I focused on embracing more informal mindfulness exercises throughout the day, to stay present and aware. And, I included simple daily rituals that felt nourishing and supportive.
I came to realize that when I was mindful of the rhythm and cycles at play in the world around me (the seasonal cycle) .. everything seemed to flow better: both in my meditation and life.
For example.
In Summer …
In Summer, I found it much easier to wake at dawn while the house slept and step outside to meditate. The cooler air was refreshing and grounding, pranayama (yogic breath exercises) made total sense at this time, and they more easily settled my mind and body. Mindful Listening was an obvious choice for meditation given the abundance of bird and animal life that joined me each morning, and as the sun rose into the sky .. it felt like I was also tapping into life’s energy source.
This is Summer yang-energy .. it calls us to shift outside, gifting us the deepest stillness just before sunrise, and dosing us with high vitality energy so we are ready to grow and transform, socialize, create, and party!
In Winter …
In Winter, with the colder and darker mornings, I was again challenged to get up and meditate .. desiring only to stay in bed and hibernate. But, when expressing my struggles with my teacher at the time, she told me to try meditating in bed, sitting upright with my back against the warm backboard. And, immediately everything changed! Meditating in this way, in bed but seated upright, is incredibly warm and contained. I still felt that sense of sacredness in my practice, and WInter energy naturally shifted my practice to more self-inquiry and reflection. I also found that my enthusiasm for morning Qigong and Mindful Movement practices, helped me ignite my inner fire and this improved my metabolism – so I felt empowered rather than lethargic.
This is Winter yin energy when nature looks inactive on the surface but is busy with deeper work below the surface. While we also are drawn to hibernate and rest, our deeper work calls for us to take time for reflection and contemplation .. and to keep cultivating and managing our energy reserves for the long days ahead.
This period of gentle listening and yielding to the seasonal influences of both my inner and outer worlds .. sowed the seeds for Seasonal Mindfulness.
Seasonal Meditation Resources
You can find these resources on the Welcome Autumn page. Resources will be available only for the current seasons … until we transition with the wind and nature’s energy to the next season.
+ The Seasonal Living eMagazine
I have refreshed and launched a passion project: the Seasonal Living eMagazine. This free eMag is going to be available each season .. so I can continue to share my seasonal journey and provide guided meditations, mindfulness practices and daily rituals – in alignment with each season. It’s a great place to start exploring the seasonal influences in your daily life and in meditation. There will be some guest contributors and, I hope, lots of interesting reading so you can experience the gifts and magic of each season. SIGN UP HERE – Autumn Harvest eMag is available to download NOW!
+ Seasonal Meditative Exercise
A Meditative Exercise is a short but powerful practice that can act as a circuit-breaker for rising stress, and calm the nervous system .. whenever you need or wish to! Each season, I shall offer a guided Meditative Exercise that aligns with the wisdom, lessons or gifts, of that season. Our Autumn Meditative Exercise is Cultivating Gratitude in The Moment. Listen Here.
+ Guided Meditation
Each season, I would like to offer you a guided seasonal meditation in a more traditional format. This is an invitation to step away from all the distractions of life and shift inward for an exploration of a particular seasonal theme. Our Autumn meditation is Letting Go. Listen Here.
Find out more:
Autumn reminds us that change can be beautiful and in our meditation we have the space and grace to pause, reflect, and embrace transformation with an open heart … just as the trees surrender their leaves to the wind, trusting in what comes next.