Align yourself with seasonal shifts pt.2
Alright, guys, welcome back to part II of my interview with Natalie, licensed therapist and RYT 200 hour. This week we are finishing up our conversation on all things alignment (spiritual, physical, and emotional), seasonal shifts, and practical takeaways.
With that, let’s get back into it.
+++++
We often associate summer with high energy, but it can also be overwhelming at times (kids out of school, heat, vacations, etc.) What are some tools you would suggest to help balances these seasonal struggles?
I would say create a routine that can happen in any environment. That way if you are out of town a lot, you will be able to limit your disruption. Create a schedule that can be managed enough that it can withstand the different schedules or environments you may find yourself in. I would recommend creating a morning and nighttime routine. That way, the middle parts of the day may be organized chaos, you still have a start and finish to fall back on. Have your morning and night rituals meet you where you are. Make your kids and family part of the process. For example, your routine may include getting outside for that first sunlight, so have the kids join you too. You can still easily incorporate hydration (warm lemon or lime water with salt), gentle movement, etc. into this with kids in tow. This is a grounding mechanism reminding our body what time of day it is, and one that can be done regardless of if my child is awake or not. At night, have that same bookend, that’s adaptable but still consistent. That may look like a warm shower before bed, lighting a candle or diffusing your favorite scent.
Grounding is a great example of an anchoring routine that can be done regardless of the environment and with your kids.
You may find it helpful to think of your rituals in two categories: Your “A” rituals are your nonnegotiable and ones that can be done no matter the environment or who is with you, like the ones we discussed above. Your “B” rituals are those that can be done throughout the day when time allows.This may include meditation, journaling, intentional movement/ exercise. I recommend trying to fit these in at least 3 times a week to build some consistency. But again, the “B” rituals may not be your anchors. They take a bit more planning, particularly when environments and schedules are different, as they often are this time of year. Always be open to meeting yourself where you are at, and take advantage of the time you have- whether that be a quick 10 mins or an hour.
Your “B” rituals, such as structured workouts, may take more planning. Still, try to make time for them at least 3x a week to build consistency.
Do you see a link between the seasons and our emotional or spiritual cycles? How can people become more attuned to that inner rhythm?
Oh, that’s a really sweet question. And the answer is YES! Spring is going to be more creative and emotionally an expander where winter can be a contractor. And so expanding ourselves to higher creativity, higher social opportunities, which are typically more closed in winter. We feel more motivated to be social, creative and open to collaboration. If you are a creator, this is a time to talk with other people, collaborate, get inspired. Spiritually, the seasons are there for you to connect with and when you adapt to the seasons, you are experiencing a spiritual shift.
Some questions you may ask yourself are “What season am I in internally? What season am I in externally? Am I somehow battling the external season? Or what can I learn from my internal season?” If you find your internal season is not matching the external season, get curious about that. Begin to ask questions and sit with your emotions and try meditation. You have the answers. It is easy to try and look for external fixes that you might find online, on instagram, etc. but try sitting with yourself and listening to your body and your mind. You may be surprised to find the answers within you. Your intuitive wisdom is always there for you to tap into and that is how we start to trust ourselves.
Picture I snapped while getting my early morning sunlight.
What are 3 simple practices someone could try this week to bring more balance into their life as we move into the summer months?
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!! You actually wrote a really good blog piece on some summer hydration drinks (Link here) a few weeks ago. I would start by pulling some recipes from there. Adding Celtic sea salt, coconut water, cucumber water is great right now to lower the heat internally. Start your morning with hydration and focus on it throughout the day. You may feel like something is off, but just might be that we haven’t met our body’s physical demands for the season. It could be as simple as “am I hydrating enough for the season or eating seasonal produce?” Another fun thing you can do right now is go pick flowers from your garden or go get some sunflowers from your local farmer’s market. Snip some herbs from your garden to bring inside. The smells are so helpful too; just intentionally bring the outdoors in. Match as much as you can your circadian rhythm to the season. So outside in the morning and maybe a walk after dinner. Or bring your kids outside in the evening to play with the fireflies. Bring a little flexibility into your day because we have more daylight to do that with. If you have littles, like I do, play with extending their bedtime a little later to sync with the longer days. Be outside more, go on hikes, play in water, incorporate nature into your plans. And lastly, be mindful of your exercise practices that you’re converting from winter into summer. Maybe you find your body thrives on less sauna or hot yoga and craves more gentle movement and red light therapy. With the right diet and continuing to move, you can maintain what you built in the winter throughout the summer. Always pay attention- if your body is not liking something, listen. Get curious as to why that is, but don’t force something.
Here are some of the ingredients I used for my summer refresh drinks.
+++++
I really enjoyed sitting down with Natalie and talking all things seasonal shifts and how our mind, body, and spirit are connected to the world around us. I hope this post gave you a little inspiration on how to move with the change of the seasons with intention and flow. How do you plan to adjust for the shift in seasons?