goodbye summer, hello autumn.
ahhh autumn.
a time of change. yesterday marked the fall equinox, hours of night & day perfectly equal. we now enter a transitional period where days get shorter & nights grow longer.
with this new season comes a new zodiac ruler, libra. libra is the sign of the scale. balance, harmony, equality. perhaps now is the perfect time to reflect on how balance is present in our lives. how do you establish balance in your day to day? do your relationships with yourself & with others emanate harmony? where could you establish more balance in your life? journal, walk, or just sit quietly. amidst the stillness & the silence, you can hear the answers to these questions from a true, authentic place.
to help combat the chaos, look to meditation. practicing presence & mindful breathing is a wonderful tool to help alleviate stress. when my meditation practice dwindles, I can feel it (so can everyone around me) we all know that feeling of being stressed & anxious. you feel irritable, maybe aggressive at times, unable to sleep...not good for anyone involved. I have provided links to a few of my favorite yogis who offer their meditation services online through various platforms and yes, I have included photos of the goddesses below- the links are attached to the photos. I encourage you to check each of their pages out to see what works for you. maybe you'd like to dive into a month long daily meditation challenge, or a quick seven day jump starter program, or subscribe to a monthly service full of journal prompts, rituals, & guided meditations. notice how your energy can change by incorporating these mindfulness practices into your every day. I can attest to all three of these humans, they are divine angels with true gifts to serve & heal.
I know in my own experience, I could use more yin to my yang, more dark to my light. I often find myself running through the motions. too much yang. too much fire. my goal for this season is to give myself permission to slow down. if I need rest, I will honor my body's wishes. even when my mind says "go, go, go", I will not let the guilt take control. the fact that I need my own permission to slow down is kind of ridiculous, but the struggle for me is real. I go on a lengthy guilt trip if I feel like I am "not doing enough". part of this guilt comes from transitioning from a super active life in new york city to a slower-paced life in the suburbs. I was in a state of constant motion, thriving in the distractions. majority of my time was spent teaching, the rest in dance classes, auditions, & of course socializing. now all of that has been stripped away I find myself questioning everything.
"but now what do I do with my time? what is my purpose?"
the honest answer is I don't know. I'm still figuring it out. and where I believe this is an ever changing, ever evolving question, right now I can say that my purpose is to serve. to nourish others through guided movement practices. to also nourish my own self through yoga, meditation, breath, reading, journaling, baths, crystals, long walks, the list goes on. it can be very easy to let the anxiety of this uncertain, crazy time creep in & affect us whether we realize or not. we may not have control of our environment or current events but what we do have control over is nurturing our own entities, our own bodies & minds. it's okay to experience the ebbs & flows, highs & lows, light & dark. try to be gentle & compassionate with yourself. like the seasons changing, these phases of our lives bring new opportunities for us to adapt & grow. give yourself permission to sit & breathe. remind yourself that through it all, you got you.
thank you for reading.
with love,
chloe