The leaves are changing, a cool breeze is blowing, the nights are getting longer, the squirrels and chipmunks at my house are busy collecting their harvest – fall is here!

Everyone in Maine knows that fall is the most magical time of the year. Just ask the tourists!

As pretty as it is, I often find myself feeling anxious, cold, and overwhelmed during the fall months – especially September, when I have to let go of summer. This happens because fall aggravates Vata dosha.

Vata dosha is light, cold, dry, and ever-changing, just like fall. Anyone can have excess Vata in autumn, but those of us with a Vata-dominate constitution (like me!) are especially susceptible. Not sure about your constitution? Take a quiz here.

Is your Vata out of wack? Here are some signs and symptoms:

· Cold hands and feet

· Anxiety

· Insomnia

· Joint pain

· Dry skin

· Chapped lips

· Flaking or brittle nails

· Dizziness

· Gas and bloating

· Racing thoughts

· Asthma/breathing troubles

· Poor appetite

Unfortunately many of my Hashimoto’s symptoms are aggravated by excess Vata – cold intolerance, joint pain, poor appetite, and dry skin are some. Fall is a time I need to take extra good care of myself so I don’t get too off balance.

Here are some of the things I do in the fall to balance my Vata dosha:

1. Eat warm, cooked food

Most of us crave hot oatmeal, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and soup in the fall. Our bodies intuitively know what’s best! Trade your morning smoothie for a sweet potato hash or warm oatmeal and your summer salads for warming soup – it will ground and balance Vata dosha.

Also focus on incorporating warming and grounding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, rosemary, and thyme.

2. Hydrate

My acupuncturist recommended that I avoid cold water and focus on warm lemon water, broth, and tea instead. Warm liquids are grounding and nourishing and help support healthy hydration and digestion. If you have been noticing dry skin, brittle nails, or chapped lips – focus on drinking more warm liquids!

3. Dry Brush

Another Ayurvedic practice, dry brushing helps stimulate the lymphatic system, promotes circulation (great if you run cold!), and physically brushes away dead skin. I dry brush my whole body before I take a bath or shower. It really helps prevent itchy, dry skin!

Read about how to do it here. Here’s the super affordable dry brush I use and love!

4. Moisturize

Practice self-massage with oil. An Ayurvedic practice called Abhyanga (self oil massage) helps protect and moisturize the skin – it also helps create an energetic barrier between your body and the outside world. This is a great practice for anyone who is an empath, sensitive, or feeling anxious or ungrounded.

Watch how to do it here. Here’s my favorite oil for this practice.

5. Soothe Anxiety

Finding a mindfulness practice that supports you during the fall is so important. Excess Vata can make us feel flighty, scattered, and anxious. Vata can accumulate in the body when we hold back our breath and tears! If you feel more sensitive during the weeks ahead, know that it is totally normal. Let yourself cry when you feel the urge – holding it back only makes you feel worse! This also applies to the breath, if you have a tendency to hold your breath when you feel upset, I encourage you to find a grounding breath practice to support you during the fall months.

I highly recommend Alternate Nostril Breathing – I share all about it in this post.

6. Connect with Nature

Perhaps the most grounding thing you can do to support yourself is to connect with nature! Get outside and sit or recline on the earth, or walk around barefoot. This is called “Earthing” and has been scientifically shown to reduce stress, blood pressure, improve autoimmune disease symptoms and biomarkers, and reduce pain! I highly encourage you to practice this during fall while the weather is still warm enough to comfortably sit or recline on the ground.

7. Routine

Routine helps pacify Vata. Rather than overwhelming yourself with a “power morning routine”, I recommend finding ways to incorporate grounding rituals throughout your day. Maybe it’s a cup of tea at 10am, or your 2pm Earthing practice. Find a few practices that help anchor your day, and I promise you will feel more grounded and less scattered.

8. Rest

Don’t roll your eyes! I bet you intuitively know that as the nights get longer, our bodies require more rest. This is the cyclical nature of the Earth. Our bodies feel best when we honor the seasons. As we spiral inward toward the Winter Solstice, we will require more rest to feel balanced. Don’t allow yourself to feel “guilty” about resting more during fall and winter! You may decide to go to bed earlier, or sleep in later, or sometimes take an afternoon nap.

You may also be drawn to more restorative forms of exercise, like hiking, walking, and Yin and restorative yoga. High intensity exercise aggravates Vata dosha. Embrace more restorative exercise during the cooler months!

9. Make Time for Reflection and Meditation

Speaking of spiraling inward, know that the fall and winter months require more “inward” focused energy. When Vata gets out of balance, we rush from activity to activity and have racing thoughts. One way to pacify Vata is to journal, meditate, and make time for reflection. You may intuitively feel called to spend more time with your journal during the fall months – honor that inner knowing!

10. Do Your Shadow Work

The external darkness and internal pull to reflect and rest naturally prepare us to do our shadow work. Our shadow parts are aspects of ourselves that are unknown, hidden, repressed, or unconscious. When Vata is elevated, we may tend to use the #hustle lifestyle to avoid confronting aspects of ourselves that make us uncomfortable. If we make time to rest, reflect, and go inward, we can bring these parts forward to be understood and healed. Remember, nothing can be healed while it is unconscious. Journaling, therapy, and meditation are all good ways to engage in this process.

I hope you find these ideas helpful! Tell me, what suggestion are you most drawn to? Do any of these ideas feel too out of reach for you right now? Let me know in the comments below!

Balance Vata in the Fall