November 2024

Seasonal Living – Fall

• Fall Into Fall – The Energy Of Autumn
• An Holistic Immune Support For Fall
• The Case For Vitamin D
• The Health Benefits Of Gratitude

One clear aspect of our interconnectedness with nature is how our bodies react to seasonal changes. I am lucky enough to live in a place with four distinct seasons, and I have noticed the way my food cravings, sleep, and mood change with the different energy of each season.

Fall Into Fall – The Energy Of Autumn

The organ associated with fall

The respiratory system is associated with the air element. Between the fall equinox and Thanksgiving, there is a steep increase in colds and flu. Some of that increase is due to the shorter days that allow less vitamin D synthesis, leading to a compromised immune system. Another reason for the rise in cold cases during the fall is the dramatic changes in temperature and the gusts of wind.

Food for the fall

When you think about food, spices, and herbs, keep in mind that food is medicine. Using food to connect to the season helps the body adapt to temperature changes, humidity levels, and light patterns.

Fruits are the final part of the plant’s development just before it spreads its seeds, let go, and becomes dormant if perennial or compost if annual. The phrases “to bear fruit” and ” fruits of one’s labor” suggest that the fruits and seeds the plant holds within it are the culmination of its hard work.

Eating fruits close to their harvest time ensures you get optimal nutrients. Plus, they taste much better than fruits refrigerated and stored for months. Some fruits you can find in abundance in your local Farmers Market in the fall are pumpkins, squashes, apples, pears, and cranberries.

The taste of fall

As the days become shorter and the nights longer, you might feel like your body is slowing down. Getting up from bed in the morning is a little trickier, and digestion is somewhat sluggish. Herbalists traditionally suggested using pungent food and herbs to counteract the effect of the dry wind on the body.

Pungent spices and herbs stimulate blood flow, creating and dispersing heat from the center of the body to the skin and increasing appetite. Many pungent spices, including cumin, turmeric, cardamom, and cinnamon, come from the Indian kitchen. Hot peppers originated in America, and aromatic herbs like thyme, sage, savory, and rosemary that are pungent grew around the Mediterranean.

Pungent herbs are warming and can buffer fall’s windy energy but are also drying. Since fall is a drying season, you want to keep hydrated with herbal tea, soups, healthy fats, and moistening herbs such as burdock root.

The fall emotional vibe

Emotions are manifestations of the air element in the body. Like wind, emotions roll in and out, changing direction constantly. Autumn is associated with two related but contradictory emotions: grief and gratitude.

Grief

As the trees let go of their leaves and flowers bow down their heads, we, too, let go of the summer’s abundance of light and color. Autumn melancholy encourages you to assess your intentions and priorities as we round the last curve before the end of the year.

It is not surprising that the large intestine is the organ associated with grief, the organ that lets go of or eliminates what the body no longer needs.

Gratitude

Gratitude is a mirror image of grief. It is a mindset focused on the half of the cup that is full.

Many cultures have traditions of gratitude festivals at the end of the harvest season. These festivals, usually held in the fall, celebrate the gifts of the elements that put food in people’s stomachs.

Grief and gratitude are the essence of life. The garden’s falling leaves and dying plants will serve as the foundation for the compost pile, which will nourish the new life as it emerges in the spring.

Lifestyle tips for the fall:

In the kitchen, fall is the time to preserve the last of the harvest. For me, this is usually when I ferment foods. Healthy fats such as avocado, coconut oil, butter, and ghee can help lessen dryness.

Autumn is the time to slow down and turn inward. Let yourself sleep longer, cuddle with books and a cup of tea, reflect, or write a gratitude journal.

Movement in the fall should be gentle and connected to the breath. Yoga Qi-gong and breathing exercises will support the respiratory system.

Artistic work for the fall might include a nature altar using fruits such as acorns and pine cones. Harnessing the power of the wind to create music, such as chimes and sound baths, is a way for autumn to express its energy.

In the herbal apothecary, autumn is the time to dig up roots such as dandelion, burdock astragalus, and licorice for tincturing.

Seasonal living is a way of mindfulness because it invites you to slow down and observe nature while you note how changes in nature promote changes in your body and mindset.