When are we not in transition? -the Buddha
This transition season drew me into the quicksand of scheduling fall lessons, setting up doctor appointments (including referral snafus galore), and catching up on paperwork–hence the delay in getting this September newsletter out to you on time! However, as the Buddha said, “When are we not in transition?” Inhale to exhale, past to future, known to unknown . . . . . Nothing lasts forever, and nothing truly holds still. So here’s some wisdom about why transitions are so damn hard and some practical tips to sidestep the quicksand.
Fall is a transition season, leading us from the swelter of summer to the chill of winter.
But for many of us, the hinge point/inflection happens when the sun sets on Labor Day. Out here in East Hampton, we see the crowds evaporate overnight. One “Tumbleweed Tuesday,” driving down Main Street, I was so alarmed at having the road to myself and rows of empty parking spaces that I actually wondered if there had been an air raid. Where was everybody?! It can feel less like a gradual evolution and more like a sudden scene change.
For many, September means the end of vacations and a return to the office (or home office). Kids relinquish the long, active, and less structured days of summer vacation to head back to school, the smell of just cut grass and chlorinated pools for newly cracked open textbooks, magic markers, and school lockers.
Of course, soon I too will be trading hours behind the wheel for the stop-start of rackety subways, gas refills for Metrocards, bare feet and flipflops for sidewalk-ready shoes.
Seems simple enough, but we humans don’t like change. The medical definition of “stress” is change: Any shift in our external environment or our activities requires the body-mind to recalibrate, and that takes effort, putting stress on the system. Homeostasis, an object in motion stays in motion—the universe is full of evidence that things want to stay the way they are.
The very real shift from summer to fall is exacerbated by the fact that, according to Indian traditional medicine, fall is dominated by the air element. Too much air makes us ungrounded and unfocused, prey to random movements and mental scatter. While air’s constant, multidirectional movement can be energizing, the combination of agitation ungroundedness can easily spawn anxiety. Our chests tighten, our breath constricts, we take in less oxygen just when we need it most, and the flurry of daytime activity leads to shallow, intermittent sleep—no rest, just when we need it most.
What to do about it? How can we transition fluidly?
My go to, no surprise, is yoga! Specifically, yoga’s power to stabilize.
Continuing a daily practice, however minimal, will help you navigate not only seasonal changes but jet lag, holidays, family visits, new jobs, and new homes. Quite a few of you have Zoomed with me from my parents’ home outside D.C. I’ve also practiced in hotel rooms, hospital emergency rooms, airports, and even airplanes (consult me for details on my airplane yoga moves).
Your “practice” might only last a few minutes. It might focus less on postures and more on breathwork and meditation (especially if you are immobilized in a bus, train, or airplane seat or supine in a hospital bed). The main thing is to return the body-mind to what it knows, just as a young child reaches for her favorite blanket and adults seek out “comfort” foods that remind us of simpler times.
And speaking of food, many other consistent habits can help you stay integrated through changing times: familiar foods and regular mealtimes can work wonders, as you steadily nourish your being. Exercise can reset your system, especially the repetition built into running, biking, walking, and swimming.
Bedtime rituals like taking a warm bath or curling up with a good book are key to inducing deep sleep. Perhaps most powerful of all is staying in contact with friends and family–just when you think you don’t have time for social gathering. We are after all a social species, and sharing time with loved ones can fend off private overwhelm better than any DYI techniques. You’re not alone—change is coming at all of us, all the time!
As with all things, there is a bright side to being neither here nor there but in between. As kids, long car trips to beach vacations were agony. “Are we there yet, Mommy? Are we there yet?” we chorused incessantly. As grownups, however, the “road trip” is all about the journey, the daily discoveries, and not about arrival. While a singer may not relish vocal exercises, no one sings a song to get to the end. So the next time you find yourself leaning beyond the present moment into some future “arrival,” pause to ask yourself, “Where am I really going?” The final goal is something most of us prefer not to contemplate.:)
Fall Yoga
Struggling to stick with your yoga? I can help!
My summer vineyard classes are winding down, but I am available for private lessons in New York City and the Hamptons.