using the seasons as my guide has had a powerful impact on my life and health ~ and that of my family as well. the Ayurvedic model of health and well-being continually points us back to aligning with nature and her cycles. working with the seasons is such a simple yet elegant way to approach our time, our health and our self-care.

favoring foods that are in season is a brilliant way to get started. i always make a point, for example, to enjoy fresh local berries in the middle of the summer. this simple habit contributes to a feeling of having relished the gifts of the season. i’ve learned to take this seasonal living to heart, not just in the foods i seek out, but in the way i protect and organize time in my calendar for certain non-negotiables ~ ways of appreciating and enjoying the unique qualities of any given season. now when each season comes to a close, i feel satisfied and grateful, and have highlights to look back on. this feels very different than having a sense of reluctance or resistance to move onto the next phase in the cycle.

at the start of each season, we now get together as a family. collectively, we look ahead and name what feels most important for us to do in those coming months. this may include walking in the forest and looking for rose-hips when they’re ready to harvest, heading to a certain beloved destination for a weekend, or making sure to attend an annual event that we always look forward to.

this practice has been so powerful for our family. it helps us avoid that sense of regret that can sneak in when we didn’t do enough of the things we loved as a season draws to a close. who here has come to the end of the summer and wished it could keep going, wished they had gone swimming more, perhaps, or enjoyed more games and down-time with their families? or even simply eaten more peaches, strawberries and blueberries when they were in season?!

i’ve certainly felt those twinges of regret in the past ~ that sense that i’d let life become so busy that i missed out on something that really mattered to me. at a certain point, i decided to do something about it.

with the seasons as my guide, i learned to embrace a different approach. i realized that i could avoid this feeling by looking ahead with more clarity, purpose and intention at the start of each season, and drawing up some big-picture plans accordingly. then at the end of the season, we feel deeply nourished and supported by activities that align with what matters most to us. i love this practice and highly recommend trying it out yourself. 

here’s a journal entry from last winter, to give you an idea of what this could look like. 

 

another highlight was a trip down to the Bosque del Apache wildlife reservation to see the sandhill cranes, on the path of their great migration. this is the prime time of year to go see them, and this trip is now officially a late fall tradition for our family. there were hundreds of snow geese, and amazingly, javelinas and white pelicans too! totally magical.