🪶Rooting Down as the Season Shifts
The first week of autumn always makes me pause. The air cools just enough to notice. The trees whisper their slow transformation. Even the sunlight feels softer—golden, almost nostalgic.
This week in our Autumn Yoga Journey, I invited my students (and myself) to ground down into this change of season. Autumn asks us to steady ourselves, to find balance as the world around us shifts, and to lean into the quiet strength of the earth. Yoga gives us the tools to do that—not just on the mat, but also in everyday life.
With that in mind, today I want to share a peek into our Week 1 class, along with reflections you can use whether or not you were there in person. My hope is that you’ll find something here that leaves you feeling steadier, calmer, and maybe even a little more in love with this time of year.
🍁 Why Autumn and Yoga Are Such a Perfect Pair
Did you know that autumn has long been connected with grounding practices in yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda? In this season, the energy shifts from the fiery, fast pace of summer to the cooler, windier qualities of fall. That can leave us feeling a little scattered, restless, or even anxious.
However, yoga practice during autumn emphasizes steadiness, slower pacing, and mindful breath to bring balance back.
✨ Fun fact: In traditional yoga philosophy, the element of air is linked with movement and change—exactly what we see in autumn leaves swirling to the ground. By practicing grounding yoga, we balance out that breezy energy with stability and calm.
As temperatures drop in autumn, our breath naturally deepens and slows. Cooler air stimulates the vagus nerve—the same nerve yoga breathing activates—helping the body shift into its calming parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode. This connection between breath and nervous system balance has been confirmed in research showing that slow, controlled breathing can significantly lower blood pressure and stress response (Russo, Santarelli, & O’Rourke, 2017).
🌿 Inside Week 1: Autumn Yoga – Grounding into the Season
Here’s how our first class of the Autumn Yoga Journey unfolded:
We began with quiet breath, giving ourselves permission to arrive fully in the present. I guided everyone to imagine their breath like cool autumn air filling their lungs—refreshing, crisp, and steadying. Each exhale was a chance to sink a little deeper into calm.
The rhythm of the class was intentionally slow. Rather than rushing, we let each movement feel rooted and intentional, like the steady trunk of a tree. I reminded the group: “It’s okay if life feels windy right now. Even trees bend with the gusts, but their roots keep them steady.”
We ended in stillness, lying back as if resting on the forest floor, golden leaves drifting down overhead, the earth supporting every part of the body. Afterward, students shared afterward that they felt a deep sense of peace—like the season itself had wrapped them in comfort.
✨ What You Can Try at Home
Here’s a simple grounding reflection you can bring into your day, no mat required:
- Sit comfortably with your feet flat on the ground.
- Take three slow breaths.
- With each exhale, imagine settling deeper into the support beneath you.
- Silently repeat: I am steady. I am supported. I am here.
Even something as small as this can shift scattered energy into calm presence.
Yoga poses that emphasize grounding (like Mountain Pose and Easy Pose) are proven to calm the parasympathetic nervous system—the body’s natural “rest and restore” state. Researchers have found that even 10 minutes of mindful movement can reduce heart rate variability associated with stress (Sarang & Telles, 2006).
🌟 What Autumn Can Teach Us (and What Yoga Helps Us Remember)
Week 1 of the Autumn Yoga Journey reminded me of something simple but powerful: Grounding is what allows us to truly be present.
Autumn teaches us to:
- Stay steady even as change swirls around us.
- Slow our pace and notice the beauty right in front of us.
- Lean into comfort—whether that’s a warm drink, a cozy blanket, or the steadiness of our own breath.
Simple rituals—warm drinks, gentle yoga, or mindful breathing—can trigger the body’s relaxation response and foster emotional comfort (Porges, 2011).
💭 Closing Reflection
If you take one thing from this week’s practice, let it be this: you are supported. Just as the earth holds you steady, you carry that same steadiness within.
“Like the trees, may we root down into what steadies us. Like the season, may we find beauty in slowing down, and like the earth, may we remember we are held.”
Ultimately, the invitation of Week 1 is to ground deeply enough that the winds of autumn can swirl without pulling us off center.
🍂 You are steady. You are supported. You are here.
🐾 Download the Studio Cats Autumn Coloring Page
Bring a little studio magic home! Our two beloved studio cats, Salem (our fluffy Persian) and Maleficent (our sweet Siamese), have joined in the autumn yoga fun with their own grounding poses in a peaceful forest of falling maple leaves.
This printable coloring page is a sweet way to slow down, relax, and most importantly, share mindfulness with your kids—or to unwind yourself with a cozy cup of tea and a box of colored pencils.
Color it, post it, and tag @LadyLeeYoga on social media—I’d love to see how you bring Salem and Maleficent’s autumn practice to life!
👉 To get your free printable, just sign up for our newsletter using the link below. Once you confirm your subscription, you’ll be taken straight to the download page.
📘References
- Sarang, P., & Telles, S. (2006). Changes in heart rate variability during and after the practice of yoga postures (asanas). Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 50(4), 350–355.
- Russo, M. A., Santarelli, D. M., & O’Rourke, D. (2017). The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe, 13(4), 298–309. http://publications.ersnet.org/content/breathe/13/4/298
- Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.