The Autumn Equinox – A Time to Be Still

Last night in our community yoga class, we practiced a simple standing routine with an emphasis on balance and stillness. There’s something about the Autumn Equinox that I really like; I have always loved this time of year. Back when I was an academic teaching at university, it was always a time when returning students arrived and new ones embarked on their exciting adventures of change.

In yogic terms, this time of year points to a moment of balance. For a brief moment, day and night are roughly equal before the balance begins to tip toward longer nights and shorter days. It also invites us to be a little reflective and think about the balance in our own lives. Most of us spend a lot of our time doing—getting things done, making plans, solving problems, and thinking about what needs to happen next.

There’s nothing wrong with doing. In fact, taking action is essential, as engaging in action in the right way reveals so much more about who we are and what we can do. But sometimes, we can get so caught up in doing that we forget about being. Simply being here.Breathing.Noticing.Feeling what’s happening in our body and mind without immediately needing to change it.This is one of the key things yoga and meditation have taught me. They give us a chance to stop for a while and pay attention—to listen, see, and witness without feeling the need to manage or process.

In a yoga class, we move, breathe, and notice. Sometimes the body feels strong and comfortable; sometimes it doesn’t. The mind wanders, and we get distracted. We notice that, too. In meditation, we sit and pay attention to what is actually happening, rather than what we think should be happening. There’s no particular state we have to achieve; we’re simply practicing being present.Perhaps that’s a useful thing to remember as we move into autumn. We don't have to resist the change of season or rush toward the next thing. We can notice the changing light, the cooler mornings, and the leaves beginning to fall.We can notice ourselves, too:

• What am I doing?

• What am I feeling?

• What am I paying attention to?

• And perhaps, occasionally, can I stop doing and simply be?

For me, that's where yoga and meditation become much more than something we do on a mat or cushion. They become a way of paying attention to life.Maybe that's what this equinox has to offer us: a gentle reminder to find our own balance between being and doing.

Not perfectly.Just noticing.

And beginning again.

Happy Autumn Equinox.