Its September: Late Summer. I am a Summer person. If you look at my blog you may have realised this – because I haven’t posted a thing since May! I get obsessed with being out in the sun, getting to the beach and playing in the water. I find it so nourishing and it gives me the re-charge I need after feeling dormant in the long season of “grey”. ( I am grouping together November through April – and as it seemed even longer this year… Instead of calling it Fall, Winter & Spring — it will be known as the Grey) I don’t mean to pout. I know being a yogi calls on me to have no preference — but if I’m living in my Satya.. truth be told, I do have a preference. I have a secret fantasy that I would like to wake up to the sun shining in my window, brew a cup of good coffee then go outside with bare feet – feel sun on my shoulders and warm ground beneath my feet. It’s actually in our short Summer that this fantasy comes true – and I feel so full of love and light when I experience it!
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This morning Reno and I spent time on our deck. We live on the top floor of a heritage house, overlooking a playground, community gardens & a church. It is a blissful spot. We have a hammock & Reno read to me as I drank my coffee – sunlight kissing both of us. It is warm, but there is a heaviness in the air and looking at the figs next door, they look heavy too. Warm & Sweet, ripe and the juices run down your chin… mmmm
Late Summer. I love this time of year. I feel really relaxed after receiving so much sun energy the past few months, putting that added energy into the things I love, my work & my relationships. Late summer is a time for slowing down and gathering in. It is a time when we recognize and hold the fruits of our labor.
In our spiritual lives, the Earth element grants us the ability to internalize the mother by learning to nourish and care for ourselves. The plants and gardens all around look relaxed too – coming into the peace that the time of production is coming to an end – and soon it will be time to rest.
It is part of my practice to live in Harmony with Mother Nature and the cycles of the seasons
Here are some suggestions for living in harmony with the late summer season:
Enjoy the abundance of fruits and fresh vegetables.
Be aware of their special qualities, each succulence different from the next. Carrots are crisp, cucumbers cool, tomatoes luscious, peaches sweet. Look at the seeds, and reflect on the fact that within each harvest lie the seeds of the next.
Be thoughtful of how you can nourish others.
In this season when nature gives her bounty, we also rejoice in giving, with attention to the special needs of others. You need not wait until you can give a “great gift.” A word, a courtesy, a thoughtfulness – given today – is a great gift.
Be conscious of the harvest of your life.
Think about yourself, your relationships, and your work. What parts of your life are bearing fruit? Where is the harvest rich? Where do you find it stunted?
Consider what you need to do to make ready for the letting go of autumn.
Holding your harvest in mind, ask what is overgrown or unneeded. What distracts you from your dearest concerns? What might you wish to simplify in yourself or in your life?
May you soak up the most of these late summer days. Take in that sun energy so you can turn it into all kinds of great creative output during The Grey! Spend time at the park or at beach with friends & bring fruit to share! Most importantly – be present to the beauty around you, even the smallest simplest things – this special season doesn’t last too long!
