Fall Seasonal Wellness

Oct 07, 2022

It’s Fall Y’all! My favorite season… to talk about the necessities of seasonal self care. For me, fall is the hardest season. The transition into the cold and dark season, for someone who spent the first 28 years of her life in subtropical Florida, its always a bit of a shock to my body and takes me a few months to really settle in to the coldness. 

I find the season of fall to be fairly erratic and filled with a frantic energy that I need to get some work done before the deep hermit habits of winter (which I surprisingly love interestingly enough). If we look into the major traditional medicine systems Ayruveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, we see this frantic, erratic energy showing up as well. 

Fall is associated with excess wind in both traditions, but where we see significant similarities in some of the philosophy of these two systems as they relate to summer energetics, in the fall we see a theoretical shift.

 
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AYURVEDA

According to ayurveda, the traditional medicine system of India, Fall is VATA season. VATA is the energy of WIND and ETHER. 

VATA IS light, cool, dry, rough, mobile, and windy. 

The Vata Personality is fast, creative and high energy, but is prone to panic, anxiety, and fear. Vata imbalances show up as 

  • Excess dryness of skin, hairs, lips, joints

  • Bloating, constipation, gas

  • Dehydration, poor circulation

  • Nerve Pain, acute pain, Muscle spasms, sciatica, 

  • Anxiety, fear, panic attacks

  • Dizziness, racing thoughts

  • Insomnia, sleep disturbances

We see vata in the fall season showing up in the weather: it is cool, dryer, and harsh. Vata is the queen of change which we see in the changing of the landscape and the changing of the color of the leaves. With the drop in humidity, there is a franticness in the air. Homesteaders rush to complete their harvest and animals are rushing to store enough food for the winter in their hidden holes and bodies.

Keep in mind though, that vata isn’t all bad! Vata is also creative and adaptable and we see a sharpness of the mind arise as well. When supported and balanced, Vata is complex, a quick thinker, witty, and graceful and we can access these qualities during the fall if we take extra care to stay balanced during this season.

 

 

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

In traditional Chinese Medicine, fall is the season of METAL. 

In traditional Chinese medicine theory, there are 5 elements just like in Ayurveda. They have crossovers like fire, water, and earth, but Ayurveda unlades air and ether and TCM includes Wood and Metal. 

 

Each of these elements is also associated with a different organ, season, emotion, tastes, smells, sounds and so much more

 

  • Spring is the Season of WOOD, which is an expansive and growing energy. 

  • Summer is the season of the FIRE element in both TCM and AYurveda which is warm and active. 

Fall, is the season of METAL for traditional Chinese medicine. Metal promotes clarity, creativity, and precision. It is associated with discipline, calm, lightness and efficiency. 

 

In it’s glory, Fall, as a season of metal is structured, creative and best supported when there is a balance of routine and flexibility. 

Fall is the season associated with metal 

 

In TCM it is seen as  a season of contraction and moving inwards. It is associated with skin, hair, nail, and lip dryness. 

 

The organ pair for the metal element and fall seasons is the lungs and the large intestines making them the most susceptible ailments at this time of the year and most likely to be effected by wind, cold, dryness, and instability. 

 

This season is also said to be the season of GRIEF which is associated with the lungs.  In TCM grief is said to be stored in the lungs and lingering grief can show up as coughs, excess phlegm, and general lung issues. During this season, our lungs are more susceptible to respiratory “evils” and they need more support to weather this seasonal change. 

 

On the flip side of storing grief, the large intestines are said to be the organ of letting go, literally and figuratively! This suggests that Autumn is the time to reflect on what we’ve collected in the past year and start to let it go as we transition into the clarity and quietness of winter. 

 

Ailments we want to watch out for that indicate an imbalance in the fall according to TCM:

  • Coughs

  • Sadness 

  • Constipation

  • Dryness

  • Neck pain

  • Coldness 

  • Sore throats

  • Phlegm 

  • Excess grief

 

CORE THEMES

 

CORE THEMES OF FALL

Between these two major traditions, we see that there are a few key take aways. 

 

First of all, Fall represents a transition into darkness and a season of letting go and beginning the process of turning inwards. 

 

It comes with dryness, instability, and respiratory distress. There can be a general feeling of ungroundedness as the pressures of the season rise along side the need to start turning inwards. Most certainly there is a mismatch between end of the year holiday preparation and the desire of the body to start creating stable routine, structure, and slowing down. 

 

FALL SELF CARE

With all of these ideas in mind, here are a few key self care take aways that we can extrapolate! 

 

1. GET WARM + COZY

This is pretty basic Energetics 101. When you start feeling cool get warm. When you are too warm, take a layer off. As the season gets colder, pull out your fall clothes! Get your wool socks and your hats and especially your favorite scarves!

According to traditional Chinese medicine, wind energy enters through the back of the neck. This means that wearing scarves during cooler days is a must to prevent the common colds, coughs, and lung ailments that plague us in the fall. 

 

This can also be soothed by increasing the cozies, comfort, and pleasure. Start tracking the things that bring you joy and create a sense of ease and safety in your body like cuddling with a loved one, warm fuzzy socks, and time next to a crackling fire. 

 

2. GET MOIST

According to both Ayruveda and TCM, fall is a DRY season. This could be because of the increase in wind energy which result sin a decrease of humidity. Thus, we want to be extra careful to hydrate. I like mucilaginous herbs like marshmallow and slippery elm as well as water with electrolytes. My favorite brand is LMNT. They are deeply hydrating and supportive! 

 

3. FAVOR WARMING HERBS AND FOODS

The fall season is a great time to whip out your pungent herbs like garlics, ginger, cardamomns, and cinnamons. As classic fall flavors, it’s no difficulty since these make their ways naturally into our routines with pumpkin spice lattes and fall pies. 

 

I suggest to make beef bone broths with lots of garlic and ginger, a great time to make well spiced soups with ginger, garlic, and sweet potatoes! 

 

4. STICK TO A ROUTINE THAT PRIORITIZES REST

Fall is an erratic time as a vata season. Vata energies can show up as frantic and erratic. Giving yourself structure is one of the best ways to combat this intensely creative time and avoid burnout. This can look like exhaustion, withdrawing from responsibilities, procrastination, leaning on unhealthy coping mechanisms, and needing to regularly come in late to work and leave early. 


If there was one routine you should create and stick to, I suggest creating a BEDTIME routine that prioritizes healthy, deep sleep. There is no point in creating a routine if you don’t prioritize REST in that routine. This likely means toning down the caffeine as well. Yes, I said it. Your relationship with caffeine ESPECIALLY if you complain of sleep issues and anxiety, is unhealthy. 

 

Caffeine doesn’t give you more energy, it just prevents you from realizing how tired you are by blocking adenosine which is the neurotransmitter associated with being tired, sleepy, and drowsy. 

 

But that is a conversation for another time and probably for you and your therapist. 

So there are your top suggestions for balance in the FALL:

  1. GET WARM + COZY

  2. GET MOIST

  3. FAVOR WARMING FOODS

  4. CREATE A ROUTINE THAT SUPPORTS REST

  5. TONE DOWN THE CAFFEINE

 

So there we have it! The top suggestions if you want to access the fun, vibrant, creative energy and nectar of fall without burning yourself out and over doing it! 

Many blessings on your fall season. 

 
Listen to this post on the Herbs + Ease Podcast for a more detailed educational experience!
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Kristen Prosen