The Season of Change
Ever feel kind of whacked-out in the fall? Spacy maybe? A little ungrounded? If so, you’re not alone.
Fall is vata season
Fall’s characteristics are light, mobile, dry, crisp, cold, rough. We tend to reflect the qualities of the current season. Autumn’s qualities are not ones that sound grounded, are they? Think cool, breezy weather and leaves blowing in the wind.
Travel increases that ungrounded quality. Uprooting your entire life and moving across country increases it tenfold. That is exactly what I did this fall. In late September, after a relatively short planning period, I packed up a moving truck, my 13 year old daughter and our cat and drove from Colorado, where I had lived for 24 years, across the flatlands of Nebraska and Iowa, to Wisconsin.
Being a pitta-kapha type, I am by nature, fairly grounded. But 2016 seemed determined to unground me and send my vata through the roof. I lost my beloved Dad in May. My former husband (my daughter’s dad, and someone about whom I still care deeply) was diagnosed with leukemia in July. In the midst of all this, I decided to move. Why on earth would I decide to make a big change like that during an already stressful time?
After my Dad’s death, I felt a strong pull to be close to family. Really strong. Undeniably strong. It was almost a choiceless choice. I had to go. Crazy? Maybe. Am I ready to lose it completely? No. Surprised? Me too, sort of. I may not be at my rock-star, super-energized, fighting-weight peak, but I feel pretty good. I’d be lying if I said I’m not tired, that I’m not in need of some serious rejuvenation and grounding, but considering what a whirlwind the last few months have been, I’m pretty darn ok. I’m focused at my job, nourishing myself, parenting my kid and loving my new home.
Ease in the Midst of Chaos
To what do I attribute my sense of ease in the midst of chaos? Daily rhythms. Habits. Routine.
I had been a meditation dabbler for years, but this year I became a meditator. My morning meditation practice has become a haven for me, grounding me each day before the activity begins.
When deep in grief over the loss of my Dad, my breath-body practices kept me from curling up into a depressed ball and spending the day on the couch.
Focusing on a plant-based diet prompted me to start a vegetable garden. Can I just say that there is no more grounding activity anywhere, than gardening?
Now I’m going to share a little secret. The habits work, even when you don’t do them. Huh?
The Power of the Habits
Let me explain. I’m not talking about manifesting something just by thinking about it, a la “The Secret,” nor can I claim that I had any success in college when my roommate and I used to put on our workout clothes, then sit on the couch and watch Jane Fonda after we cracked a beer. 
One must put in the effort and actually do the Body Thrive habits daily, to feel their results. But once you’ve been doing them for a while, when life throws you a curveball (which it invariably does) and you slack off on some of your habits (which you invariably will), they keep working.
My habits, at times, took a backseat during the past few months. But they didn’t leave me. Though I continue to grieve my Dad, I am coping well. I stayed calm and helped to keep my daughter’s dad calm throughout multiple doctor appointments and hospital stays. And I didn’t snap at a single person throughout my entire move!
I’ve been through Body Thrive five times now, three as a participant and twice as a coach. My habits are not perfect, nor do I know anyone whose habits are perfect. That isn’t the goal. The process is the goal. I’ll keep coming back to them and they’ll keep supporting me. I’ll get thrown off by life and they’ll keep my grounded.
I think I’ll keep them.
