To keep the home fires burning: (idiomatic, colloquial) To maintain a daily routine and provide the necessities of life in a home or community.
I believe well being, whether that's physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, is a skill and requires time, effort, attention and discipline - known in yoga philosophy as tapas.
"Life without tapas is like a heart without love. " – BKS Iyengar
The third of the niyamas (personal observances) from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, tapas has been variously translated from Sanskrit into English as heat, spiritual austerities, fiery discipline and internal fire.
Taking responsibility for our own wellbeing is empowering, it enables us to make choices. Instead of having a victim mindset, we can adopt a how can we can adapt, change, improve or accept our circumstances mindset. That in itself supports our well-being because we are choosing to respond rather than react which reduces stress. Stress is like placing a blanket on the fire, putting out the flames and cutting off the energy supply!
Everywhere I look I’m drawn to warm, vibrant colours, everywhere around us nature is showing us the way. The days are darker and colder, I’m drawn to lighting the fire and candles in my home, grabbing extra layers to feel warm and cosy. I am beguiled by the jewel-like leaves rustling in the autun winds and fluttering to the earth, creating the crunchy colourful carpet that is synonymous with this time of year. A natural urge to kick the leaves, to move our bodies to keep warm and to enjoy the season with all its colours. It distracts us perhaps from the great surrender, the great letting go that happens in the natural world around us. The leaves are temporary, have been released as the trees conserve their energy, drawing back to their trunks and roots, to nourish their essential needs as winter comes. Resting during this time as seeds drop to the earth, burying themselves deeply waiting for the sun to return in Spring.
In the Celtic wheel we are in New Year, as we enter the darkness we begin again. Often we feel a renewed sense in Spring as the sun returns and life starts springing forth, but all that new life began here in the darkness of Winter.
Maybe like some of you, I love Autumn, but increasingly I resist the darkness. I miss the warmth and light of the sun, I find on sunny days I feel completely different. Nevertheless, dark is as essential to life as the light. We cannot perpetually live in the light, perpetually keep busy or perpetually feel joyous. We mustn't resist the darker aspects of life or ourselves. I know I not only resist the darker mornings but I also resist the darker aspects of life. Sadness, depression and anger scare me, failure and inadequacy are my greatest foes. I’m just putting it out there as I choose to shine a light on the darker corners of my mind! There is plenty more but my personal journal is a better place for that - another great activity to do anytime but especially this time of year. We can choose to let go of thoughts, fears, worries and let that process nourish our future selves, like the leaves decaying, providing nourishment for the soil and new growth.
This can be such a fertile time of year if we choose to flow with the natural rhythms of the seasons.
"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked, and the self-same well from which your laughter rises was often times filled with your tears, and how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that burned in the potter's oven?" - Kahil Gibran
As I watch the trees releasing their beautiful, jewel-like leaves that were an integral a part of their identity, I wonder what pretty, colourful aspects of my life/identity I need to let go of this time of year. The trees release their leaves instinctively, knowing that they need to draw their energy back to their centres, reducing the amount of energy expended in order to maintain health, to survive the winter and have energy to re grow in spring.
We can ask ourselves the same question. Rather than maintaining the frenetic pace of summer what aspects of our lives, that feel integral to our identity, do we actually need to let go of in order to conserve our energy, to nourish our well-being, so that we thrive rather than survive the long, dark days of winter ahead and emerge the other end nourished and full of energy.
Winter can end up being such a frazzled busy time of year, blighted with colds, flu or worse. Scattering our energy and time can leave us vulnerable to disease and illness.
Let's re-write how we choose to live this year, open up conversations with friends, family and work colleagues, find some balance, streamline and prioritise our commitments, be honest about what ‘has to be done’ and what we can let go of.
Adapting our lives to honour the natural flow of energy can feel uncomfortable, painful and place us out of our comfort zone, but when we trust we are doing what needs to be done, to nourish our essential needs, we will be empowered and feel renewed again.
Most of us associate 'keeping the home fires burning' with the war, to keep everything going at home whilst others were off fighting. It can also be used as a metaphor for this time of year, the sun feels like it’s disappeared, the energy and light of summer far away. In the meantime, let us attend to the essential needs within us, our 'home'. Keep our bodies, minds and hearts going until the energy and light of the sun reappears.
The darkness can cloud our judgement, we can feel we have to keep going and perhaps adopt bad habits in order to keep us 'keeping on regardless'; relying on caffeine, alcohol, sugar, bingeing on boxsets and snacks. When really we need to focus on a good routine that nourishes our minds, hearts and bodies. Those routines may include some of the above but in moderation and alongside meeting our essential well being needs; fresh air, seasonal food, movement and authentic real connections with others.
Our physical 'home fire' is the fire of our digestion, through which we digest and assimilate everything we take in - using what is useful and releasing the rest. Digestion is also happening on a sensory level, we can choose what is useful and what to release to maintain a healthy mind and heart.
A healthy digestion from an Ayurvedic perspective needs proper eating habits, based on 6 tastes and a regular routine, one that movies in alignment with nature’s rhythms.
Our yoga practice can support a healthy digestion through asanas, bandhas, mudras and meditation.
Digestive health is vital for a healthy immune system, good sleep and good mental health. So much scientific research is showing us the link between the gut, the immune system and the brain.
Conserving our mental energy is essential to well being. A recent study found that ‘a wandering mind is an unhappy mind’. When we practice the skill of mindfulness we conserve the energy of our mind, we are able to fully savour and digest the present moment, discerning what is useful and what to release. When our minds are scattered we can end up being overwhelmed, absorbing things that don’t serve or support our well being, leaving us stressed and burn-out.
So what does all this mean for our practice this month?
Last month anyone could have been forgiven for thinking classes would be one long savasana! (rest) or for thinking this month will be about strong, sequences to ‘feel the burn’! However this month is about supporting our well being through discipline, focus and simplicity.
Our yoga practice can be filled with many different jewels, think the colourful leaves on the trees, however at this time of year, we can let some of those colourful practices go and focus instead on simplicity, discipline and focus.
Our practice this month will be slow, repetitive and mindful. Leaving the ego at the door so that we don’t get caught up in ‘how well’ we perform the asanas, instead embrace the opportunity to discipline the mind, be fully present, discern what is useful for you in that moment and what to release.
I hope I provide you with a warm welcome each week, an opportunity for authentic social connection, somewhere where you feel truly welcome, safe and nourished.
Om shanti
Sophia