You’ve probably heard the saying that fall is the best time of year to start something new. This holds especially true when it comes to self-care routines and wellness habits. To help inspire you, we turn to Ayurveda, which means the science of life in Sanskrit and includes 5,000 years of healing knowledge from India. With its focus on balancing the mind, body, and spirit in order to achieve optimal health, Ayurveda can help you transition into the colder months.

Autumn Is A Great Time To Start A New Wellness Routine

Autumn is a great time for self-care and healthy habits. As the air becomes crisp and leaves start falling, it’s important to get back on track with your well-being. One way to do this is through a holistic lifestyle–where you take care of your mind, body, and spirit through mindful living practices.

Before you can put healthy habits into place, you’ll to need to create pockets of time to support them. That’s why the first thing you need to do is to get into a healthy routine around the time that habit takes place.

Do you need more time in the morning for exercise? Do you need more time in the evening for mindfulness practices? Do you need to carve out time to avoid missing lunch? What about making it a point to take a break in the afternoon? What can you do to remind yourself about making time for yourself? Calendar reminders? Post-it notes? Asking a friend to join you? Be creative!

This Season Encourages Us To Cultivate What We Want From The New Year

Now’s the best time to put healthy routines and habits into place before the holidays arrive. You’ll be more grounded in your wellness priorities and have some time carved out for yourself to avoid the typical seasonal overwhelm.

Think about your intention first. What do you want to achieve? Make a short list of your top 3 or 5 priorities. Then, think about the easiest times for you to get them done.

Once you know which routine will work best for you, start small! For example, choose one task from the list that resonates most with your current lifestyle. Commit to this small step for 7 days before adding anything else. You’ll be surprised how much ground can be covered when you start small. Next, choose an increment of time that’s doable for you. Set the bar low.

Remember to work on one thing at a time until it sticks. It takes at least 3 weeks for a healthy habit to take hold. Practice, practice, practice! It’s okay to have a few hiccups along the way. Don’t expect perfection!

Tip: Work with small increments of time. A 10-minute morning walk is better than no walk. Same goes for a 5-minute guided meditation on your favorite mindfulness app during your lunch break.

Ayurvedic Practices For An Easy Transition Into Fall

Ayurvedic practices have been around for thousands of years, and they’ve been popularized in the west over the last few decades. The practices are based on a holistic lifestyle that focuses on healthy habits and seasonal changes. This fall, take some time out of your day to relax with these three self-care tips inspired by Ayurveda.

1) Embrace warmth, as this will counteract the cold winds that are coming. We feel more soothed with warmth when it’s getting cold outside. This is a time for soups and stews that are incredibly nourishing and really hit the mind-body chord. It takes more time to prepare these dishes, so we have to slow down to flip through cookbooks, chop vegetables, and stir the pot. The act of cooking or preparing a simple beverage can be transformed into a mindfulness practice, almost like meditation, with the right mindset.

In Fall, embrace spending more time at home doing things you love. This will set a positive tone for the more isolating Wintery months ahead.

2) Moreover, the body needs a little extra care due to Fall dryness. Oils are preferable over lotions in Ayurveda. Replace your lotion during the colder months with an Ayurvedic oil that suits you well. This means it matches the season or the doshas that need the most TLC right now. The best time to use Ayurvedic oils is after a bath or shower when the skin is moist. You can add healthy fats to your diet, too, since we get dry on the inside, too.

3) Enjoying nature is a key part of living a holistic lifestyle, especially during these last days of warmer weather. You might like to go for a walk most days when the weather cooperates. Breathing in fresh air and feeling sunshine on your skin can elevate your mood and refresh your mind. Make it a habit before the really cold weather hits! You might not walk as long or as often in the frigid temps but you’ll still get a boost.

Choose a convenient time such as first thing in the morning or after you get home from work. This is important both for the exercise and for the quality time you’ll spend with yourself in nature.

Her Well Being’s Fall Self-Care Guide

I hope these tips are helpful in creating the holistic lifestyle that you really want for yourself and certainly deserve. Start somewhere and don’t worry about it being messy. Just give it a try!

If you want to learn more about my top Ayurvedic suggestions for Fall, get my Fall Self-Care Guide. You’ll learn about specific self-care practices and Ayurvedic products to use.

Get Discounts on Your Favorite Ayurvedic Products with Wellevate

Shop my online dispensary on Fullscript to get your favorite Ayurvedic products at a discount and free shipping for orders over $49. If you’re not sure which products are right for you this season, you can sign up for a consultation with me on my booking page.

Enjoy this beautiful season.

Learn more about me.

Heather R. Burkart

Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner

Founder, Her Well Being Ayurveda & Yoga

Please be advised that the content on this website is for education and information purposes only and does not replace advice from a medical professional.