"I've seen how you sparkle, when fall nips the air.."

The peacefulness of fall is setting in here in Portland. Can you feel it in the breeze where you are? In the air, in the tinges of color gracing the leaves? Did you know that the colors in the leaves are similar to those in the fruits and vegetables we eat? The phytochemicals and pigments that give our produce its nutritive value and delicious color are the same ones that dress up the autumn skies. As the chlorophyll green fades first from the leaf, the other colors that were always under the surface are able to shine through.

As the seasons change and the year progresses, are you letting the different shades within YOU shine through? What does the shift in the season bring out in you that you can culture and appreciate? A song I love that highlights the feeling of each season bringing out different shades of your best self is Robert Goulet's If Ever I Would Leave You (one of my very favorites, see below).

Humans are pretty far removed from a "natural" environment where we can be truly in touch with the shifting seasons. Think of a bear or a squirrel, whose behaviors and even physical attributes like fur thickness will shift with the natural rhythm of the year. Humans don't have many of these cues because we have controlled for our environment and schedule so much.

However, we can take a few moments to breathe and feel the changing of the seasons and see what we feel as the year continues. Is there any quiet strength within yourself you can sense with fall approaching? Maybe you can take note of any different emotions or sensations that vary throughout the months. Does autumn elicit a desire to reinvent yourself or rededicate yourself to your passions or goals after a breezy summer? Maybe fall makes you want to start nesting in, with a book and crackling fireplace. Think about how these sensations reflect an anthropological hibernation type seasonal pattern. Does spring make you want to clean house and body with new years resolutions and detox cleanses to start fresh? As you become more aware of your body and mind, you may see how the natural course of the seasons can be linked to your physical being.

Tune in to that link by starting to listen to your body. I love the notion of cultivating "body wisdom", of working towards balance so that we can trust our body to tell us what it needs. We can build the trust between our minds and our bodies by treating our body well and caring for it, by listening when it tries to tell us things. If it says rest, find a way to give it rest, and tea, and deep breaths. We can visit this concept more later, but for now simply consider what it could mean to listen to your body and follow the natural course of the seasons. Eat apples, pears, pomegranates, pumpkin, to bring the peace and contemplative season of autumn into your body.

Try Catherine's Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal for a warm, wholesome taste of fall:

-Start with your favorite oatmeal base (prepare steel cut oats, or even instant in a pinch)

-Stir in a big spoonful of canned pumpkin

-Add a teaspoon or more Pumpkin Pie Spice blend (or cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)

Serve with sliced apples, warmed in microwave in a bowl with some water and cinnamon.

Enjoy while enjoying this song: