It's a time of year when everything is in transition, when our focus starts to turn inwards. Some of us can find the ride a little bumpy and many of us suffer from colds and respiratory problems around the Autumn Equinox says yoga teacher, Jane Clapham
“I’ve found that it’s easy to believe in the abundance of the universe when I’m picking blackberries. This September, bushes are laden with warm, fragrant fruit which yield easily to eager fingers.
Keats lyrically called autumn the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. For me, the abundance of wild fare symbolises the bounty and mellow fruitfulness of the abundant universe.
In these autumn months, including the Hindu festival of Diwali, it’s important to create a healthy relationship with the supportive universe, using some powerful yoga techniques.
The concept of attracting the abundance we deserve can be foreign for many of us. Some of us have been brought up with the notion money is always short, and that it’s somehow more virtuous to be poor. However, I believe that the world around us is naturally abundant, and that we may have to change our attitude to money in order to take advantage of this abundance. We can still live by core values of compassion, generosity and responsibility.
Can we change our attitude towards money, and attract the abundance that we need, in order to take care of our material needs, and help others to make the world a better place? How do we work with the energy of abundance, to bring the energy of Lakshmi, which is naturally present in the autumn, into the rest of the year?
Give generously
In India, generosity is a keystone of the culture. Guests are seen as God and are treated with reverence, offered the best food and drink, no matter how poor people are. It is traditional to give donations to the poor and to feed holy people and sadhus.
Today, give something away.
Give a donation to charity (even a small one), feed someone, or give something away that’s precious to you. Observe that warm feeling in your heart and notice how abundance starts to come back to you.
Connect with the Earth
Autumn energy is abundant, and is a time for celebration of the earth with harvest festivals. It’s a great time to practise the flowing Earth Salutation, which develops an affinity and respect for the bounty of the earth.
At the Dru Yoga centre in North Wales, we often teach this sequence outdoors during our yoga training courses, overlooking the stunning Snowdonia mountains. It helps us tune into the changing seasons and offer gratitude to the earth for nurturing us all year round.
Use affirmations
We often talk about the power of words and you can use techniques to give words power through the use of mantra. Practise this by being mindful of how you talk about money. Keep your words very positive, affirming the abundance around you.
Sentences to try are:
‘I attract the abundance I deserve’
‘I have enough for my needs and to help others’
‘Money flows easily to me’
‘I am grateful to the abundant universe’
Be careful of saying things like ‘I never have any money’ as what you say, you attract!
Use resources wisely
The Hindu goddess, Lakshmi has eight forms, including nature, family and health. Take time to think how fortune manifests in your life – and try to honour them. Include time, money, health, family, skills and your self-development. Invest your time in them and be careful not to waste them. See them as treasures; practical reminders of the abundant universe, which is always supporting you, whether you realise it or not!
As the Desiderata says, ‘You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.’
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For more about Dru Yoga check out www.druworldwide.com.
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