Practices to support our transition into this new season

Date: Sunday 28th September 2025
Time: 3.30pm-5.30pm
Venue: The Canvas, 27 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, E2 9PJ
Cost: £25.00
Pre-booking required via https://www.stmargaretshouse.org.uk/events

“There is beauty to be found in the changing of the earth’s seasons, and an inner grace in honouring the cycles of life.” Jack Cornfield

As we move from summer into autumn, and the colours of nature begin to change around us, the temperature drops and the daylight begins to shorten, it’s important to mark this transition into a new season and allow our body and mind to take some time out to really embrace these changes, that can affect us on many levels.

Autumn is traditionally a time for turning inwards and slowing down, when much of the natural world begins to look towards a period of hibernation, and we should also try to honour this, and remember that life doesn’t always need to be lived at full speed; time for rest, inner reflection and deep relaxation is also so important and necessary for our well-being. This can be a good time to release what no longer serves us, and embrace the changes both in nature and within ourselves.

Deep Autumn rest is so important – not only for your body – but also for your energy, mind and emotions. This is a time to go slower and focus inward, to relax and restore your forces. With the seasonal shift, it’s easy to get out of balance, perhaps feeling exhausted, sluggish, dry, achy or stiff at this time of year.  This afternoon’s practice will help you to rebalance your energy and to restore both body and mind.

The afternoon will begin with some gentle movement so that we are then better able to settle into the stillness of the longer held yin poses. The time we spend in the yin yoga postures is also perfect for quiet contemplation and for developing a sense of inner mental calm. We will take the stillness and peace created during these poses into a long guided relaxation – a yoga nidra practice – to honour and support our transition into this new season.

Allowing the mental chatter of our mind to quieten as our bodies deeply settle into the yin poses, we can begin to perceive the constant and subtle changes in our body, emotions and mental patterns, all of which are influenced by the changes in the natural world around us.

Yin yoga affects the meridian channels in the body, and this practice can help to release blocked energy or chi, in same way as acupuncture does, so it can be a very useful practice when we are feeling run down, tired or drained of energy, as we often can be during the change of seasons and the as the days shorten.

You will leave the workshop feeling both deeply relaxed, with a sense of inner stillness and peace, and also fully refreshed, with renewed energy to fully embrace autumn and all of nature’s glory.

This workshop is for everyone interested in slowing down, connecting more deeply to the present moment and finding more calm and peace in their busy lives.

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding the workshop