Chilly mornings, breezy cold evenings, falling leaves that flutter are the first few images that we picture as we think of fall or autumn season. In the fluttering leaves that fall off the tree to reach the ground, we can see the different cycles of nature being mirrored our lives.

Fall is nature's passage from spring to winter. The transition from the warmth of the summer to subzero temperatures of the winter give us the chilly and windy fall weather. 'Fall' the word itself signifies a natural process of the leaves falling of the trees during this time.

The leaves bright green in summer, display their brilliance of warm shades in early fall and as soon as they have achieved goal, they begin to wither and are let loose from the trees. Just like spring signifies birth, new growth and newer beginnings, Fall is the perfect time to let go, to release things that have been a burden, that don't serve us anymore, just like the trees who release the leaves.

FALL IS THE PERFECT TIME TO LET GO, TO RELEASE THINGS THAT DONT SERVE YOU ANYMORE

The various cycles in nature are mirrored in our lives and each season has its significance. Juts as spring represents 'new birth'; fall represents 'the time to let go.'

In Ayurveda, Fall is the time of natural dominance of Vata dosha, in the environment and in our bodies. Vata is characterized by qualities like cool, dry, rough, irregular and uneven. It is the time of the year where increased Vata in our body often leads to symptoms like being cold all the time, dry, rough skin, increased aches and pains especially in joints and anxiety.

Anxiety is the most common sign of aggravated Vata dosha in our body. Anxiety is a state of total overwhelm where we try to manage a million things thrown at us, often dealing with one thing after the other without taking a pause. Anxiety is created by the constant movement of Vata manifesting as multitude of thoughts one after the other and the one way to control this Vata created anxiety is to control the movement of Vata by taking a pause and a deep breath!

A CLEAN AND CLUTTER FREE MIND CAN MINIMIZE YOUR STRESS LEVELS BUT ALSO HELP YOU FOCUS BETTER AND REACH YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL.

The following technique is the best way to help control the overwhelm of the mind by helping you get rid of the thoughts and emotions that don't serve you a purpose thus decluttering your mind. This is one of my favorite daily practices, which has truly transformed my life and the lives of a lot many more. I have shared the same practice with my friends and clients who have used it successfully to manage feeling of anxiety, depression, fear, guilt or lack of self-confidence.

MORNING PAGES

What exactly are morning pages?

‘Morning pages’ is a basically a simple writing exercise introduced by creativity guru, Julia Cameron in her book ‘The Artists Way’. (It is a phenomenal book to unblock your creativity in case you feel stuck)   

How to do Morning Pages?

Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning before you go to start your day. So basically you wake up first thing in the morning and start writing whatever comes to your mind to fill 3 sides of US letter paper or A4 size paper.

There are 4 main rules to writing morning pages

1. Write first thing in the morning:

Writing Morning pages is very different from journaling, which can be done anytime. Morning pages are written first thing in the morning as your ego defenses are weak in the morning and you can easy tap into your subconscious mind. Also since you haven't been through the experiences of the day so your subconscious is more active.

2. Three pages full:

These are meant to be precisely 3 pages full, avoid writing less than 3 pages or adding a fourth page.

3. Longhand:

Write with your hand. Avoid typing. Don't worry about your handwriting or it it is still legible, the main component here is to establish a connection between your unconscious mind and your hand without letting your subconscious mind interfering.

4. No review:

Once you finish writing put these away in an envelope and do not review or let someone else review these.

Morning pages are very different and even more powerful than journaling is. Remember there is no right or wrong way to do morning pages. You just wake up, grab your lemon water or your favorite tea and sit in your favourite space and write.

Just fill up the pages with anything and everything that crosses your mind. Do not overthink, try to hold back or rationalize your feelings just write whatever comes to your mind. These are highly confidential pages and are not meant for personal or anybody’s review so make sure you do they stay out of sight of others, you can destroy the pages by tearing or burning them to ensure privacy. Keeping them private gives you a safe and secure space to acknowledge your feelings and pour your heart out. 

Thus, Morning pages can help you declutter your mind, create space for newer ideas and help unleash your trapped creativity and help you take your life experience to the next level.