The moon is bright, the dark is sneaking in a little earlier each day and I find myself craving more downtime and rest. In her book, Wintering, Katherine May talks about November as a time of metamorphosis, when life is shifting from the brightness of summer to the quieter and unique beauty of winter. I can feel that transition starting to happen in myself. Without consciously intending to, I’ve noticed myself pulling out books on cosiness and sleep, like The Little Book of Hygge, and Do One Thing Today, Sleep Better at Night. Instinctively, I want to move slower and do less.
November feels like the pause between the rush of getting back to fall routines and the coming festivities of the holidays. My body seems to already be craving that pause, like the moment between the inhale and exhale. As the seasons change and our bodies may want different things, how can our yoga practice meet us there?
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to embrace the earlier darkness, commit to winding down in the evenings and looking to my practice to support me in these things.
A little bit of hygge
Hygge is a Danish concept of an atmosphere and experience of cosiness and home, often associated with candlelight, warm socks and cocoa by a fire. On my mat, I find myself drawn to my bolster and settling in for yin practices or slow flows with low lights. After an evening dog walk under the bright moon, I’ve been practicing a moon salutation – like the one Darlene offers in the YCW yoga library – to find a further sense of grounding.
In all of this, there’s an innate sense of withdrawal, like the early nights are encouraging me to turn my attention more inward and connect to stillness. My body wants to do less, my senses are craving less intensity and my mind is looking for opportunities to rest. Perhaps November is a perfect month to explore Patanjali’s fifth limb of yoga: pratyahara.
Pratyahara
Pratyahara is often translated as “withdrawal of the senses,” and interpreted as withdrawing attention from external sensory input and directing it inward instead. A practical example might be wearing an eye mask in savasana to reduce visual input, so we can tune into our inner experience.
In our modern world, we’re often overstimulated by screens, notifications and the noises of technology. Perhaps a modern way to explore the spirit of pratyahara is to lean into nature’s November cue and dim our distractions in the evenings to prioritize inward connection. We can move away from screens and opt for a book or calming yoga practice. We can switch overhead lights for lamps or candles while sipping a warm drink or meditating. By limiting the noise around us, we can give our senses – and ourselves – a chance to do less.
Winding down with yoga
Lately, I’ve been loving a few minutes in a restorative yoga pose to prep myself for bed. Child’s pose, legs up the wall or a supported version of upavistha konasana (I’ve been loving this one) signal to my body that it’s time to slow down. Some days, it’s the first time in hours that I’ve noticed my breath, and I find myself lingering there for 5 or 10 minutes.
As November stretches out in front of us, there are lots of ways we can embrace the month like it’s a pause. A short practice with a bolster, adding a yin or Relax and Restore class at YCW to our weekly routine or a warm drink in low light before bed can all support us in the changing season. Nature is shifting and we can allow ourselves to shift too. Rest isn’t something we have to earn, it’s something we can practice.
Take a deep breath in, notice the pause.
Sigh it out.
Repeat as many times as you need.
How do you like to wind down in the evenings? What small adjustment can you make to embrace the earlier dark?
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