Updated 03.10.25

By Sophie Matthew

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How do you feel about autumn? For some, it’s a season of colour, crisp air and cosiness. For others, it can bring a sense of heaviness, or dread, especially when the clocks change and the days grow shorter. For those who live with pain perhaps there can be an increased achiness as the weather gets colder.

The Autumn Equinox, which fell on 22nd September, is a turning point: a moment when day and night are equal across the globe. After this those of us in the northern hemisphere enter the darker half of the year. In the past, I resisted this shift, but my experience has shown me that it is helpful to live more in alignment with the natural rhythms and cycles of the world.

In this blog, I invite you to lean into the season, rather than fighting it, to notice its invitations, how the season feels for you, and what it might be asking of you in terms of slowing down, letting go, and self-care.

Nature's invitation to slow down

As the sap sinks in the trees and they let go of their leaves to form the compost that will support new growth in spring, perhaps we too can follow this invitation to slow down, to let go of what no longer serves us, to root into the earth and find ways to calm, sustain and nourish ourselves.

The long days and outward energy of summer are not sustainable. Just as each in-breath must be followed by an out-breath, the abundance of spring and summer must be followed by the slowing, letting go and rest of autumn and winter. In fact, the release of autumn and the cold of winter are necessary conditions for the renewal of spring. There is a natural shift from outward to inward.

Making space for reflection and renewal

Although many of us in the modern world live in ways that give little attention to this fact, we too are part of nature. If we listen carefully, we may hear a call from deep inside our bodies to follow the invitation to stillness and rest. 

This is not always easy, as the external world does not slow down, and in fact in contrast there is often a sense of increasing activity as we approach winter and the festive season.

It might be possible, nevertheless, to take a mindful pause, to sit by a literal or figurative fire, and give yourself time to reflect, and perhaps journal, on what matters most to you.

Autumn is a season of change and transformation: a good time to consider what we can let go of, what no longer serves us, and what is germinating quietly within us to flourish in the spring.

Turning towards rest

As our energy turns more inward, there may be an invitation to finally read that book, explore creativity through mindful drawing, painting, knitting or journaling, or simply to create warmth and light by lighting a candle. Meditation can calm the nervous system and nurture a sense of kindness and connection.

Brigit Anna McNeill writes beautifully:

“The land teaches me, over and over, that change and descent is not failure. The trees do not cling to their leaves, nor do the birds resist their migrations. Everything follows the call downwards, and in that letting go, life is carried forward.

I think of the compost heap, apple cores, stalks, curled leaves, old nettle stems, slowly breaking down into the dark that will feed next year’s growth. I think of the stories I still carry that no longer serve me, and how September asks: Are you ready to set them down? I walk into the descent, trusting that the roots know where they are going, and that there is something in me, as in the trees, that understands this turning too.”

This turning of the season invites us to realign our inner and outer worlds. It is a moment to reflect on what has passed, to release what no longer serves us, and to step into a new phase of energy.

Mindfulness Practices for Autumn

Here are a few suggestions for embracing the season:

• Reflect on what has grown well in your life this year and what hasn’t. What do you want to keep nourishing, and what needs to be composted?
• Write down what you are ready to let go of on dried leaves or compostable paper, and bury it - perhaps with seeds, as a symbol of both release and new beginnings.
• Spend time in nature. Notice the invitations of the trees, plants, earth, birds and animals around you.
• Rest warmly indoors. Follow the invitations of the in-breath and out-breath as you meditate, remembering that this rhythm is reflected in the seasons around you.
• Make time for nourishment and self-care. What supports your body and soul at this time?
• Practise gratitude for the small things - warm socks, candlelight, autumn leaves, the comfort of electricity.
• Reflect on how you can gather together what sustains you, give thanks, and resource yourself for the darker months ahead.
• Mindfully savour your favourite hot drink with this short 4-minute practice, from Breathworks co-founder Gary Hennessey, Drinking a cup of tea mindfully - click here to listen 

Deepening Your Practice This Autumn

If you feel called to explore ways of nourishing yourself in the colder part of the year, there are two opportunities coming up with Breathworks:

For those new to mindfulness: Join Sophie on our 8-week Mindfulness for Stress course which starts on 21st October. This course offers a supportive way to create space for yourself this autumn, with guidance, structure and community.

Learn more

For those who’ve already taken an 8-week course: Join Sophie on our Online Practice Day on 6th December - a relaxing day of meditation and reflection, a chance to restore balance and ‘feather your nest’ for winter.

Learn more

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Whichever path feels right for you, may this season offer you time to pause, let go, and find nourishment in the turning of the year.

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About the author

Sophie Matthew has been teaching mindfulness and meditation for over a decade and has had a personal practice for much longer. She has found this to be transformative in her own life, particularly in relation to living with chronic pain, as well as stress, and is passionate about sharing its many deep benefits with others.

Sophie is an Associate Teacher, trainer and supervisor for Breathworks and regularly teaches both Mindfulness for Stress and Mindfulness for Health courses as well as offering one to one sessions and mindfulness in the workplace. 

Sophie very much enjoys working collaboratively and doing what she can to support others on their own unique and individual journeys with mindfulness.

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