The Autumn Equinox: A time to step up your self-care?

A second new year…
If, like me, you grew up within the English academic system it is likely that September will always have a little of that ‘start of the new school year’ flavour to it. September usually brings with it the first glimpses of autumn colour, the return of the morning dew and that first feeling of chill in the air and it can feel like an important shift in the cycle of the seasons. The autumn equinox will be with us on Sunday and it is one of only two days of the year (the spring equinox in March being the other one) where the hours of daylight and darkness are roughly equal. We might think of the equinox as marking a point in the calendar that reminds us there is still some time before the nights really start to draw in and hopefully (in the Northern hemisphere at least) some days of fine weather and bright, warming sunshine still to come. The life and vitality of the land, the trees, the wild animals around us still has some spark in it, a sort of last dance before the dormancy of winter begins. And as the farmers begin to bring in the harvest we can open our awareness to the abundance in the natural world around us.

It might be New Year but it’s still the middle of winter

As I mentioned in some of my newsletters running up to Christmas, it is something of a paradox that just at the time when energies are lowest, daylight is shortest and much of the natural world is hunkering down, dormant or in hibernation, we humans manage to put ourselves under the most extreme pressure to be doing more. Christmas, and the start to the new year, can be so full of expectations. Parties and gatherings, late nights, social appointments, shopping and meal preparations to be attending or organising are frequently most concentrated at this time of year. For some it can also be a time when there is the greatest disparity between how society suggests we ‘should’ feel and how we actually are, leaving some people feeling their most isolated and alone. It is almost as though the aspects of the world that humans have created speeds up, just at the time when we would naturally be slowing down.

A Firelit Sound Meditation to celebrate the Winter Solstice

An Evening with a Difference...
Over the years I've hosted many different meditation classes and courses. It's always a pleasure to introduce new people to the benefits, as well as providing a place to reconnect with an existing practice and share the experience with others.

Back in 2020, (what else was there to do during lockdown!) I recorded three meditation tracks, my first collaboration with the very talented musician, Andy Roid. You can listen to more of Andy’s music here, including the instrumental music from my meditations. I am now very excited to tell you all about a new venture we will be hosting, so please read on to find out more...

A series of meditations for the winter

A hectic time of year...
Christmas is often talked about as a time of peace and goodwill but so often it can end up being a time of even more stress and chaos than normal! Weeks can get very full with running around to events and trying to get organised. Fitting in wellbeing practices and time for yourself can be so difficult and often falls to the bottom of the pile.

With this in mind I thought I would organise a series of short meditation classes, with an option to watch a recording in your own time if you can’t make every session live.

Read on to find out more...

The Autumn Equinox: A time to step up your self-care?

It might be New Year but it’s still the middle of winter

A Firelit Sound Meditation to celebrate the Winter Solstice

A series of meditations for the winter

More Articles ...

Contact Us

Dr Karen Janes