Return to the Root: Rituals for the Fall
“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you.” — Rumi
In a world moving at the speed of light, where we’re constantly encouraged to optimize, outperform, and keep going (now even more so with the acceleration of AI), the season of fall asks for something different.
All around us, subtle signs of change begin to emerge. Trees shift from green to gold and crimson. The dense heat of summer gives way to a crisp stillness in the air. Change stirs beneath the surface - unseen, but very much alive. Nature models transformation without fanfare, inviting us to pause, to check in, and to ask: “What am I ready to release this season? What has served its time?”
And yet, even as nature slows down, life for many begins to speed up again. Fall often signals a return to structure, schedules, and responsibilities, especially for those moving in rhythm with school calendars or corporate cycles. This tension between external acceleration and nature’s quiet invitation to soften can feel disorienting.
That’s why now more than ever, reconnecting with your inner world: your breath, your body, your grounding… becomes not just helpful, but necessary.
Recent research in neuroscience and mental health shows that even just a few moments of daily mindfulness can activate parts of the brain linked to emotional regulation, decision-making, and resilience. So what that means is, when we pause and notice what’s shifting within, we don’t just get through change, we begin to grow with it.
When we pause and notice what’s shifting within, we don’t just get through change - we begin to grow with it.
Letting go doesn’t have to be dramatic. It doesn’t need to be visible, or even shared. In fact, the most meaningful forms of release are often the quietest: a habit we’re ready to shift, a role we’ve outgrown, a belief that no longer fits. Letting go isn’t failure. It’s actually alignment.
Letting go isn’t failure. It’s actually alignment.
And if you’re someone who’s constantly “on” - managing, multitasking, navigating layers of expectation - it’s okay to still feel the weight of it all. But perhaps this season isn’t asking for more. Perhaps it’s asking for something different. A slower rhythm. A deeper presence. A return to the root of you.
Below I’ve prepared a few grounding practices that invite you to release not just mentally and emotionally, but also somatically and spiritually. Each one gently brings you back to your body, to the earth, and to the quiet wisdom of fall. Let me know what you think!
1.Notice What’s Falling
Just as trees shed their leaves in preparation for winter, this season invites us to do the same: to start releasing what no longer belongs. Inspired by nature’s effortless cycles, take time to pause and ask yourself:
What thoughts, beliefs, habits, or roles have run their course?
What parts of me feel heavy, disconnected, or quietly ready to fall away?
Find a quiet moment: a weekend morning or during an afternoon in your favorite tea shop, and gently reflect.
➡️ Try this: On a blank page in your journal or sketchbook, draw a tree with wide-reaching branches and falling leaves. On each leaf (or petal, if you prefer flowers), write down something you’re ready to release. It could be an object, a story you’ve been carrying, a fear, a worn-out identity. Let it be honest. You don’t need to fix it just yet. Simply, recognize it. Let it fall in your mind, like leaves to the forest floor.
💡 Why it helps: Creative journaling and expressive drawing have been shown to reduce stress, activate the brain’s default mode network (linked to self-reflection), and improve emotional processing. According to a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, combining imagery with reflective writing enhances cognitive flexibility and self-awareness, which are key components in navigating change and letting go with intention.
2. Walk the Edge of the Season
Fall is a full-body season. You can feel it in your lungs, your skin, your steps. As the light softens and the air sharpens, nature becomes not just scenery but a loving “guide.” Let the changing natural elements stir your own quiet shift internally. Let the colors, textures, and scents around you awaken something within.
This is a fitting time to engage your five senses and beyond. Notice how nature is changing, and how you, too, are invited to change.
➡️ Try this: Take a 10-minute sensory walk at any point in your day - morning light, midday reset, or twilight unwind. Leave your phone behind, or at least silent. No podcast. No music. Just you and the world, as it is.
As you walk, tune in deeply. Hear the crunch of fallen leaves beneath your shoes. Smell the earthy musk of soil and shifting winds. Feel the cool air on your cheeks. Watch the slow sway of branches, the falling of a single leaf. Notice the decay - a fallen fruit, wilting petals, thinning vines. Observe signs of life preparing to rest: fewer insects, birds migrating, longer shadows….
Let your body breathe all of it in. You’re not just witnessing change, you’re walking with it.
💡 Why it helps: Sensory immersion in nature has been shown to reduce cortisol levels (the body’s main stress hormone), improve mood, and restore attention. According to studies in ecopsychology and somatic therapy, combining mindful movement with sensory awareness helps regulate the nervous system and enhances our ability to release stored emotional tension. Walking, in particular, supports bilateral stimulation of the brain, helping us “process” inner change, not just think about it. When we walk with awareness, we’re not just moving through the season - we’re letting it move through us!
3. Tend to Your Roots
One of my favorite African proverbs reminds us: “When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.”
In times of transition, returning to what grounds you - your values, your community, your people - creates a sense of steadiness that no external chaos can shake. Rooting isn’t just about meditating in stillness. It’s an active remembering of what nourishes you, and a conscious practice of building that nourishment into the fabric of daily life.
➡️ Try this: Take a quiet moment to make a list of the people, places, practices, and objects that help you feel grounded. Who or what reminds you of who you truly are beneath the noise?
Then (and this is key) next to each one, write down a small action you can take to actually integrate it into your life. Think of it as your Grounding Map. Post it somewhere visible - your fridge, your mirror, your journal, even your phone - so it becomes an everyday anchor, not just something you reach for in moments of stress.
Some examples:
If it’s a person: schedule a monthly meet-up or video call, create a voice message thread, or write them an old-school letter
If it’s a food: learn to cook it with intention or find a place that serves it
If it’s a place: visit it, keep a photo nearby, recreate it in your home, or plan your next trip there
If it’s a ritual: lock time in your week to actually do it, even if it’s just five minutes
If it’s a memory: bring it to life with a keepsake, scent, or song that helps you feel it again
These aren’t just grounding ideas. They’re living rituals woven into the rhythm of your life, gently supporting you every day.
💡 Why it helps: Grounding rituals stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (your body’s natural rest-and-digest mode), reducing anxiety and restoring emotional steadiness. According to polyvagal theory, consistent safety cues (like warmth, scent, connection, or touch) help tone the vagus nerve, which plays a critical role in stress regulation, emotional wellbeing, and the sense of being “at home” in your body. Especially during transitional seasons, tending to your roots in real, embodied ways offers your nervous system a felt sense of support and belonging. You’re not just remembering. You’re living your grounding. And that’s what helps you stand steady, no matter how strong the winds may blow.
4. Move What You Feel
Letting go isn’t just a concept to think through. It’s something we can physically experience and process through our bodies. While taking a sensory walk can help us sense change, intentional movement helps us release it.
Our bodies hold stories, emotions, and energy. And sometimes, the only way out is through - through breath, through motion, through sweat, through rhythm. Whether you’re carrying stress, sadness, or just the heaviness of doing too much for too long, movement gives your nervous system a way to discharge what words alone can’t touch.
➡️ Try this: Give yourself permission to move more freely. That might mean:
A slow, stretchy flow in the morning while breathing into the tight spots
Shaking out your limbs and body to your favorite upbeat song
Dancing however and wherever. Not for anyone else, but to remember your own joy
Taking a short run to burn through frustration
Moving your hips in circles or swaying side to side to soften the weight you’re holding
Let it be imperfect. Let it be real. Let it be yours. This is about moving with your feelings. Not away from them.
💡 Why it helps: Research in trauma-informed somatic therapy shows that physical movement helps the body complete emotional stress cycles, release stored tension, and restore a sense of control and agency. When we move in alignment with what we feel, we support emotional regulation, reduce cortisol, and promote the flow of endorphins and oxytocin (hormones that ease stress and help us feel safe and connected again.)
Movement reminds us: we don’t need to be stuck - we have the conscious choice to feel alive. We are allowed to release, to shift, to begin again… not just in our minds, but in our muscles, breath, and bones.
5. Return to the Root
Beneath all change is a deep, primal longing: to feel safe, supported, and connected. In yogic philosophy, this foundational need is reflected in the root chakra (Muladhara), located at the base of the spine. It is the energetic center of stability, survival, belonging, and trust.
When the root chakra is balanced, we feel anchored. We move through life with a sense of steadiness and enough-ness. But when it’s overactive or blocked, we may feel anxious, unsafe, disconnected from our bodies or homes.
Fall, with all its shifts, is a potent time to nourish this energy center - to return to the ground beneath you and cultivate inner security.
➡️ Try this: Create a simple root chakra ritual that connects you to this ancient energy:
Sit in a supported upright position with both feet on surface beneath you. (Touching bare earth would be even more powerful).
Place your hands gently on your lower belly or bring your attention to the base of your spine.
Breathe slowly and deeply, imagining a warm red light glowing at your root and extending down into the ground like roots of a tree.
As you exhale, silently repeat a mantra like: “I am safe. I am supported. I am home.”
You might also incorporate red-colored elements - an earring, a candle, a crystal like garnet or red jasper into your clothing, space, or altar. Collect natural objects like stones, bark, or soil that help you feel grounded and arrange them intentionally near where you work, meditate, or rest. Let them serve as tangible symbols of safety and rootedness.
💡 Why it helps: The root chakra is associated with the earth element, and when we connect with it - whether through breath, color, nature, or mantra - we tap into our body’s instinctive capacity to ground and regulate itself.
Modern research in polyvagal theory and somatic healing shows that focusing attention on the lower body, using slow diaphragmatic breathing, and engaging with symbolic cues of safety (like warmth, color, scent, and sound) stimulates the vagus nerve, promoting emotional stability, stress recovery, and a deeper sense of connection to the body and the present moment.
This isn’t about escaping change. It’s about returning to your inner ground - again and again.
