How to Be Mindful of Fall

Autumn is such a beautiful time to explore mindfulness, especially in the NE part of the country. I have been recommending meditation and mindfulness to my psychotherapy practice clients for almost 4 decades. I also teach every one of my university students mindfulness and meditation. We begin every class with a short meditation. It makes a huge difference for the students.
Reducing stress and increasing self-awareness though meditation and mindfulness is the best preventive therapy available. But there is also something intangible that can occur when meditating that causes a 'shift' in one's reality to a more positive life experience. I can only recommend getting started and staying with meditation and seeing what the results are. Often it is helpful to have some instruction for meditation. I usually suggest they start with these two guided mindfulness training mp3s, Meditation 1 and Meditation 2 by Jon Shore at http://www.meditation-download.com. It takes consistent practice but the results are well worth the small effort required.

Please remember to thank the trees in your mindfulness for this phenomenal gift that comes each year.
And remember if you happen to be in an unseasonably warm area, the choices we all make can affect the health of our forests. The trees are an extension of us and our families. We should all take it personally when their being is threatened by ignorant human decisions.

This strikes me as so blindingly obvious.

Lay yourself in the leaves like acorn

Just as we were experiencing a less than stellar foliage season, the color popped, and we have had a glorious two weeks of full color. If you doubt it, watch the drone-captured YouTube of This Is Fall Foliage in Groton, Vermont. Turn off the sound if you want to meditate.

Thank you for this column. Teaching me to embed practice throughout the day. So small but so rich a difference.

Check, check check! It seems that fall is the season I am most mindful.

Thank you

Feel the crunchy leaves.
Realize it's 85 degrees.
Weep.

Fall is my favorite season. Growing up in the Midwest, living for decades in the Southwest, traveling & living in the Middle East- fall continues to be the best season of the year for me. Colors, temperature, smells, etc.

I love this segment. Please continue.

Stand under a tree, wait for a breeze and feel the leaves come down on you. Fall is a verb.

I love the fall! It has always been my favorite time of year - for precisely the reasons Mr. Gelles gives in his lovely poem. I love the change in the air, the smell of fall, the fact that there are warm days and cool nights. The beautiful colors of the leaves before they fall off the trees.
There is not much in the way of fall here in CA. I decorate my home in fall colors to remind myself of my New England upbringing.
I miss the fall most of all.