6 Ayurvedic Tips to Feel Centred in the Shift to Autumn

Keywords 

Ayurveda, autumn, wellness, grounding, seasonal transition, mindfulness, rituals, health tips, digestion, nervous system

Summary 

In this episode of Rooted in the Seasons, Katja explores why the shift into autumn can leave you feeling scattered — and how Ayurveda helps you find your centre again. With simple, nourishing tips like warm foods, ginger–liquorice tea, daily rituals, and calming breath practices, you’ll learn how to ground your body and mind through this seasonal transition.

Takeaways

• Autumn’s transition can leave you feeling scattered and unsettled.
• Ayurveda explains the shift from summer’s heat to autumn’s dryness.
• Dryness affects skin, digestion, and mental clarity.
• Nourishing cleanses support resilience in seasonal shifts.
• Warm, grounding foods steady body and mind.
• Ginger–liquorice tea hydrates, soothes, and strengthens the lungs.
• Breath practices calm the nervous system.
• A steady routine and daily oil massage balance Vata qualities.
• Simple rituals are medicine for wellbeing.

Titles 

• Feeling Scattered in the Shift to Autumn? Here’s How Ayurveda Helps 
• 6 Ayurvedic Tips to Feel Centred in the Shift to Autumn
• Navigating Autumn: Ayurvedic Wisdom for Balance
• Grounding Practices for the Autumn Transition

Sound bites 

• “These practices are more medicine than luxury.”
• “Nourishing food is the foundation of balance.”
• “Simple rituals help you stay rooted in the seasons.”

Chapters

00:00 Why Autumn Leaves You Feeling Scattered
 11:51 Six Ayurvedic Practices for Balance and Calm

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🎙️ Rooted in the Seasons is created by Katja Patel at Zest for Yoga & Ayurveda.
Explore more episodes at zestforyoga.com/podcast

Transcript

Podcast Transcript

Katja Patel (00:00)
Hello and welcome back to Rooted in the Seasons, the podcast where we explore how ancient wisdom meets modern life — always with a strong cup of tea and a few practical tools for real, busy women. I'm Katja Patel, Ayurveda consultant, yoga teacher and teacher mentor, and someone who helps you find calm and clarity through small daily rituals, seasonal rhythm and timeless wisdom.

In this shorter episode today, we'll explore how autumn often leaves us feeling a little scattered and how a few simple Ayurvedic shifts can help you feel centred again. Maybe you've already felt it — the cooler air, earlier sunsets, a sense of things slowly drawing inward after the summer's intensity. I personally love this season.

I like the colours, the crisp mornings and the chance to slow down a little. But here's what I have noticed in myself, and maybe you can relate. When I indulge in a little more coffee during the summer, especially when I visit my family in Germany, I carry that heat with me.

And as the autumn arrives, that leftover heat meets the cooler, dry, airy qualities of the autumn and winter season. The result? My skin feels drier, my digestion is a little more sensitive, and my mind feels scattered — like it’s racing a little ahead of me.

Ayurveda explains this beautifully. We're moving from summer's fiery, sharp Pitta qualities to autumn's dry, cool, mobile Vata qualities. And when that leftover summer heat collides with autumn's dryness, the body and the mind can easily feel unsettled.

Here's what you might notice during this shift:

• Dryness in your skin, hair, eyes, or digestion. This often shows up as bloating or constipation.
• Nervous system strain — more sensitivity, irritability, or aches in the joints and lower back.
• Mental restlessness — racing thoughts, worry, anxiety, or feeling a bit confused and indecisive.
• And immunity dips — more colds, feeling run down, as our resilience naturally lowers in the cooler, darker winter months.

To help, I've put together six easy Ayurvedic tips for this transition.

First, start with a nourishing cleanse. Ayurvedic cleanses are done at transitional times between two seasons — when we are most susceptible to illness. Autumn cleanses are very different from spring cleanses. These two points in the year are the main junctions for support. Spring is about lightening and clearing the heaviness of the winter months. Autumn, on the other hand, focuses on removing excess heat from the summer while deeply nourishing the tissues. This way you avoid depletion and instead build resilience for the colder months. My Autumn Cleanse is designed exactly for this, and it’s coming up soon.

Second, eat warm and grounding food. Swap your summery salads and cold meals for warm soups, stews, and porridges. Root vegetables like carrots, beetroot and parsnip are in season now — grounding and nourishing. Kitchari is my go-to meal: simple, balancing, and easy to digest. I'll pop a link in the show notes if you’d like to try it.

Begin your day with stewed apples. Stewed fruits — and apples in particular — cleanse the digestive system and start your day with warmth and stability. Again, I’ll pop the recipe in the show notes.

Fourth, sip ginger–liquorice tea. Ginger supports digestion, circulation, and brings warmth, while liquorice hydrates the tissues, soothes dryness, and strengthens the lungs. It’s the perfect tea for autumn, and you can drink it every day.

Fifth, support the nervous system with your breath. Practices like Bhramari — the humming bee breath — or alternate nostril breathing, Nadi Shodhana, are both very powerful and easy to practice.

Let’s try the humming bee breath now.

Sit comfortably, a little away from the backrest if you’re on a chair, sitting on the front of the sit bones. Let your body lengthen and rise. Relax your shoulders, soften your eyes. You can close them or lower your gaze, whatever feels right. Tune into your breath.

Take a fuller breath in through your nose. And as you exhale, hum like a bee.

Let’s do two more. Fuller in-breath, always without strain, and hum with the out-breath.

Wonderful.

You can probably hear in my voice how much more relaxed I feel now — calmer, more grounded. This is a very easy and very powerful breath. Maybe you noticed the vibrations in your head and chest as you practiced. Everything settles very quickly, which makes it perfect for autumn and winter.

And finally, number six: embrace a calming routine. Early bedtimes — ideally by 10 — are grounding for Vata, since simply lying down connects us back to earth. A warm bath balances Vata’s cold quality. Daily oil massage with warm sesame or almond oil helps settle dryness and lightness.

Gentle yoga can also help — simple poses like supine twists, cat–cow, or downward dog. You don’t need a full mat practice; even a few of these movements can release tension, deepen the breath, and help you settle.

These practices aren’t luxuries — they’re medicine. The more you do them, the more they help you stay balanced, warm, and steady.

Recap

So let’s recap: autumn’s dryness and mobility can leave us feeling scattered, but you can come back to centre with nourishing food, warm teas, breath practices, a grounding routine, and, if you can, a seasonal cleanse to start everything off.

Take-Aways

The key take-aways from today’s episode are:

• The summer-to-autumn transition is one of the most challenging seasonal shifts.
• Focus on releasing summer heat while nourishing, not depleting.
• Warm food and ginger–liquorice tea support digestion, immunity, and resilience.
• Simple breathing practices and steady routines calm the nervous system.

And remember, you don’t need to do everything at once. Start with one or two — maybe make yourself a cup of tea — and you’ll already feel less scattered and more centred.

Outro

Now, I’m curious — does this resonate with you? How are you feeling as autumn arrives? You can always DM me on Instagram or drop me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like a little extra support, don’t forget to download my free guide, 5 Ayurvedic Shifts to Move from Scattered to Centred in a Week. The link is in the show notes.

Thank you so much for listening to Rooted in the Seasons. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe or follow wherever you’re listening, so you won’t miss the next one.

Until next time, stay rooted in the seasons. Bye for now.