Late Summer Grounding for Resilience and Life Balance Heading into Autumn

The days are getting shorter. The sun is setting a little earlier. The kids are heading back to school. And if you’re like me, your energy may be starting to wane. The frenetic pace of after-work drinks, baseball games, travel, and other social events can leave you feeling a little worn out.

You may find yourself craving more consistency and routine. While I love these long summer days, there’s something about this time of year that makes me—and perhaps you—crave a slowdown, a little more grounding, and a reset.

Now is the perfect time to make a few small tweaks to your daily routine to bring more structure and balance to your days while helping to calm some of that frenetic energy.

In Yin Yoga (a slow, meditative style of yoga, which draws on the Chinese medicine concepts of Qi, meridians, and balance of Yin and Yang), the final 2½ weeks of each season are considered a “shoulder season,” a transitional period when grounding and balance are especially important. This time is associated with the Earth element and the Spleen and Stomach meridians, according to Chinese medicine.

It is a period of transformation, when we’re looking for more centered, neutral energy. If you enter this transition with too much physical or mental activity, you may find yourself feeling increasingly restless or anxious. Yin practices that focus on the Spleen and Stomach meridians can be a wonderful way to create a sense of balance and grounding during this naturally busy time.

Yin Poses for the Earth Shoulder Season

Yin poses traditionally associated with this shoulder season include those that target the quadriceps, hip flexors, and groins. Think Butterfly (seated or lying on your back with the knees apart and feet together), Dragonfly (a seated wide-legged straddle), Dragon (lunges), Saddle, forward folds, and twists.

To simplify, think about poses that involve thigh abduction—moving the legs away from the midline of the body—along with external rotation. Examples include Wide-Knee Child’s Pose, Happy Baby, and Cobbler’s Pose. Prone positions, or gentle backbends performed on the belly, such as Sphinx, Seal, and Saddle, as well as Melting Heart (Puppy Dog in Hatha Yoga), can also be incorporated.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the Spleen meridian travels from the inside of the big toe up the inner leg, through the groin and torso, and toward the chest and heart before ending at the root of the tongue. The Stomach meridian runs in the opposite direction, beginning near the face and traveling down through the torso and along the front of the leg to the second toe.

While the meridian system comes from traditional Chinese medicine rather than modern Western anatomy, I find the framework useful as a mindful way to organize a Yin practice around the changing seasons.

Practicing several of these Spleen and Stomach-focused poses can help create a feeling of balance and grounding as we transition from the expansive energy of summer toward the more inward energy of autumn.

Beyond the Yoga Mat

We don’t have to rely on Yin Yoga alone. This is also a great time to begin bringing some simple routines back into our days.

Our circadian rhythm—the body’s internal 24-hour clock—is strongly influenced by light, so the changing daylight hours provide a natural cue to start adjusting our routines.

Try waking closer to sunrise when possible and getting outside for some natural morning light. Even better, take a midday walk and/or a walk after dinner while there is still daylight. These simple habits can help reinforce your body’s natural sleep-wake rhythm as the days gradually become shorter.

There’s no need for a dramatic reset. Just a few intentional shifts—more routine, more grounding movement, more time outdoors, and a little less rushing—can help your body and mind ease into the transition.

Grounding for Autumn Resilience

I also think of this shoulder season as an opportunity to build resilience before the busier, often more demanding months of fall and winter. Grounding isn’t about doing less simply for the sake of doing less—it’s about creating a steadier foundation from which we can handle whatever comes next.

Simple practices such as consistent sleep and wake times, regular meals, daily movement, time outdoors, and a few minutes of quiet or mindful breathing can help create that foundation. From a physiological perspective, predictable routines and regular exposure to natural light can support our circadian rhythm, while movement and stress-management practices can help regulate the nervous system.

Think of these small habits as resilience training. Rather than waiting until you feel depleted, anxious, or overwhelmed, use the transition into autumn to establish rhythms that support you when life inevitably gets busier.

A little grounding now can go a long way toward helping us feel more centered, energized, and adaptable as we move into the next season.

Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is simply slow down enough to notice that the season is changing—and allow ourselves to change with it.