This, my friends, is my favorite time of the year.

On Sunday, the day after the fall equinox, I went out for a gorgeous paddle on a local lake with my girlfriends. Then we filled our bellies at a new 100% plant-based restaurant that one of the women in our group recently opened in Boulder, CO.

Next, we walked around the Fall Festival that was happening right near her restaurant.

All on a glorious bluebird day!

I absolutely love the harvest season, which in Chinese Five Element theory is represented by the earth element. It is an earthy time of year as we prepare for gathering, nurturing and assimilating the fruits of summer and transition into fall.

It’s also a time of slowing down (yay!). The energy of this season is like the afternoon. We desire an easier flow, like how you feel after lunch with a full stomach, just wanting to relax and not having to work as hard as you did earlier in the day. 

Historically, during harvest time, food was abundant and we could rest after all of our work tending to the crops. 

The earth element also represents middle-age, when we’ve had some accomplishments and aren’t feeling as driven. We instead want more time to enjoy our home, family, and friends.

Here’s me enjoying mine last Sunday at that restaurant:

I have on the Love hat.

Another way to think about the earth element is by reflecting on how it shows up in nature. Earth is literally terra-firma, settled and solid. In Chinese Medicine, it relates to mother energy, grounded and calm. 

A mother’s job is to nurture her children, so that they thrive in life. It’s the same with the soil: nourishing the crops so that they grow healthy and strong.

If you haven’t quite tuned into the energy of this season yet, or you have and you want to go even deeper, here are three of my favorite ways to do it:

1. Cultivate contentment. I like to think of contentment as feeling “full.” Yes, that can be after a nutritious meal, but also it can be cuddling a pet or a child, looking around your favorite room at home and appreciating the things that warm your spirit, and noticing the happy feeling of completion you get after a job well done.
   
2. Add root vegetables to your diet. Great ones are sweet potatoes, winter squash, carrots, and brussels sprouts. Savor warm meals and drinks and don’t deprive yourself of comfort foods.
3. Gather! Consider more outings with family or friends. Go to a lecture, a workshop or a party or invite others to your home for a meal. Any opportunity to join others is a wonderful way to build on this energy.

What are your ways to enjoy this season?