As Fall weather creeps in and summer activities come to a close, I often find myself wanting to quiet down, curl up, and enjoy this gradual process of going inward. Summer is a time to do, to take advantage of warmer weather, a time of endless festivals, parties, and events. When Fall rolls around it’s like taking a deep sigh – you naturally want to slow down a little, to transition from this summertime go-go-go mode into a quieter, more reflective part of your year.

This slowdown is so sweet because it brings us back into balance in our daily lives. What a wonderful time to explore that slower and quieter side of your yoga practice, too! This is the perfect time to explore the line between the very active, quick-paced, challenging poses and the gentle, long-held, restorative poses.

I invite you to explore how you can do less in your yoga practice. How can you provide your body that balance of Summer and Fall? If you only practice outgoing energetic yoga all year round, you’re certain to burn out. And on the other hand, if your yoga practice consists solely of the soft and restful poses, you’ll be lacking vitality.

Fall is a wonderful time to celebrate the quieting down, the going inside, and to practice being still and being with your breath. It’s the perfect time to explore the ways in which we may be overdoing it in our yoga practice, and to consider how we might use a little less effort and a little more softness. The funny thing is that many of us are so used to our on-the-go and constantly busy lifestyle that slowing down, holding the poses, and relaxing is the hard part!

Practicing yoga with this soft focus is not all just lying around on the floor, not all just relaxing or falling a sleep. This is a practice of using just the right amount of effort – neither too much nor too little.

If you’re the type of yoga student who loves a good, sweaty, challenging yoga class, you’ll find it a great practice to explore how to work your body without overworking. If you’re doing a deep lunge that’s making your legs burn, how can you stay in the pose without tensing up elsewhere in your body? How can you learn to use just the right amount of effort so that your poses will provide you with a surge of energy and not a wave of tension?

If, on the other hand, your idea of the perfect yoga practice is 30 minutes of corpse pose, see how you can bring a little more effort into your practice, while maintaining the sense of softness and relaxation in your body. Allow yourself to explore longer-holds in standing poses and work with long, deep breaths so that you can create that same feeling of relaxation you find in corpse pose while letting your muscles take just the right amount of work.

This is where yoga practice becomes your own, rather than a generic set of poses that looks the same on every body. As you look at your tendencies in yoga practice, you will learn something about yourself, about your preferences and habits. Only by slowing down, quieting down, and going into this ‘Fall mode’ can you see what’s really going on when you step onto the mat. And if you pay attention and honestly observe yourself, you’ll be able to use your yoga practice as an opportunity to create balance not only in your body, but also in your life. By seeking a balance between activity and rest in your yoga practice as well as in your daily life, you maintain a sense of vitality and calm that enables you to bring your whole self to everything you do.