4 simple activities to refocus

Shorter days, nature in slow motion… fall is the ideal season to refocus. LoggingYin yoga, nature walking or sound therapy: these 4 simple activities allow us to find balance and well-being before winter. Demonstration.

When the days get shorter and fatigue sets in more quickly, creating little rituals helps you maintain your mental and physical fitness. Intuitive writing, gentle yoga, conscious walking or even sound vibrations… these easy-to-practice activities offer real bubbles of relaxation. It’s up to you to choose the one that will help you refocus and recharge this fall.

THE logging: for a moment of introspection

The calming atmosphere of autumn often invites introspection. This is the ideal time to sit down, reflect and put your thoughts down on paper. Rest assured, the logging (or “intuitive writing in French”) does not require any talent as a novelist; you just have to freely express your thoughts, without filter or judgment.

Practiced daily, this habit gradually becomes a refuge. A way to identify repressed emotions, expel accumulated tensions and set intentions, or even formulate objectives for the months to come. This therapeutic, almost meditative practice, the result of which is intended only for you, can easily slip into your habits.

How to practice it?

The right time in the right place, nothing more is needed!

• Treat yourself to a nice notebook and a fluid pen.
• Define the time that suits you best: 5 to 10 minutes, in the morning or evening to clear your head. But also why not during a coffee break, on the train to work…
• Write down everything that comes to mind: your feelings, your desires, your questions… If you lack ideas, ask yourself these questions: “How was the day? Do I have any worries or annoyances at the moment? What are my plans or desires for this season? What really nourishes me?” Answer them honestly without trying to correct them. This will allow you to take stock of yourself.

Yin yoga: to (re)find calm

A slow, passive and deeply regenerating practice, Yin yoga is gentler than dynamic yoga (Yang), but also less complex: here, the postures are immobile, often on the ground and without muscular effort.

The objective is to relax the deep tissues (fascia, ligaments), but also to slow down the nervous system to reach a state of meditative calm. Yin yoga reduces fatigue, anxiety and mental agitation. It helps to release tension (especially in the hips, back and shoulders), to digest the hectic pace of everyday life, and promotes letting go and restful sleep.

How to practice it?

Sit on the floor, taking care to surround yourself with accessories (cushions, blankets, etc.) to support your body. If you’re a beginner, watch a video on YouTube to learn the right movements and adopt the posture of your choice, without straining, with your eyes closed. Examples:

• The Butterfly: Sit with your feet together, let your knees fall outwards, then gently lean forward, relaxing your upper body.
• The Dragon: In plank position, bring your right foot outside of your right hand. Let the left knee rest on the floor and slide your left foot back to stretch the front of the left thigh.
• The Sphinx: lying on your stomach, lift your chest by pressing on your forearms. Keep your elbows under your shoulders and your forearms parallel to the floor.

Breathe deeply and hold each position for 2 to 5 minutes. Finish with complete relaxation on your back (Savasana) for 5 minutes.

Nature walking: to come back to yourself

We keep repeating it: nature soothes the nervous system, reduces stress and improves mood. Walking in the forest or in a park, feeling the cracking of the branches under your feet, listening to the rustling of the leaves, breathing in the smell of damp earth and soaking up the surrounding silence… all these little things reactivate the senses and help sort out your inner self.

How to practice it?

Here again, it is not a question of aiming for performance, but of allowing yourself a conscious walk, during which you take the time to feel, breathe, observe, without distraction.

• Choose a route in an area of ​​nature that you like (forest, park, countryside, etc.) and take a walk at least once a week, alone. Don’t forget to program your phone in airplane mode.
• Walk slowly, in silence, paying attention to each step, to your breathing, to the sensations of the moment. Engage your senses by breathing deeply, touching the bark of a tree, listening to the surrounding sounds, admiring the colors around you… and let your mind wander.
• If you wish, you can also ask yourself an inner question before starting the journey and let the answers come (or not!) to you.

Sound therapy: to relieve tension

This sensory, non-verbal method uses vibratory instruments such as Tibetan bowls (or singing bowls), crystal bowls, gongs and other chimes to immerse us in a state of deep relaxation.

It invites you to disconnect, an ideal prescription when fatigue, mental agitation and changing weather negatively impact our mood. Sound therapy creates vibrations that penetrate the cells and act like a sound massage: certain frequencies calm while others release buried tensions. Result: the muscles relax, the nervous system regulates itself, thoughts calm down and our energy centers harmonize. The whole body vibrates: a unique sensation of “floating”!

How to practice it?

Sit comfortably on a bed, sofa, cushions, eyes closed, and start a free sound therapy recording (available on YouTube, Spotify, etc.), for 10-15 minutes.

• With your eyes closed, breathe deeply and let the sound flow through you.
• Observe the sensations that arise (heat, chills, tensions that release, emotions that rise, images, colors, etc.) without analyzing them.
• Stay in the same position for a few moments in silence after the end, to integrate what has just happened.

If you can, treat yourself to face-to-face sessions: collective sound bath (often in a yoga studio or wellness center) or individual sound therapy session, sometimes combined with Reiki or an energy treatment.

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