September Reset: Self-Care Rituals for a New Season

Oh the newness and hope that September brings. September carries the energy of a quiet new year. The air shifts, routines return, and the first signs of fall invite us to pause and realign.

In yoga, we honor these transitions as invitations to release what no longer serves us and to step into new rhythms with intention.

As the season changes, so can our self-care. Fall naturally calls us to slow down, ground, and create rituals that nourish body, mind, and spirit.

Gentle Rituals for a September Reset

✨ Morning Grounding – Light a candle, stretch, or take five breaths before the day begins.

🍵 Nourish from Within – Enjoy root vegetables, soups, and warming teas.

📖 Reflect & Release – Journal on what you’re ready to let go of and what you’d like to invite in.

🌿 Sacred Space – Clear a corner for meditation, reading, or quiet reflection.

🕯️ Seasonal Ceremony – Mark the equinox with intention, light, and gratitude.

🧘 Shift Your Practice – Embrace Yin, restorative flows, and grounding postures.

The autumn equinox will be arriving on September 23rd, when day and night are equal. It feels like nature’s pause button, giving us space to transition gently into the slower rhythm of fall.

Spring and summer bring movement and expansion, but autumn calls us inward. The shorter days invite us to gather, release, and prepare. Just as the trees shed their leaves, we too can let go of what no longer serves us and hold onto only what nourishes.

Simple ways to honor this shift:

🍂 Tidy your space and clear what feels heavy.

🍎 Create a small autumn altar with leaves, pinecones, or fruit.

🕯️ Light candles to welcome balance, warmth, and gratitude.

The equinox reminds us to slow down, rebalance, and step into fall with presence and care.

A Poetic Pause

To deepen the invitation of September, I love the way poet Becky Hemsley captures the essence of slowing down and returning to the breath in her poem Breathe.

Enjoy this poem Breathe written by Becky Hemsley:

Breathe - Becky Hemsley

“She sat at the back and they said she was shy, she led from the front, and they hated her pride.

They asked her advice and then questioned her guidance; they branded her loud then were shocked by her silence.

When she shared no ambition, they said it was sad, so she told them her dreams and they said she was mad.

They told her they’d listen then covered their ears, and gave her a hug while they laughed at her fears.

And she listened to all of it thinking she should, be the girl they told her to be best as she could.

But one day she asked what was best for herself, instead of trying to please everyone else.

So, she walked to the forest and stood with the trees, she heard the wind whisper and dance with the leaves.

She spoke to the willow, the elm and the pine, and she told them what she’d been told time after time.

She told them she felt she was never enough; she was either too little or far too much.

Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak, too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek.

Then she found a small clearing surrounded by firs, and she stopped…and she heard what the trees said to her.

And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave, for the forest said nothing it just let her breathe.

September gives us permission to begin again. With rituals, mindful practices, and poetic reminders, we can honor the transition into fall feeling grounded, supported, and renewed.