The 5 Pillars of Seasonal Living
In my eyes there’s is not much difference between seasonal + holistic living.
Both focus on a grounded and whole way of living, thinking and being. With beliefs and values rooted in nature, the seasons and intentional, intuitive care of self, community and health.
In fact you will find in all the content I share that the two are usually intertwined.
What are Health Pillars?
In any belief, way of thinking or living there are pillars; key areas that need to be addressed and considered. These pillars are the basis or foundation of a system or way of being that provides values to uphold. A solid foundation you can build upon. The foundation that supports you + lifts you up so you are able to focus on other goals and activities.
You could call these pillars your habits + rituals. The things you do and repeat on a regular basis… because what you repeat you become.
If you focus on poor habits and self care you get poor health + wellbeing where you struggle to maintain momentum and/or happiness.
In contrast when you focus on healthy habits + self care (in all the pillars), choices that you know improve your health + wellbeing, you thrive.
The Pillars of Seasonal + Whol-istic Living
There are a number of pillars and areas of life to consider when it comes to building a persons lifestyle to support health and wellbeing. Focusing of diet + exercise, while important, just isn’t enough or the whole picture…
When it comes to living seasonally there are two considerations : natures rhythms and human wellbeing. While they support and compliment each other they are of course, not the same.
And the needs or emphasis of each of those pillars can change depending on the season.
These are the 5 pillars of seasonal living:
Nutrition + Diet
The nutrients + food you feed your body can act as fuel or poison.
The diet you choose has three important implications for your body; it contributes directly to the amount of fuel you have, it affects the health of your gut flora + microbiome, AND the nutrients in food you eat is what feeds every cell in your body to allow them to function.
Because all systems in your body are connected the quality of the food you eat also directly affects (either positively or negatively) your mental health, emotional wellbeing, hormone health, immune system, and so much more…
The benefits of seasonal living are that nutrition and the foods you choose to eat become a connection with nature.
Mother nature is so clever that the fruits, vegetables, roots, berries etc. most beneficial for our health and wellbeing each season already grow naturally in that season.
Eating seasonally is a beautiful way to align yourself with the seasons.
Connection
Community and human connection is an important part of keeping and staying healthy for humans. We need not just physical touch, but connection and a community of people we can lean on for support, who we can support in return, people we trust and share common interests with.
Our ancestors all lived in tribes where everyone had a role and a purpose. In modern society, we have lost a lot of that community and connection. But it can be rebuilt by creating our own community group, purpose and role within that group.
The level of this connection shifts and changes each season, with a focus on inner connection through autumn winter and nurturing close family ties as we venture out less and preserve energy. In contrast, Spring and summer are naturally more social months as we expand, explore and travel more, visit different places and are naturally more outward and outgoing in our activities and energy…
Activity / Focus
The activities we choose the areas we focus on and each season are how we connect with each season. Each season in nature has its focus ; sowing seeds, new growth in Spring. Growth, expansion and productivity in Summer. Shedding, release and harvesting through Autumn in preparation for winter. Then resting, hibernation, nesting and inner transformation through Winter.
In Spring you can get excited to start planning, planting seeds, preparing the way for all the things you want to achieve. Each summer you can throw yourself into all the experiences, projects, journeys and new experiences you planned in spring, spend time with large and varied groups of people, pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone.
As summer draws to a close at the end of August start reconnecting yourself with the land, coming home and spending more time connecting with family, loved ones. Recalibrating, reconnecting, and rebalancing your life in preparation to wind down for winter. Come Autumn you should intuitively start slowing down, harvesting the fruits of your labour - physically and metaphorically, reassessing your life and how far along you are with your goals. Autumn is a time to start tying up loose ends, finishing projects and feeling gratitude and fullness. Being more introspective; check in with yourself, evaluate and learn from your past.
And finally, winter is a time of comfort, quiet and healing. Deep connection and intimacy, and feeling rooted and rested. Looking inward for any validation you need, doing the deep inner work, practicing self care and feeling authentically restored and recharged.
Spring activities
Planting seeds
Cleaning your physical space and environment
Making plans for all your work / personal / travel dreams
Spend time reading, visualising and anticipating your adventures ahead
Get back outside and start exploring your local area
Plant fruits / vegetables in preparation for Summer
Summer activities
Big energy output
Travels and exploring new places
Picking fruits and vegetables
Foraging for wild flowers
Walking barefoot
Spending most time outdoors
Making iced teas
Being social + spending time with lots of different people
Expanding your horizons and comfort zone
BBQ’s
Camping + sleeping outdoors
Autumn activities
Picking apples
Harvesting all fresh produce
Pickling and canning foods to preserve for winter
Baking pies + crumbles
Celebrating the wins and practicing gratitude
Bringing nature indoors
Roasting nuts
Carving pumpkins
Winter activities
Roasting vegetables + making soups
Eating lots of warming foods
Staying warm and cozy by a log fire
Journaling
Gentle exercise like yoga and pilates
Deep rest + recuperation
Resting
Setting goals/intentions for the year ahead
Nurturing mind/body/soul
Rejuvenating creative juices + inspiration
Planning the year ahead + reviewing the year gone past
Exercise
When we talk exercise I’m being specific to the physical activities we choose to do for exercise; boxing, running, rowing, HIIT, yoga, pilates etc…
As our energy waxes and wanes throughout the year, the hours of daylight we have changes, and the weather + temperatures vary, so too should our choices in exercise.
Naturally our ancestors would have travelled, hunted (and run), walked + worked to gather and harvest food and being far more active through the months of spring and summer, and spend more time inside, huddled round a fire and staying safe through autumn and winter.
Our choices in exercise frequency and activity should reflect that.
Focusing on a higher intensity of cardio and exercise frequency through spring and summer, and slowly phasing into a less frequent and gentler routine from autumn to winter. Slowly increasing to repeat the cycle again come Spring.
Sleep
We all have a natural circadian rhythm. One that’s disrupted in our modern world by digital devices, blue light, streetlights and all electrical equipment.
When it comes to the seasons we all know that our hours of daylight increase in spring and summer, and the hours of darkness increases as we move through autumn and winter.
Sleep quality is one of the most important things we can Focus on for both energy, brain function, and health. Our bodies do the majority of healing while we sleep, our brains reset and process the day, our organs cleanse + repair, and so much more…
In terms of seasonal living affecting your sleep; the hours of daylight are our guide. We should be sleeping more, resting and replenishing through the autumn and winter. And sleeping less, making the most of the longer days, in Spring and summer.
When we work this way we move and live with our bodies natural rhythm. Rather than push and force against our bodies natural needs to keep going at 100mph, even in winter. Which can lead to exhaustion, illness, and burnout.
And the theme running through all of these… health and wellbeing of your mind, body and soul. Because by living with the seasons we also create a lifestyle that encompasses most of the jigsaw pieces that all humans need to support our health and wellbeing. Both slow living and seasonal living give us intention and help us become more in tune with ourselves. A meaningful way of living each day and practicing self care.
xo Emily
