Your Body's Autumn Algorithm
What shorter days and longer exhales have in common
I live in Miami, where the air itself has texture. Thankfully, at this point in the year, it’s getting to be the good kind.
Cold? Hardly.
But less sticky. And crisp enough to notice the temperature difference when I walk out to my car in the morning. Add shorter daylight hours and leaves blowing in the wind and you’ve got some serious fall vibes.
If this is the case in Miami of all places, then I’m guessing you’re likely having some sort of autumnal experience yourself. And if you’ve been feeling slower – more tired, a little fuzzy, less eager to push – here’s a thought: maybe that’s your body syncing with the season.
We think of fall as something that happens outside. But it’s happening inside you, too.
When Nature Sets the Pace for You
Your nervous system reads environmental cues like a barometer.
Shorter daylight hours means melatonin (your sleep hormone) rises earlier while cortisol (your “get shit done” hormone) drops sooner. Cooler air signals your lungs to slow their rhythm. Even the change in the colors around us from summer brights to earth tones reduces visual stimulation, inviting calm.
Your biology’s already moving into recovery mode. But the pace of modern life? It missed the memo.
Emails don’t care about daylight cycles. Your to-do list doesn’t dim at sunset. So instead of leaning into fall’s rest-and-regulate energy, we fight it and keep trying to produce summer-energy results from a system wired for slowing.
That tug-of-war is why October can feel like wading through molasses.
You might feel like you’re losing steam. But all you really need is to recalibrate.
The Practice: The Extended Exhale
Think of fall as its own form of nervous-system training.
It cues the parasympathetic branch of your nervous system – the body’s “rest and digest” mode – to take the lead after months of sympathetic overdrive. (If “sympathetic overdrive” sounds stressful, it is. Heat is hard on our bodies.)
In other words, your body’s trying to help you recover, whether you like it or not.
And that’s great news… if you stop fighting the slowdown.
The season’s already cueing your system to rest. The extended exhale is how you breathe in agreement.
Longer exhales tell your body you’re safe. This is why so many breathwork techniques have a longer exhale than inhale. It’s far easier to do anything more effectively if you feel safe.
Here’s a rhythm to try anytime you want to bring your energy (and your heart rate!) down. No mat, no timer, no app required.
Inhale through your nose for four counts. Keep your shoulders down. Focus on feeling your ribs widen, but keep your shoulders down.
Exhale through your mouth for eight counts. Keep it gentle and as soundless as possible.
Pause for a beat before the next inhale. Notice the stillness.
Ten of these breaths takes just 2 minutes and can flip your nervous system from “doing” to “digesting.” And your breath becomes a mirror for what fall already models so well: less rush, more release.
Rest Isn’t Regression
We tend to equate slowing down with slipping behind, but that’s not how nature works. The trees outside your window aren’t losing their life; they’re pulling their energy inward to sustain themselves through winter. It’s extremely efficient, if you think about it.
Now, I’m not telling you to go dormant until spring. There are ways you can honor that same energy without losing your edge.
You can try working in shorter, focused bursts. Dim your lights earlier in the evening. Step outside at dusk and focus on breathing the cool air. Let “productive” and “peaceful” coexist for once.
When you stop fighting the rhythm of the season, you stop fighting yourself.
Last Gasp
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus
Beauty doesn’t only bloom in expansion. Sometimes, it lives in the exhale.
Ready to regulate with the season?
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