Yoga, Ritual, and the Seasons: Reflections on Hallowe’en
It’s Hallowe’en weekend here in Canada, and it’s just the most perfect spooky weather – the wind is whipping orange and red leaves around the street, pumpkins and ghouls decorate front yards, and families are busy preparing costumes, finding the biggest pillowcases to collect candy, and planning the perfect trick-or-treating route.
This time of year always reminds me of the importance of traditions.
Growing up with parents from different backgrounds, we followed the general yearly traditions of Canada – the seasonal holidays, family gatherings, and special meals – and, like most families, we created our own small rituals too. But when I moved to Australia, some of those traditions didn’t come with me. Hallowe’en was one of them.
It makes me reflect on how traditions – and their loss – shape us.
When we move away from our families or home countries, or when modern life pulls us into a faster rhythm, we can lose those regular markers that remind us of the passage of time, the turning of the seasons, and the cycles of life.
Without these shared rituals, we can feel a subtle emptiness – a longing for connection, meaning, or rhythm in our days.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why so many of us are drawn to yoga.
Yoga offers us meaningful rituals and traditions that meet this deep human need. The simple act of rolling out a mat becomes a kind of sacred preparation. Lighting a candle, beginning with centering, chanting, or even a few deep breaths – these are small rituals that help us pause, acknowledge, and connect.
Over time, the practice itself becomes a way of marking the cycles of life. The phases of breath mirror the turning of seasons. Our asana practice shifts with our energy, age, and the time of year. The transitions between postures invite awareness of beginnings and endings, much like the transitions between months or years.
As yoga teachers and teachers-in-training, this is something beautiful to share:
that yoga is not just exercise or self-care, but also a ritual of remembering – a way to reconnect with ourselves, with one another, and with the rhythm of nature.
So, this weekend, whether you’re carving pumpkins and celebrating Hallowe’en in Canada, enjoying the warmth of spring in Australia, or simply noticing the subtle shifts wherever you are in the world – take a moment to honour your own rituals, traditions, and practices. These small acts of awareness can help us move more mindfully through the seasons of transition, reminding us that we are part of nature’s cycles, not separate from them.
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