Hello friends, Today I would like to share with you a few ways how you can live seasonally and enjoy the autumn season during darker, rainier days. As much as I love autumn myself, I struggle with seasonal affective disorder. Going from sunny summer days to gloomy autumn, shorter days and colder temperatures can take a toll on your body and mental health. These are a few of my favourite, very tiny, but effective ways to bring yourself back into present and enjoy the ordinary and mundane during the season of change.
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🎃 ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE
1.5 kg pumpkin of choice (I like to use butternut squash) 3 medium carrots 200g cherry tomatoes 1 head of garlic 1 large onion Thyme Olive oil Salt & pepper to taste 500ml water 1 can of coconut milk (400ml) Spices of choice - I used 1/4 tsp of cayenne, 1 tsp dried herbs and 1/2 tsp of turmeric Optional: 100g cheddar cheese 🎃 Preheat the oven to 180C/ 356F Cut pumpkin to remove seeds, then chop the rest into wedges. You can remove the skin right away or roast with the skin on. Peel carrots, remove skin from onion and cut into wedges, cut the top off the garlic head. Place everything (including tomatoes) onto the roasting tray, pour olive oil adding extra on top of garlic, sprinkle with salt, pepper and add fresh thyme on top (or use dry herbs). Roast for 40 mins or until pumpkin and other vegetables look soft and caramelised,
🎃 In the meantime prepare the croutons. I like to use sourdough bread or brown bread for this as I prefer the flavour. Cut a few slices of bread into cubes. Place into a bowl, add salt, olive oil (about 2 tbsp), dried herbs. Cover with the lid and shake. Place onto a preheated pan on small heat and fry turning occasionally until almost fully dry. It should take about 15-20 mins. When almost fully dry, place onto a flat surface and croutons should continue drying by themselves while they cool down.
🎃 When veggies are ready, remove from the oven and let cool down. Remove thyme, separate pumpkin from skin, place into a big sauce pan or deep cast iron. Add all the remaining vegetables and squeeze garlic out into the bowl. Add 500ml of water and blend everything together with the immersion blender. Water is needed to help blend your veggies, you might want to use a little bit less of water depending on how thick you want your soup. Place onto a small heat, add spices of choice (1 tsp dried herbs, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp turmeric), salt, pepper to taste. Add coconut milk and heat up until simmering. Add grated cheddar cheese and mix until melted.
If using regular cream instead of coconut milk, I'd suggest doubling the amount of water (or using veggie stock) and using 200ml of cream instead of 400ml of coconut milk. #slowliving#autumn#rainydays
It seems autumn arrived so suddenly in my corner of the world,
brought in by heavy rains, ink skies and chilling wind that ruthlessly sweeps through my hair.
It seems yesterday I was still walking barefoot on warm, soft grass, picking wildflowers on a hill.
And today all I want is to stay cozy, listen to the raindroplets patter on the window,
and drink hot coffee, warm and snugly under a blanket, after a moody autumn walk.
While I love autumn with my whole heart, I must admit that I too struggle with the
yearly seasonal depression and melancholy thoughts that come at the turn of seasons.
Now more than ever I crave comfort and peace,
which I believe first and foremost starts with a clear and calm mind.
It starts from intention in every action. From paying attention, truly, really noticing and
seeing and experiencing the beauty of the world around you. In this fast-paced world,
where change seems constant and life sometimes feels like it's passing us by,
taking intentional time to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the changing seasons
becomes its own form of meditation. And this is what today's video is about. A few tiny ways how
you can stay present in the most ordinary moments this autumn. A few little ways to live seasonally
prepare a coffee. It's quite rare that we take the time to truly appreciate the textures,
the aromas and flavors of this process.
Is it even autumn if you don't make yourself a daily cozy drink? I am making a coffee, as
that's what I love the most. But you can make tea, or hot chocolate, or the fabled pumpkin spice
latte, which I am yet to try. Yes, as an autumn lover I confess, I never tried a pumpkin spice latte.
One thing we seem to overlook so often is that life isn't in the grand big events and
achievements. Sometimes having a warm drink on a cold day is enough to bring comfort and peace.
Life is in every single moment indeed. In textures, smells, sights of most ordinary mundane things.
It's in the way you make coffee in the morning. How most of the time we prepare it in a rush,
gulp it down quickly, in a hurry to start and embrace the day.
Or you can find a moment to slow down, make a decision. What kind of coffee do I want today?
What taste or texture do I fancy at this particular moment? Do I want the cozy,
smooth, warming, milky sweetness? Or do I want a sharp, bitter wake-up from the black pour-over?
Carefully measure and grind the beans, smell the warmth of an espresso,
put effort into making a silky smooth milk foam.
Living seasonally is about embracing the moment without any distractions.
And this is the first step to slowing down your pace and paying attention.
can slow down and create a cozier life for yourself when the outside gets gloomy and dark.
I struggle pretty badly with seasonal affective disorder and at times like this, I think sitting
down quietly with yourself or meditating for three minutes in a day can already bring that
state of peace and calm into your mind. I wanted to introduce you to Headspace today,
as this is something that I've been using for over a decade at various moments of change in
my own life. This is truly something that I've been using and I can stand behind. I first started
meditating as a 20-something year old, burnt out, still living in the city, seeking clarity and
comfort in my own mind but not having the tools to help regulate myself, breathe and stay calm.
When I first quietly sat down with myself, it felt like all of those feelings, thoughts and
emotions did nothing but flood my overwhelmed mind even more. This is where having someone
guide you through the process can be extremely helpful and at the time Headspace was that
guiding voice that helped me calm my busy mind. Right now, as many of you know, I am going through
yet another very big change in my life, so finding that inner peace and staying calm
in this transition is more important than ever. What I love about Headspace is that you don't
necessarily need to sit in a room in order to use the app, nor do you have to spend an overwhelming
amount of time on it. For someone who's trying to reduce the screen time as much as possible,
this is very very helpful. You can have a session that only lasts three minutes or five minutes or
20 minutes, whatever helps you stay more consistent with it. There are many scenarios where you can
use your guide to a calmer and more focused existence, from making coffee in the morning
to taking a walk in nature or city or simply sitting down, meditating, breathing or even
falling asleep. It is really versatile and I simply cannot recommend it enough, so if you need
help and guidance towards a calmer and more peaceful mind or help with breathwork and
meditation, you can use the link below to access your 60-day free trial with Headspace. Right,
let's go back and explore even more ways how to stay present and live seasonally this autumn.
I do love to romanticize the gloomy days sometimes. I take it as a seasonal activity as well.
There are places like Oxford which become simply magical when it's raining and cloudy outside.
I know most of us tend to stay within our own four walls as the weather turns,
becoming a little too isolated, a little too sad.
Which is why, if you can, take yourself out for a walk on a gray day.
Imagine yourself a character in a book, a magical or gothic sort of novel.
Sometimes we focus too much on the certain outcome or scenario in order to enjoy life.
We wait for a rainy cloud to pass, for a better opportunity to come,
for the sunshine to suddenly appear. But I think instead of waiting, we have to go and look with
eyes wide open, yawning to notice the beauty even when it seems like everything around has turned
a little too bleak. On days like this, I like visiting historic cities,
towns or villages in the rain. Search for hidden details and ornaments in historic architecture.
Explore locations of favorite movies or spend some time exploring museums and bookshops.
Or simply go to a local cafe. Order a hot drink with a sweet treat, of course,
sit by the window with a book or quietly observe the passers-by.
I wonder, what sort of lives are they all living?
The sun came out suddenly right after the rain, for a very brief moment,
making the start of autumn so colorful once again.
I picked up fresh garden flowers from a little village honesty stall on my way back home.
Dahlias are my favorite seasonal flowers I look forward to each year.
Coincidentally, they symbolize inner strength and positive transformation,
which is a lovely symbol for the start of autumn indeed.
But of course, perhaps the greatest way to live seasonally is to introduce more and more
warming autumnal flavors into your diet. Apples, pumpkins, all sorts of squashes,
cinnamon, spices become a warming staple this season and something to really be excited about
as the weather turns. Honestly, I believe a hearty warm pumpkin soup is the cure
for any seasonal affective disorder and such a comfort for the soul.
To me, cooking, baking, coming up with recipes is yet another form of meditation.
I love the act of picking ingredients, imagining flavors, their combinations,
perhaps trying something new or even risky at times.
Touching raw foods with my bare hands, focusing my mind on nothing but the process of preparation.
The taste, the smell, the sight of a warm cooked meal. It's so simple, so ordinary, so mundane.
But sometimes I like to put a little extra effort into making it feel magical.
It's also yet another way to stay present and creative when you learn what's seasonal,
when you get to understand what's local, what's available at its prime, only now,
for a short period of time. Of course, we have such variety and availability of produce at any
grocery store, but seasonal living and mindful cooking is about learning where these ingredients
I want to talk about today is, of course, spending some time in nature. Right now is the most perfect
season for forest bathing, a concept I talked about before in one of my autumn videos,
but I would like to bring it up again. Forest bathing is a concept that came from Japan,
Shinrin-yoku in Japanese. It's a practice of immersing yourself in a forest,
focusing on sensory experiences to reduce stress and improve health and mental well-being.
I like to sit quietly in the woods for a brief moment,
absorb the environment around me before embarking on a journey of exploration.
Forest bathing can boost your mood, improve heart health and even strengthen your immune
system by promoting the release of beneficial chemicals called phytoncides that get released
by trees. You don't have to focus on strenuous activities or making a certain amount of steps
in a day, but simply immerse yourself in nature's smells, sounds, textures. I love to touch the mossy
floors, hug trees and take it as a sport to find signs of autumn in the woods. I know,
hugging trees might sound a little funny for some, but trees carry energy, the positive kind,
and at the moment of overwhelm I found them to be a peaceful solace. Trees are grounded,
and they stood here way before us. I wonder how many living beings walked past
and made their homes on these trees. Oh, and they're also a wonderful way to shelter yourself
from both the harsh summer sun or the drizzling autumn rain. There are so many ways to immerse
yourself in this season. Stay calm and present through intention. I hope you find an activity
that makes you feel your best. Thank you for spending your time here with me again.
I will see you soon.
