Our lives, much like nature, move in seasons. There are Summers for action, activity, and growth, and Winters for quietude, stillness, and healing. Each phase is equally important and relevant (like Yin and Yang), in order to live a balanced, harmonious life.

Each season brings some common and predictable patterns that can affect our health. For example, as we move from summer into autumn we may see the ‘winter blues’ starting to creep in and an irregularity in digestion as a result of the seasonal change in diet. Understanding why these patterns occur can help us to develop strategies against these seasonal tendencies and therefore maintain maximum wellbeing.

When your mood is low it is tempting to turn to sugary, high-calorie treats to lift your spirits but there are better food choices to help shift your outlook. Combining the right food choices with stress relief, better sleep and regular exercise may be the answer to a brighter, cheerier outlook.

Doing this practice regularly not only shifts your mood, but it actually changes the neural pathways in your brain. At first, and especially if you’re new to this sort of thing, you may find you have resistance to this. You might think “how can this even work?” Or you might feel it’s too new age or woo woo — not practical or action-based.

Align and adjust your life, yoga and meditation practice with the seasonal changes by tuning in with the intrinsic powers of the 5 element system used in Taoist practices. We, human beings, are a biochemical formation of atoms, molecules, and cells. Within the deepest fibres of our body we share the same atomic footprint as our surrounding nature.

Life is an uncertain roller coaster. You can choose to embrace it and enjoy the ride, joyfully learning from your experiences along the way; or you can choose to rebel against all of life’s challenges, resenting every moment of your journey.

Los Angeles-based yoga teacher, life design coach and writer Mary Beth LaRue has created the life of her dreams—but she had to overcome her fair share of fear and self-doubt to get there.

Always learning new things, and staying busy with friends and favorite activities — is exactly what the experts say can help keep our thinking skills sharp. "Cognitive and social engagement have been shown to be protective against cognitive decline, whereas hearing loss, depression, and social isolation are associated with cognitive decline," says Dr. Kathryn Papp, a neuropsychologist and instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School.

On average, how many hours do you sleep each night? For most healthy adults, guidelines suggest at least seven hours of slumber. But these are general recommendations and not strict rules. "Some people need less than seven hours, while others might need more," says Eric Zhou with the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Being apart of the yoga world can make you become more connected with your thoughts and actions. When you practice yoga you create a stronger core, back, and mind. This strength that your body creates not only becomes apart of us physically but also mentally, allowing you to trust yourself in times of need.