Even though I haven’t attended school in a zillion years, the breathless expectations that come with back-to-school time are welded into my bones. I didn’t put on a tartan skirt, with hair in pigtails, grab my barbie lunchkit and skip off to school this week. But it’s there. School’s starting. Time to buckle down.

It’s time I looked at my white pants with disgust. It’s about time to stop using shocking orange paint on my toenails. It’s time that I gleefully toss the last tablespoon of the husband’s hamburger relish and recycle the bottle (seriously, who over the age of 10 even *eats* relish?). And it’s high time I pulled up my socks.

We call this time “Fall” even though the season doesn’t technically change until the 21st, but really, this is it. Major change. I’m more likely to do resolutions this time of year than January. Try to do some things better. But of course the challenge is keeping it reasonable so I’m likely to stay on the wagon. Here are the tips I’m hoping to follow to keep it somewhat sane.

Work on 25% at a time. I heard a cool thing on the Ayurveda 201 podcast on Hip Tranquil Chick . She said for any change you want to make, work on changing just 1/4 at a time. Now I’d have some hope with that. Instead of quitting something lock stock and barrel, I’m going to try just easing back 25% at a time. I can handle that.

Pick one or two important things to focus on. Don’t bother trying to boil the ocean, if it’s worth doing it’s going to need focus. However I find it’s easier to *add* stuff to my life than to try to *stop* doing something. So if one of my goals is to eat more squash, then bring it on, I can do that and something else too. If my goal is to stop doing something I love? Then I’m gonna focus and not spread myself too thin.

Stay grounded. Ayurvedically-speaking, this time of year can be a very Vata time. Out bodies want to slow down with the seasons and instead we crank it up. So we end up feeling scattered and nutty. So in my yoga practice I’m going to make sure I do my calming forward bends. I’m going to eat warm food, keep some inward focus, take breaks and *breath*.

Wear layers. I’m too all-or-nothing to do the in-between seasons really well. I also often think I know in the a.m. exactly what I’m going to need for the day but in reality the weather is as fickle as, well, the weather. So I’m going to wear layers and be prepared. And put the white pants in storage.

These are a few of my intentions for the Fall, hopefully they’re useful for someone else too. Just remember to find out where the bathrooms are, offer to share your lunch and whatever happens - play nice! Happy back-to-school.