Samhain: 3 Ways to Create Ease in the Liminal Space

As October comes to a close, we celebrate Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, or Dia de Los Muertos, or Samhain. Names originating from different cultures but still sharing many similarities: celebration, honoring ancestors before us through tradition, endings and beginnings. This time marks the end of fall harvest and the transition toward winter, almost exactly halfway between the autumn equinox and winter solstice. It is a liminal space of time between an ending and a beginning. A time of reflection and releasing of the past and envisioning and planning for the future.

This liminal space can be felt on many levels, sometimes in an obvious way, and other times in more subtle ways. During this time of year, as the leaves begin to fall, the world around us becomes bright with color, warm, yet crisp in the air, and there is this fleeting fragment of time that feels comforting and enveloping before the cold, bitter snaps of winter. Or, rather than feeling comforting and enveloping, a realization of the cold approaching has an opposite effect. The approach and outlook of this liminal space can vary and in turn, can alter the ease of such a transition.

Yoga has its own liminal space within many of its practices. Yoga is a whole-body system, meaning it is not just a physical asana practice, but involves our emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies as well. In asanas, there is a fraction of time lingering between the end of one pose, and the beginning of another, time hanging in the balance between breath and stillness. Sometimes there is some forethought of how to move from one pose to the next - what that transition pose will be and other times, it’s an internal dance of flow and movement, automated in feeling and instinct. In pranayama, there is the stillness and hold of the breath between the inhale and exhale. In meditation, the stillness and reflection that occurs once the mind has settled - even if for just a fraction of time before the thoughts begin again. Conversely, while each of these practices can have ease in transition, ease in the liminal space, there are also times when thoughts become too overpowering or breath cannot seem to settle, and this space that once had flow is now uncomfortable and difficult to navigate.

In our personal lives, the liminal space, and our approach to such, is just as evident. Take a moment to think of a time where a chapter was closing in your life, or some kind of loss or change occurred. Was there awareness that something was ending and another beginning? Or perhaps there was an understanding that there was a new beginning but without clarity of what or how. Could you feel that space of time between? Where the ending had become the past, yet the future had yet to unfold? A stagnation of sorts, felt in the metaphoric air between times. How did you handle that liminal space? What feelings came up for you during that time? When you look back in hindsight, could you identify helpful ways you navigated through it all? Or maybe ways that weren’t so beneficial that you now have learned from?

There’s a beauty to hindsight and reflection. As you practice it with more consistency, it becomes easier to move through your life with intention, even during the challenging times and uncomfortable liminal spaces. It provides a chance for growth and learning, and changing how you approach the unknown.

Incorporate Ease During Samhain & the Liminal Space

Whether you’re practicing yoga, experiencing a challenging time, or simply living your everyday life, we are constantly transforming into someone new. It’s part of being human. We never stay the same, and as they say, change is the only constant in this life. That being said, we will always encounter that liminal space, that transition from ending to beginning. There will always be the you that you once were, and the you that you are still becoming. Whether these transitions are subtle or uncomfortably obvious, how can we embrace this space and incorporate reflection and stillness to our benefit?

Sync with Nature

Whether it is Samhain, the time between fall and winter, or any other day of the year where the liminal space is present for you, connecting with nature means connecting within yourself. It is the macro and the micro. Going for a walk, sitting outside in the sun, journaling under a tree - it doesn’t matter how you choose to spend time in nature, just that you do. This seemingly subtle connection with the natural world reminds you that you are also a rhythmic being that ebbs and flows, and serves as a gentle reminder of change. In addition, spending more time outdoors allows your optic nerves to take in natural light, naturally balancing your circadian rhythm, which in turn balances our hormone levels, such as cortisol (the stress hormone).

Connect with Your Breath

When our systems experience chaos, disruption, or stress our body responds accordingly to ensure safety and survival: increased heartbeat, rapid breathing, spikes in cortisol and adrenaline. While this can be beneficial in the short term, it brings us out of coherence between the mind and body, which can significantly alter our sense of clarity. Taking time to connect with your breath, regulate it and bring your parasympathetic system back into balance, can help create ease in this liminal space, and potentially provide more insight.

Solitude or Community?

Sometimes solitude is most beneficial during a time of reflection and stillness. And sometimes it just feels lonely and isolating. Check in with yourself frequently during these times and ask, do I need time with myself? Will that make me feel safe for now? Or, do I need to be reminded I am not alone during this time by seeking out community and support? We are a species that originated in community and interdependence. It can be helpful and a great reminder that we share similar experiences, even when they vary in detail.

Embrace Samhain and the Liminal Space

Whether you practice yoga or not, in our everyday lives it’s important to allow ourselves that same space and moment to take in the present before we transition to the next step, to simply allow the stillness, the discomfort, or the unknown. The same importance can be said for allowing a chance of celebration and honor as a chapter ends - giving gratitude for what was, processing and accepting the change, and welcoming what is yet to come. And along the way, remembering to connect with nature, connect with your breath, and seeking community if that feels right at that time.

Sol Luna Yoga Mission Statement

Sol Luna Yoga brilliantly weaves together
the vibrant, energizing power of the sun
with the calm, reflective strength of the moon.

Our studio space is a refuge
from the storms of life,
and we teach our students how to
hold that sense of dynamic peace inside their bodies, wherever they go.

As we explore a mindful practice
of being present with the body
and moving with intention,
we experience the capacity for deep connection within ourselves and with the world around us.

We learn to respond to life with healthy strategies
rather than react to life with our old, ineffective habits.
We live with greater balance:
physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually.

We nurture ourselves
and hold compassionate space
for the people around us.

Regardless of past experiences
or lack thereof,
we invite you to
explore your potential
for goodness and grace.

We invite every body to
experience what it’s like
to reflect, renew, and radiate
all the light inside.

Be a part of our community: through the endings, the beginnings, the liminal spaces, and transformation.