Deepening Stillness with Autumn Sit Spots

Deepening Stillness Amidst Falling Leaves

Deepening stillness isn’t just about slowing down, it’s about shifting how we listen, observe, and relate to the natural world around us.

Autumn, with its cooling air and falling leaves, offers a unique opportunity to enter this quieter space.

As nature sheds its layers and prepares for rest, we’re invited to do the same: to pause, settle, and root ourselves in presence.

One of the most accessible and powerful ways to engage with this seasonal energy is through a sit spot practice.

The simple, intentional act of returning to the same place outdoors to be still, observe, and connect.

As the forest transforms in color and texture, our own inner landscapes often shift in subtle ways too.

By creating space to witness both, we can cultivate a deeper relationship with stillness, one that nourishes clarity, groundedness, and belonging.

In this article, we’ll explore how to choose and prepare a sit spot, how to engage your senses with autumn’s distinct language, and how journaling can help deepen your reflection and gratitude.

Let the season guide you, not into doing more, but into being more fully here.

The Power of Deepening Stillness Amidst Falling Leaves

As the forest shifts into its fiery finale, there’s no better time to root into presence.

Autumn offers a unique invitation: to sit still, witness change, and soften into quiet.

Amid falling leaves and cooling air, the practice of a “sit spot”, returning to the same outdoor place regularly for still observation, becomes a sacred ritual of seasonal attunement.

Let’s explore how to embrace this practice of deepening stillness this fall.

---

1. Selecting & Preparing Your Outdoor Sit Spot

Not all sit spots are created equal, but the best ones don’t require dramatic landscapes.

What matters is a place you can return to regularly.

Here’s how to choose:

• Proximity & Accessibility: Pick a spot close to home so there’s no barrier to showing up. A corner of a park, backyard, or quiet trail bend is perfect.
• Shelter & Safety: Choose a place protected from strong wind and excess foot traffic. It should feel private, calm, and physically comfortable.
• Subtle Activity: Look for an area where change happens slowly — a shifting tree line, a squirrel’s foraging path, or a trickling stream.

Bring to your sit spot:

• A blanket or cushion
• Warm layers (especially as temperatures drop)
• A thermos with tea (optional)
• A small nature journal

Preparation isn’t about gear, it’s about intention. Arrive gently, offer a moment of gratitude, and let the spot welcome you.

---

2. Five-Sense Invitations Tailored to Autumn

Autumn is alive with sensory magic. Use the following five-sense prompts to connect more deeply at your sit spot:

Sight

• Watch the leaf fall spiral — trace its descent.
• Observe the subtle browns, golds, and purples emerging in bark, soil, and sky.

Sound

• Listen for the quiet crunch of a distant step or the hollow tap of wind on bare branches.
• Can you hear the difference between a falling oak leaf and a birch?

Scent

• Inhale the earthy perfume of decay — fungal, sweet, grounded.
• Smell the cool edge of rain approaching.

Touch

• Feel the cool ground through your blanket.
• Notice the textures: rough bark, soft moss, brittle leaves.

Taste

• Bring seasonal herbs or wild teas (where safe). Try a warm sip of pine needle tea or apple cider.
• Let the crispness of the air itself be a kind of taste — a “mouth-feel” of autumn.

These small invitations cultivate presence without performance. No need to “do”, just notice.

---

3. Journaling Prompts for Reflection & Gratitude

Writing deepens the relationship between inner and outer worlds. After each sit, consider reflecting with these autumn-specific journaling prompts:

• What did I notice today that I hadn’t before?
• How is my sit spot changing as the season progresses?
• What is something I feel ready to release, like the trees let go of leaves?
• What in this moment am I grateful for — not in general, but right now?

You can also sketch the landscape or trace a leaf’s outline, your journal becomes a time capsule of autumn’s slow unfolding.

---

4. Building a Weekly Autumn Sit Spot Habit

Consistency transforms a sit spot into a sanctuary. Here’s how to embed this into your fall rhythm:

• Schedule It: Attach your sit spot to something you already do, a Sunday walk, post-lunch break, or just before sunset.
• Track It: Use a simple checklist or app to mark when you visit.
• Celebrate Small: Even 10 minutes counts. The forest doesn’t require hours, it just requires presence.
• Invite Others: Consider a silent sit with a friend, then share reflections afterward.

Over time, you’ll notice the land recognizing you, the birds return, the squirrels don’t flinch.

You’ve become part of the place.

---

🍁 Embracing and Deepening the Stillness

Autumn is a season of letting go, of slowing down, turning inward, and appreciating impermanence.

A regular sit spot practice invites you to mirror the forest’s rhythm.

In the deepening stillness, transformation happens, quietly, slowly, and deeply.