Balance. More energy. Focus. Inner Calm. These are all things in our modern fast-paced world we crave. But even when we consistently meditate or do our yoga practice, taking care of ourselves in the midst of the demands of our daily lives is challenging.

Why? The ancient sages predicted in these times we would face levels of intensity that our “internal operating systems” were just not prepared for. Think about the amount of information you process or number of things you do in a day, compared to what people did just twenty years ago. The increase in speed and quantity has risen exponentially, and it’s not slowing down.

About a decade ago, after climbing the corporate ladder to live my passion of teaching self-love and feminine power, I realized that the pace at which I was operating was unsustainable. I knew if I didn’t find a different way, I was going to deplete my most vital resource – me. So I “asked” these ancient sages a question:

How do you do what you love, take care of what you love, achieve success, and have an impact in the world in a way that includes instead of sacrifices your personal health and happiness?

I figured that while the ancient sages didn’t have all our modern comforts, they seemed to live in a more harmonious rhythm. What I found in the yogic, divine feminine and earth-based traditions I was steeped in, was a common answer:

Ancient Wisdom:

One of the main reasons we feel so out of balance is because we are out of sync with the natural rhythms of the earth. To be in harmony, physically and spiritually, one must be in harmony with both the natural physical and spiritual worlds.

This made all the sense in the world to me. We live on earth. We are physical matter just like the earth. But we are not in tune with the earth. We spend hours on computers.

We are more attuned to the speed of Internet than to the steadiness of the trees. @ChristineArylo (Click to Tweet!)

We count time passing and set goals made on calendar systems with twelve months and four weeks that were constructed by man, instead of instructed by nature. It’s like the earth is moving one direction, changing speeds in a well-patterned synchronicity, while we just keep running harder and faster at a pace we call “normal” but is anything but natural.

This led me to study deeper, learn more and experiment with how to make this ancient wisdom practical in my daily life – in how I run my business, make my choices, and balance giving to others and taking care of myself.

My Modern Translation:

When you attune your body, mind, and spirit to the natural cycles of the earth, you harmonize automatically, and your work, health, wealth, relationships, and life becomes more sustainable, supportive and successful.

What I found was that all three of these traditions had a common practice and philosophy – which always makes me think, there is super power here!

They all had special rituals and practices that centered around four specific times during the year, which I have come to call the “Feminine Super Power Days” – Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and Fall Equinox. These are times of the year that mark a shift of the earth’s energy, each having it’s own kind of rhythm.

Winter Solstice (December), the natural world slows down. Spring Equinox (March), new things are born. Summer Solstice (June), intense creative energy abounds.

And at Fall Equinox, which we are approaching in mid to late September, is known as ‘mid harvest.’ It’s a time to harvest what you’ve been putting your life force towards these past nine months. It’s a time when there is an equal amount of light and dark present in a day – it’s all about balance! So it’s a powerful time to rebalance, restore and refocus your energies too. Also, because things are still growing, and the harvest is not over yet, it’s a time to pause and look forward to see where to best flow your life force the last three months of the year, so that come the end of December, you are restored, cared for and feeling great about what you have achieved.

Pre-internet and industrial revolution, when we were more agriculturally based, we tended and harvested our fields based on these powerful turns of the earth. While most of us are no longer farmers, we each have ‘fields” we tend, cultivate, and grow, they just happen to be the fields of our sacred work, relationships and families, home and wealth, and personal health and happiness.

I hold and practice these feminine super power days as gifts from the Universe and Earth, giving us permission to take the power pauses we need to re-harmonize and re-store and gain clarity, so we make choices that create sustainable, supportive realities for us, our work, and those we care for.

During this Fall Equinox, I invite you to take a super power pause and tap into the specific energy that is available to you, including these three acts of wisdom that will pay off dividends in how you spend and complete these last part of the year:

1. RESTORE & REBALANCE. Become conscious about what your physical body is telling you needs attention and restoration, so you don’t run yourself ragged and fall over in a lump on December 31st. The powerful energy of balance present, gives you super power to find the imbalances in your body that need your attention. When you take the power pause, and listen to your body, you get guidance as to what to proactively adjust and put into place in your day-to-day life – so your body doesn’t revolt later! This re-balancing will help you stay devoted to your wellbeing as you go into the fall and the holidays, so you complete the year feeling restored and recharged, with a full tank ready for the new year.

2. REFLECT & RECEIVE. Look back at the year and see all you have done and become. One of the big reasons we feel overwhelmed and we continue to stay stuck in the patterns of overworking, overdoing, and burning out, is because we don’t pause long enough to really receive what has happened. When you don’t SEE or FEEL what you have already done or become, you just keep pressuring yourself to do and be more. But when you pause to reflect and feel and see what has occurred, you stop making your choices from stress, which leads to creating more to do than is really possible. And you gain the super power to get more clear and focused on what really matters and put your life force there.

3. REFOCUS. Get clear on where to focus your life force the remainder of the year. One of the biggest contributors to burnout and stress is we try to do too much so our energy gets dissipated. Just like in a field of veggies, if you only have so many resources to give and you try to water everything, nothing really thrives. Same with your life. Yes, there are many things you could do the last three months of the year, and many you even want to do, but what really matters most? What will yield the highest returns?

Christine Arylo, m.b.a., is an inspirational catalyst, transformational teacher and best-selling self-love author who teaches people how to put their most important partnership first, the one with themselves, so that they can create the life their souls crave. The popular author of the go-to book on relationships Choosing ME before WE and the self-love handbook, Madly in Love with ME, the Daring Adventure to Becoming Your Own Best Friend, and her newest Reform Your Inner Mean Girl. She’s affectionately known as the “Queen of Self-Love” for her groundbreaking work in self-love, including founding the international day of self-love on Feb 13th. Arylo is the co-founder of the self-love and empowerment school for women, Inner Mean Girl Reform School.  You can follow here on Twitter, FB or visit her sites here & here.