Autumn into Winter 2026

The Series

The brilliance of Summer gradually gives way to the quieter light of Autumn. The days shorten, the air becomes clear and crisp, and the Earth begins to gather its energy inward.

In the Taoist tradition, Autumn is the season of Metal—a time of refinement, discernment and release. We are invited to let experience distill us, to release what has completed its cycle, and to return to what is essential.

Like the trees that surrender their leaves without hesitation, we can loosen our grip on old identities, lingering emotions, and habits that no longer nourish life. The falling leaf is not a failure or an ending to be feared. It is part of the natural intelligence of life: what is no longer needed is released so that energy can return to the roots.

As Autumn deepens, however, something else begins to happen.

The energy that has been refined and gathered begins to sink deeper. The world becomes quieter. Life withdraws toward its roots. The waters grow cold, the nights lengthen, and the inward movement of Autumn gradually becomes the profound stillness of Winter.

This is the passage from Metal to Water.

In this series, we will travel that passage together. We will begin with the qualities of Autumn—breath, refinement, release, discernment and courage—and gradually move toward the qualities of Winter—depth, stillness, conservation, warmth, resilience and the nourishment of our deepest reserves.

Through qigong, meditation, breath, sound, self-care and Taoist inner cultivation, we will nourish the Lungs and Large Intestine as we work with the Metal Element, then gradually turn our attention toward the Kidneys and Water Element as Winter approaches.

The journey is not simply about letting go. 
What we release becomes available to nourish what comes next.

Autumn teaches us to refine and surrender. Winter teaches us to gather, conserve and return to the depths. Together they create a powerful practice of transformation: release, gather, root, rest.

May this season be one of graceful release, quiet strength, deep nourishment, and a return to what is essential.

Practices

Our seasonal journey is grounded in the wisdom of the Five Elements, beginning with the Metal Element and gradually moving toward Water as Autumn gives way to Winter.

Each practice offers a different doorway into this seasonal transition.

Five Elements Qigong

Five Elements Qigong is a contemplative standing practice rooted in the ancient shamanic traditions of Taoism. Through a series of held postures, we evoke the elemental forces as they are expressed in the living Earth—the sun setting beneath the ocean, the stillness of mountain ranges, the vitality of forests, and other landscapes that awaken our imagination and our qi.

As we move through the season, this practice will give us a way to experience the changing relationship between the elements. We begin with the qualities of Metal—clarity, stillness, discernment and refinement—and gradually move toward the deep quiet and inwardness of Water.

The practice may be brief or extended. As the body grows quiet and the breath deepens, the body becomes stronger, the tendons more resilient, and the mind settles into stillness. Over time, the landscapes we evoke become more than images—they become teachers, revealing that the same elemental forces shaping the Earth also shape our own lives.

Five Celestial Animals Qigong

The Five Celestial Animals—also known as the Five Heavenly Beasts—are central figures in Taoist cosmology, representing the Five Elements, the seasons, and the living patterns of the natural world.

Through movement, breath and visualization, we enter into relationship with these mythic beings, cultivating the wisdom and vitality each one embodies.

Rather than simply imitating the animals, this practice invites us to experience their elemental qualities from within—the Dragon’s expansive growth, the Bird’s radiant joy, the Tiger’s courageous discernment, the Tortoise’s quiet endurance, and the Yellow Dragon’s grounded stability.

As we travel from Autumn toward Winter, we will particularly explore the qualities of discernment, courage and release, gradually giving way to the quiet endurance, inwardness and deep reserves of the Tortoise/Water energy.

The Six Healing Sounds (Liu Zi Jue)

One of Taoism’s foundational healing practices, the Six Healing Sounds weaves together breath, sound, movement, color and inner visualization to harmonize the energetic life of the organs.

The Six Healing Sounds will be especially important during the Autumn portion of our journey, when we work with the Lungs and Large Intestine, the organs associated with Metal.

The practice offers a gentle way to work with the emotional landscape of Autumn—particularly sadness and grief—and to discover the courage and clarity that can emerge when we allow those emotions to move rather than holding them inside.

Self Chi Nei Tsang

Chi Nei Tsang is a Taoist abdominal healing practice that helps release the energetic knots created by stress, illness and unresolved experience.

Through a simplified self-care approach, we will learn gentle techniques that encourage the organs to relax, restore the natural flow of qi, and embody the healing qualities awakened through the Six Healing Sounds.

As the series moves toward Winter, Self Chi Nei Tsang becomes another way of turning inward—listening to the body’s deeper messages and creating the conditions for restoration and nourishment.

Bridging Our Inner Elements with the Living Earth

As our practice deepens, it becomes natural to extend our cultivation beyond ourselves and into relationship with the living world. In Taoism, inner harmony and the greater rhythms of nature are never separate.

Throughout the series we will explore the Five Elements as they are expressed in the world around us: the Wood of our plant kin—from mosses and fungi to towering trees; the Fire of the sun, our hearths, and the Earth’s volcanic heart; the Metal of mountains, stone and the minerals held deep within the Earth; the Water of rain, rivers, oceans and the waters flowing through our own bodies; and the Earth itself—the fertile ground from which all life arises and to which all life returns.

As Autumn becomes Winter, we will pay particular attention to the movement from Metal into Water: from stone and mineral, clarity and refinement, toward rain, rivers, oceans and the deep hidden waters beneath the Earth.

These simple rituals invite us to experience the elements not merely as ideas, but as living presences with whom we are in continual relationship.

Taoist Inner Practices for Autumn into Winter

As the series progresses, we will gradually introduce practices that support the deeper inward movement of Winter.

The focus shifts from releasing what is complete toward gathering and conserving what is essential. We will work with practices for grounding, warmth, Kidney energy and resilience, creating a strong foundation for the stillness and restoration of Winter.

Rather than treating Autumn and Winter as separate seasons, we will explore the transition between them as a continuous process: what is refined in Autumn is gathered into the roots in Winter.

Tao Dream Practice

This Autumn into Winter series will not include Tao Dream Practice.

Instead, I will continue offering a separate monthly Dream Practice gathering through the end of the year. By giving dreams their own dedicated space, we can enter more fully into their liminal wisdom, allowing the depth of that work to unfold without asking it to fit within the rhythm of our seasonal practice.

Ten 90-minute Sunday classes.

Free Intro Class: 7:00–8:30pm 
Series: October 18 – December 29