As summer slowly shifts into autumn, we move through a transitional phase regarded as a season of its own in Chinese medicine. While summer is the season of fire and heat, Indian Summer features the earth element which governs the spleen and stomach. This is the time when kids return to school and cooler mornings and evenings calm the sun’s heat, which can still be quite intense during the afternoon. The final harvest of grains and grapes takes place in this fifth season before the chill of fall sets in, so we could also call it the time of bread and wine.
If our body’s earth element is imbalanced, there may be digestive problems which can throw all the other body systems off because digestion is so central to our wellbeing. Worry and stress, so predominant now with the world’s chaos, can seriously affect digestion.
Also consider the ways you are nurturing yourself. Types of food are of course important along with eating what’s in season, such as all of the squashes ripening now with their beautiful orange and yellow colors that are attributed to the earth element.
You can also nourish yourself by directly connecting to the earth element. Try laying on the ground and feel how you are held by our mothering earth. Or try gardening and getting your hands directly in the earth so you can absorb the beneficial soil microbes that enhance immunity. Walking barefoot on the earth is another popular form of grounding.
Indian Summer is a good time to reconsider your diet and to tune-up the digestive system with acupuncture or holistic health. Poor food choices and sluggish digestion can derail your health, so come in for a session of acupuncture or holistic health at a 15 % discount until Oct.1st.
Summer is approaching! In Chinese medicine, this season is associated with the Heart, the fire element and Yang outgoing energies. It’s the time when we feel the urge to travel, leave behind the familiar and the routine and open to new adventures and people.
Spring greetings from Inner Balance. It’s the season of the liver, the organ associated with spring in Chinese medicine. The liver is also regarded as the general of the body and subordinate to the ruler, which is the heart. According to TCM, the liver houses the will and if toxic it may hold onto anger and resentment. So spring is a very good time to tonify and cleanse the liver with veggies like beets and artichokes and green juices, along with occasional apples. You could even forage for nettle and dandelion and make a spring tonic and cleansing tea for the liver, and drink it while focusing on letting go of any stuck energy in that area.
