The hot summer days are giving way to crisper, cooler air, as we transition into Autumn.
You may have already reached for a jumper, or laid a warm blanket on your bed. There’s a definite change in the air.
Some of the trees have already started turning around the Peninsula, as the bright green colour of summer gives way to the vibrant yellow, auburn and reds of Autumn. It’s a very visual reminder of the change of season happening in nature, and a beautiful one at that. The tree’s are preparing themselves for winter, and showing us the beauty of letting go as they will soon drop their leaves.
March is the transition from summer to winter, where day and night become of equal length and the light and dark are perfectly balanced before topping over into the dark phase of the year.
The earth gets ready to move into the Yin phase, slowly shifting from being more outward to more inward. This is the perfect time to ground down and practice balance in our lives.
Local Peninsula yogi Dani Pritchard explains it beautifully:
“Balancing both our internal world and our external activities. Balancing parts of our selves; the active and the passive, the known and the unknown, the seen and the unseen. The practical and the intuitive, the light and the shadows. From this place of acceptance and unity comes balance. When balanced we are able to open new doors with our renewed energy.”
We start to “harvest” and gather our supplies for the winter; bright coloured orange pumpkins and squash. It’s the time of year where we shift our energy from outward to inward. We slow the pace of life down a little, and start to release the busy-ness of the summer period. Our gaze turns within, as we too start preparing for the colder months ahead.
A great way to shift your attention inward and to devote time to yourself is to start a journaling practice.
“Journaling is good for your health, your emotions, your soul and your mind. It allows you to connect with yourself at a deeper level and make sense of yourself and your world. Even if you have no idea what to write, it doesn’t matter; the very act of spending that time with yourself is great in itself. Journaling is not focused on the end result or a specific outcome – it’s all about the experience.”
You can check out more on journaling here: “4 Reasons To Journal”.
The best way to stay healthy according to Traditional Chinese Medicine is learning about the nature of each season, and living in harmony with it’s spirit. If we see that nature is slowing down and contracting, preparing to rest – we realise that it’s also good for us to do the same. Sleeping a little longer, eating warming nourishing food, and moving inward – paying extra attention to our internal lives.
“Because the metal element of Autumn is associated with our sense of self worth, this is the season to give ourselves some extra attention and self love, so that instead of seeking value outside, like chasing status, money, and power, we can be content inside and know that we have (and always have had) everything we will ever need, and are all perfect, complete beings.”
– Chinese Medicine Living
Autumn Associations in Chinese Medicine:
- Element: Metal
- Yin Organ: Lungs
- Yang Organ: Large Intestine
- Emotion: Grief/Sadness
- Climate: Dryness
- Stage of Development: Harvest
- Flavour: Pungent
- Colour: White
- Sense Organs: Nose
Acupuncture at the change of seasons is also another great way to amp up your level of self care.
A “seasonal balance” is a treatment specifically designed to harmonise your body with the changing natural world around us. It is directed at specific acupuncture points that change by time with the seasons.
Based on the ancient Chinese “I-Ching” method, specific acupuncture points are selected that balance entire meridians using only a few points. Seasonal balances can be good for symptoms that have a cyclic or timing based cause. This could be symptoms that started suddenly at a specific point in time, or from a specific event in time, or conflicting symptoms that are hard to pin point. A seasonal balance can also help boost your immunity for the upcoming flu season.
In need of a seasonal balance?
Come in and see one of our acupuncturists today.
To book your next appointment at Mornington Chinese Medicine please call us on ph: 5973 6886.