Autumn Practices

Autumn: Letting Go, Seeking Inspiration.

Here are some Valuable practices for the Season:

Resolve old gripes with those around you so that you can move on. Let go of pain that causes you unnecessary suffering. If appropriate, write down the things you need to release, then burn the paper.

Clear out spaces where clutter collects. Do a deep clean and organize medicine cabinets, filing cabinets, storage closets, and bookshelves. Recycle or give away whatever you no longer need.

Autumn is a great time to cleanse the body. Do a short fast or eliminate toxins from you diet. Focus on simple, seasonal cooked foods.

Assess your schedule and clear out any activities that you are done with - pare down to essentials.

Pay special attention to your lungs and breathing - exercise outdoors with an emphasis on filling your lungs with pure air and energy.

Seek out things that inspire you - read an inspiring book, listen to music that moves you, view art that touches you, listen to an inspiring speaker.

Honor that people and things in your life that add value to your experience.

For more information about Five-Element Acupuncture see the Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.

Practices for Late Summer

Take time to really savor - go for a walk in Nature. Walk slowly. Pay attention to the sounds & the smells.

Go apple picking.

Do a gratitude meditation. Spend a few minutes feeling grateful for the people in your life and the ways in which you are blessed.

Visit your farmer's market and savor the visual feast. Take home a basket of goodies and prepare a harvest meal.

Assess your stores:

Do you have what you need on a physical level? This is a good time to asses your cold weather clothing, do any mending that is needed.

Do you have what you need on a mental level? Are there any new skills you want to acquire? Any classes you are interested in taking or books you have been wanting to read?

How are your spiritual stores? Are you feeling peaceful, full & satisfied inside? How do you replenish your Spirit?

The Energy of Late Summer:

Late Summer is the Season of the Earth Element. In each of us, this Element is responsible for receiving and processing nourishment. The Stomach and Spleen are the organs of this Element. When we eat a meal, our Stomach receives and digests our food. The nutrients are then moved throughout the body and assimilated; made a part of us.

The same action happens in the mental and spiritual realms. We take in information and our mind must digest it and assimilate it in order for it to become our own.

I especially notice the functioning of this Element on the spirit level. When our Earth does not function appropriately we feel may unsatisfied, annoyed, or empty.

"Everything in my life is good, but I don't feel good - I should feel grateful, but I just feel burdened by it all, annoyed with everyone who wants my attention, like I just want to get away from it all" might be what is said.

Often times this is the result of not being able to take in and receive nourishment from ones life. People and activities that could feed & replenish us, just turn into burdens. Its like sitting down to a meal when you are still full from the last one - there's just no room to take in anything more. If we are not adequately processing, digesting, and assimilating nothing satisfies.

Acupuncture can directly treat this imbalance - supporting the natural ability to receive and process. There are other ways to help yourself when you notice that you are feeling out of balance in this way. One of the best is to just stop everything. Take a few hours off - no phone, no email, nothing coming in. Let yourself relax and feel the Earth underneath you. Go for a walk, taking in the beauty of your surroundings. Quietly tending to chores can also encourage the Earth to come into balance and process more efficiently.

For more information about Five-Element Acupuncture see The Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.

Summer Practices

Some ideas for Summertime activities:

Celebrate! Take advantage of the natural enthusiasm of the Summer and do things that bring you Joy.

Work from the Heart. Recall your passions and express yourself from your Heart in everything that you do.

Play! Take a tip from little kids. Join a team, get on a swing, paddle a boat, laugh with friends, build a sand castle, play catch, and go hiking

Notice the unique fragrance and presentation of the flowers in bloom. Let yourself blossom and show yourself to the world. See the beauty in those around you.

Eat berries by the handful - its like storing up sweet sunshine for the Winter.

Connect with people you may not have seen in awhile. Reach out to neighbors and extend yourself a little more that you might in cooler months.

Notice when you need a quiet break from it all and take a day to be indoors and more still - a day of quiet Yin within the Yang season.

For more info go to The Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.

Spring Pear Tree

Each spring I closely watch my little pear tree. I see it grow blossoms, each one a part of the tree's plan for the year ahead. I see how much fruit it is hoping to create and mature over the growing season. Some of the blossoms are pollinated and set fruit. I look closely to see the slight swelling within the fading flower which is pear shaped even from its earliest days. I watch excitedly as the fruit begins to grow until I see tiny pears about an inch long. Then, a strange thing happens. The tree drops some of the baby pears. Does it realize that it took on too much? Wise judgment to know that if it tries to go forward with all of the plans, it will not work. So, it edits.

The remaining fruits grow to maturity - a harvest for people and birds to enjoy - and seeds contained inside to grow another generation.

I see this process inside of myself. All of the exciting, hopeful ideas that my mind generates. So much potential! Then, the moment I realize that if I pursue all of them, it will come to nothing - there will not be enough to go around. Am I sufficiently in balance to know what needs to be cut from my plan in order to allow for a successful harvest down the road?

What are you doing when you feel my Pulses?

You have 12 pulses – six on each side. Each pulse corresponds to an organ – your Heart, Liver, Stomach, Large Intestine, etc. When I feel each pulse, I am assessing the functioning of the corresponding organ. I feel your pulses at the beginning of each treatment to evaluate how you are doing on that day and how things have changed since I last saw you. I feel them during and at the end of each treatment to ensure that they have changed for the better. I do not let clients leave until their pulses are significantly improved.

One of the most amazing things about this medicine is the holistic view of the organs. Each organ has physical, mental, and emotional aspects. In fact, we call them Officials, as if they were people working in a kingdom, each in charge of specific tasks. For instance, the Large Intestine Official is in charge of taking out the garbage. This means disposing of physical waste so that it does not build up and slow the workings of the other Officials. It also must clean out Mental garbage – old thoughts or attachments that need to be let go of – cleared out so that our view of the world is not infused with negativity. The Large Intestine Official must also clear out old gripes and grudges as well as sadnesses of the past.

So, when I feel the Large Intestine pulse, I am hearing about all of these levels of functioning. How is your physical waste elimination going? How are you doing with letting go of the past when it is appropriate? Clearing out negative thoughts? Do you need any help here, or are things working well?

Then I move on to the other eleven Officials, listening to how each one is functioning on multiple levels.

In the big picture, I seek to help you & your pulses in two basic ways. First of all, I want to see a good overall balance. Disease begins to develop if some Officials have plenty of energy, while others are struggling. Your pulses reveal very specifically which Officials are deficient and if energy is blocked between Officials.

Secondly, you need to have an abundance of good quality energy available to all of the Officials. Once the energy is relatively balanced among the 12, then there must be plenty to go around. When the energy is insufficient, some Officials will stop functioning optimally.

Long before any disease develops, the pulses reveal imbalances and deficiencies in the system, telling me how to help restore balance, regenerate energy & help prevent illness from occurring.

For more info see The Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle

A Long Winter's Rest

Winter calls us to sink into relaxation and rest, knowing that Spring will bring a burst of light and energy. Now is the time to be quiet. A season of inquiry.

Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself:

• How are my reserves of energy? Have I run myself low? Do I need to replenish?

• Do I manage my energy wisely?

• Are my boundaries appropriate, allowing me to hold my energy and use it consciously?

• Is there space in my life for reflection, stillness, and contemplation?

And some practices:

• Run an experiment - give yourself an afternoon or a day to do nothing other than relax - read a book, nap, let go of all goals. See how you feel at the end of the time.

• Go to the mountains. Walk or snowshoe in the snowy woods. Notice the stillness that the blanket of snow brings and how quiet you become inside as your body comes into harmony with Winter.

• Schedule more time for your inner life. Practice meditation, read books that nourish you, pay more attention to your senses.

• Eat warming foods - focus on cooked vegetables, grains, and meat.

• Schedule an acupuncture appointment for a Seasonal tune up.