Cold and yin
We are in the yin time of the year. Yin is the dark, cold, slow and inward energy. Our natural environment affects our life and living in harmony with nature helps us to stay healthy throughout the year. Our immune system gets stronger and better apt to fight off disease.
New Year Resolutions
This new year, make it a resolution to pay more attention to your health. We tend to only care for our heath when we are feeling sick, and sometimes, it is too late. In Chinese medicine, health is seen both as the result of our genetic make-up and how we live our lives: what we eat and how we eat, how we work and how much we work, how much we rest, and how we manage our stress.
Living with the seasons: Fall
Fall is a wonderful transition period to change our diets from cooler foods to warming ones, to protect the fire of our digestion. In Chinese medicine, it is said the metal element rules the fall, an ideal time to accept what we want, and let go of what no longer serves us. Change is all around us. Accepting it evades sadness and grief, the emotions related to this element and this season.
Living with the seasons: Summer
The changes in the seasons constantly affect us, and our ability to cope with these changes impacts our health. Summer is upon us and it’s time for growth and activity. Summer falls under the fire element in Chinese medicine, and the correspondent organs are the Heart and Small Intestines. Summer is the substance of life and has an outward energy. During this time, one might feel more compelled to be outside gardening, hiking, kayaking and doing many other outdoor activities. Summer brings a tendency towards wanting to accomplish things and socialize with others.
Living with the Seasons: Winter
Winter is a time to retreat and replenish your resources. In Chinese medicine, the winter is associated with the Kidneys, Adrenals and Bladder which regulate fluid metabolism, bone health, reproduction, and endocrine system. They also store our constitutional essence, and by strengthening the kidneys, we help protect and maintain our health throughout the entire year.