Living in Balance with the Season

Autumn is the time of year when the full yang of summer wanes and the earth begins its yin cycle into the full yin of winter. The energy of the earth has turned downward and has begun its descent into the bowels of the earth. One can witness this event by looking at the falling leaves and flowering plants shriveling and becoming dormant. The animal kingdom follows suit. Birds begin to migrate, squirrels and chipmunks gather food for their nests and burrows.

As we are part of this cycle, the energy in our bodies has also begun to descend downward. We are no longer as carefree as we were during the warm days of summer. Now, we have to concentrate on work and preparing our homes for the colder months ahead.

What can we do to make this transition into a new season? One way to support this descent is to change our food intake. The emphasis of eating raw produce, melons, and salads belong to the summer months when we need to cool down our bodies. Now the emphasis needs to shift to warming the body as the days become cooler. Including root vegetables in our diet such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and squashes promotes warmth. Denser, heartier foods need to be incorporated including whole grains, protein and fat.

Another way to transition into the season is to pay attention to our lungs. Autumn is the season of the lung according to Chinese medicine. The lungs are a major player in the strength of our immune system and if there is an imbalance it will more than likely begin to show up now. It may be in the form of frequently catching colds, coming down with sinus infections or reacting to environmental allergies.

A qi gong exercise to strengthen the lungs involves nothing more than swinging your arms in unison to the front and back of the body. This activity stimulates the first acupuncture point on the lung meridian located in the front of the shoulder. The optimal number of times to swing your arms is 300 to fully strengthen the lungs; however, as little as a minute or two of exercise would still be of benefit.

The taste associated with autumn is pungent or spicy. If you feel that you are coming down with a cold, try eating pungent food. I prefer Indian food because of all the wonderful spices. Drinking ginger tea will also help clear the lungs and lift congestion.

The emotion associated with the autumn is one of sadness or melancholy. Many people are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder at this time of year as the days get shorter. Try to go outside during daylight so that exposure to the sun can promote the body’s natural production of Vitamin D which in turn will promote the production of serotonin levels.