late-summer health: the chinese medicine & taoist way

Late-Summer-Health

summary

Follow the advice of the ancient Taoists and attune your mind, body and spirit to the qualities of the late-summer season that occurs around late August and September time.

Traditional Chinese medicine practices and the philosophical and spiritual wisdom of the Tao provide an abundance of guidance on how to self-nurture and harmonise with nature throughout the late-summer season.

essential teaching notes

In traditional Chinese medicine there are five elements and each are connected to the seasons of the year – Taoists uniquely acknowledge the important transitional season of ‘late-summer’ that occurs around late August and September time.

This period is often referred to in the West as the ‘Indian Summer’ and it spans the end of summer and into autumn. This is when summer with its extreme Yang energy, intense brightness and heat, yields and softens to the beginning of autumn, when the cooler Yin energy start to creep in.

Late-summer in Chinese medicine and philosophy is associated with the Earth element, which is just one of the five Chinese medicine elements that also include: Metal, Water, Wood and Fire – each associated with one of the seasons of the year.

Taoists teach that you should always align and harmonise your energy with the current season, the translation of this concept being ‘appropriateness’. You can attune to the energies and qualities of the late-summer season and the Earth element in three ways: through your lifestyle, diet and spiritual health practices.

 

So let’s first consider some late-summer lifestyle habits…

The Earth’s energy is at its most dominant during the late-summer period, with nature’s fruits being at their ripest and crops ready to harvest. You too should enjoy and take advantage of this absolute abundance by gathering and distributing all that Mother Nature has to offer during this time of opportunity before the colder and inwardly-focused Yin months ahead.

I’d encourage you to become mindfully aware of how you nurture yourself and your life force. The goal of this season is to return to your central core to re-generate and continue to allow your life force or Qi to flow, but in a more seasonal appropriate and balanced way.

Take time to care for yourself first, so that you can then nurture others. Remember: YOUR authentic and balanced well-being is of greatest important. Support others but without over-extending your own energy. Value and nourish yourself as the highest level of personal spiritual practice you can do, so that your love can then flow out to others.

Even though late-summer is a short season it can be marked by intense transformation within nature and you – remember: ‘you are part of nature, nature is part of you’.

For many, this is the time of returning to work or study after the summer break and making life plans for the working year ahead. On a mental and emotional level, the Earth element is in charge of ‘digesting’ your thoughts and cultivating your mind-set, and thus governs your learning, thinking and analysis.

The Earth element also symbolises your human need to be grounded and to firmly establish your roots in a solid base. Whether this is the place you call home, a family or community unit, or your work environment, your environmental or outer-world stability will always help create an inner stability and harmony within you.

Things in your ‘outer world’ will, however, always remain changeable, and this is why cultivating a strong and flexible inner-stability, through your daily personal routines and mindfulness practices, is also important.

The Taoists teach that you should be like the bamboo that can bend in any wind but will always remain firmly rooted! So how can you be more like the bamboo?… Well, inner calm and harmony can start with something as simple as being careful to not absorb too much negative news in the media, or by ensuring that you also spend time energetically digesting and nourishing yourself by reading, listening to, or watching positive and uplifting things every day.

Extending the need to be grounded to the Earth and your spiritual-self, you should also mindfully work at strengthening your connection with what I refer to as your ‘spiritual truth’.

This truth will be different and very personal for everyone, but essentially it means asking yourself: “Am I living with honesty and integrity, doing the things I love?…or…. ‘Am I settling for doing what others want or expect me to do, or am I being limited and blocked by my emotional feelings and fears?”

Simply by asking yourself these personal enquiry questions you’re acknowledging that you are an individual, divine spirit, and they will help you begin to re-connect with your spiritual truth and potential.

Remember: truth and love are one of the same.

You can also strengthen your spiritual and energetic alliance with the Earth and the wider Cosmos by spending time with and in nature, either by being outdoors in a ‘green’ environment, or by caring for nature’s plants and animals in some way.

 

So now let’s consider your late-summer diet…

The late-summer Earth element is associated with the Spleen, Stomach and Pancreas organ systems of the body and you can nurture your Earth element and these associated digestive organs through your diet.

In traditional Chinese medicine the Spleen is a central organ and any blockages or imbalances in its energy can affect the whole body. The Spleen’s role is to be the chief distributor of Qi energy from foods through to every cell of the body. All other organs depend on it for nourishment and health. The Pancreas works alongside the Spleen to control the extraction and assimilation of nutrients.

The Stomach’s role is to rot and ripen your food and, as the receiver of nourishment, it takes the energy from food for the Spleen to then distribute.

In late-summer the weather can remain warm but you should resist the temptation to have excessive amounts of cold drinks or raw food and salads as the stomach actually prefers warmer foods, which will help ease the digestive process (porridge is a perfect example of this).

The Earth element is also associated with the taste of ‘sweet’, and eating or drinking slightly sweet foods at an appropriate level will nourish the Earth element and its associated organs (a fruit such as a pear would be a perfect example of this).

But it’s all about BALANCE! So too much sweet food can also overwhelm and damage the organ and meridian system and impact your energy levels. So, as always the case in Chinese medicine health care, moderation is the key. Listen to your body with truth and honesty, pause whilst eating, and NEVER eat to full capacity!

 

Ok, so finally let’s review some emotional and spiritual health practices for late-summer…

The Earth element is associated with the emotion we described as ‘worry’ caused by over-thinking. If you’re a person favouring the Earth element you’ll need to be mindful of balancing your emotional energy to prevent excessive feelings, such as those we label as worry or anxiety, as you’ll be particularly sensitive to this form of imbalance.

I work with many clients whose Spleen energy is out of balance, because of lifestyle, dietary or emotional issues, and this will commonly manifest in digestive health problems and sluggishness in their physical energy, coupled with emotional problems such as: being stuck, stubborn or inflexible.

Similarly, I see many clients whose present an imbalance in their Stomach energy and this will also manifest in digestive health problems and the emotions they would describe as: loneliness, emptiness or abandonment.

Both types of imbalance can usually be treated and energetically harmonised relatively quickly in the short term through acupuncture and dietary changes. However, if the underlying cause of the imbalance is an emotional one, I would suggest talking therapy work, and I would spend time with my client to help them understand and harmonise their emotional energy so that the imbalance doesn’t reoccur in the medium to long-term.

The Earth element emotions described as worry and neediness are counterbalanced by learning trust and acceptance. Though a journey of a personal and spiritual self- enquiry and awakening, I would like you to think about how you can cultivate on a daily basis, a more open and trusting mind-set both in yourself and the Cosmos around you. Remember as a ‘child’ of the Cosmos, you are blessed and held, you are divine, and you have nothing to fear!

Taoist blessings for an abundant late–summer season

Yi Tao Qi Tao

David

want more support

 

Discover how David can help you rebalance your health and wellbeing with his one-to-one sessions.

You can also:

If you have any questions or would like more information on our work please contact us – we’re always happy to help.

like this post?

 

Please share it! This helps to pass on the positive Qi of our work to others who may benefit…