This transitional season is one of my favourites. Time to move from our high energy Summer practice, find our core, centering, gathering and boosting our immunity in preparation for the colder seasons of Autumn and Winter

The organs associated with late Summer are the stomach, spleen and pancreas. We focus on nurturing our bodies by eating seasonally and making choices that support our digestion, watching our thoughts and words too as we absorb negative self talk in our bodies and this has an impact on our immunity. It’s a time to nurture and nourish ourselves to strengthen and develop a strong sense of self worth.

The stomach not only receives the food we eat but also digests and processes our thoughts and emotions. Just as we try to eat healthily it’s important we try to think positively.

What can you do that nourishes you? Walks in nature, dry skin brushing to stimulate lymph and build immunity, self massage, applying moisturiser with care and spending time feeding your skin. Try to cultivate the habit of positive self talk, instead of complaining about your body try showing gratitude to it by acknowledging the great and many complex jobs it does for us!

The pancreas is the deepest organ in our body and is said in Traditional Chinese Medicine to reflect the deepest feelings we have about ourselves, if our self esteem is low our pancreas energy will match it. It also produces enzymes which balance our blood sugar levels. We eat too much sugar, why not try cutting back on refined sugar for 21 days and see if you notice any health benefits?

In TCM the Spleen is known as the invigorator, the earth’s motivator, lifting our energy and our spirits. It is the largest lymphoid organ and the only one responsible for filtering the blood, clearing our waste products from our red blood cells. It also stores blood for emergency use. Tapping with soft fists on the crown of the head at the midline, where the major bones of the skull meets can clear your mind and lift your mood!

Sometimes we struggle with transitions, we long for the summer sunshine, longer hours of daylight, spending more times outdoors but this transitional season gives us the opportunity to gently ease ourselves into a slower more reflective and restorative period, building our immunity before the common colds, flus and viruses of Autumn and Winter try to attack us!

A daily Qi Gong practice can be a great daily habit to incorporate into your routine and will definitely help support your immunity, self esteem and general health and flexibility. There are so many to choose from on you tube but here are a couple of link to ones I use….

Earth Element Qigong (16 minutes) with Mimi Kuo–Deemer

https://youtu.be/5qMEjVsVx8M

20 minute morning Qi Gong with Lee Holden

https://youtu.be/pj4qo2KL9f4

Enjoy this season of harvesting, storing and replenishing your energy 😊🙏

Summer? Really? For us in Scotland the weather doesn’t seem to be matching the season yet!

Nature is at its fullest expression, the garden is in full bloom, the crops are growing and growing nicely building towards their harvest. We should also be feeling as if we are at the peak of our energy. Time to get outdoors for exercise, walking, jogging, cycling , playing tennis or just sitting in the park, garden or in nature, watching the bees, smelling the freshly cut grass or the perfume of the flowers.

The element associated with Summer is the Fire Element. Fire can be a destructive element but also symbolises purification. It represents peak power. Reaching your fullest potential, pushing yourself to reach whatever goals, dreams or ideas you want to realise.

The organs associated with Summer are the Heart and Small Intestine. The heart pumps the blood around our body and is associated with the emotions of love, passion, joy and connection.

The Small Intestine works to digest our food and then releases the nutrients and minerals into our bloodstream to be distributed throughout the body by the heart. In Traditional Chinese Medicine the small intestine is believed to separate the truth from the untruth, your “gut feelings”, discerning what is good for you and what is not!

So no matter what the weather brings this Summer, here are some tips to help you realise your peak potential this season…

• Establish a daily exercise routine which builds heat in the body: Sun Salutations, Dolphin Dips, Jogging, Cycling, fast walking, tennis
• Lighten your diet, smaller portions, steam or boil vegetables , eat bitter salad leaves, increase your water intake
• Set yourself a challenge, see it through to completion! Push yourself even if its only for a short period of time
• Think about what you are grateful for in your life before you go to sleep.
• Share your love, gratitude and passion with others
• Humour is a great tonic. Find things or people who make you laugh
• Its OK to say “No” sometimes, watch for burn out
• Try to connect with others in whatever way is available to you

Why not start your day with a few Sun Salutations to get your energy and body moving. Don’t forget to warm up first with some gentle breathing exercises and stretches such as cat/cow, side bends and gentle squats.

So, happy Summer everyone, hope you can get outdoors, enjoy some sunshine and meet up with friends and family xx

The season to warm up the body for Summer. The focus is on connection. Connection with the fabric of your body, the connective tissue. Connection with your mind, finding ways to stay connected with others when we can’t physically connect in the way we would like to. Finding space in your body and mind to become more flexible (physically and mentally), to stretch, to grow and to expand.

The organs associated with this season are the Pericardium (the fluid filled sac that protects the heart), in Chinese a medicine it is known as The Ambassador for Joy and Happiness and the Triple Heater, which is responsible for the smooth flow of Chi/energy via our connective tissue.

This is the season to focus on your skin and boost your elastin and collagen. Here are some things you could try over the next few weeks

✔️Dry body brushing every morning before you shower.

✔️ Staying hydrated. Drink more water (try adding fresh mint or cucumber for a change).

✔️ Stretch every morning before you have breakfast.

✔️Connect with your gut, your intuition, your sixth sense.

In our Yoga practice we want to work on our fascia (a sheath like membrane) which wraps around all of our bones, muscles, tendons, organs and cells. Fascia needs time to stretch, so hold stretches for a few breaths before moving on to the other side. Twists and rotations are great for getting the blood flow to our inner organs, constricting and then releasing, allowing the blood to flood through our system, nourishing and revitalising our organs and allowing energy to flow again.

So enjoy this lovely, short season by connecting to your own body from the inside out! Focus on your breath, eat a lighter diet with lots of alkaline foods, stretch your body, build strength with balances ( try standing on one leg while you brush your teeth), reconnect with yourself (what brings you joy, what depletes you?), ration the amount of time you spend at a screen, release any grudges or negative feelings you’ve been hanging onto by practising gratitude for all you have in your life 💗

Try this daily Qi Gong routine to connect your body, breath, mind and flexibility.

https://youtu.be/nmmNWj9YtAw.

Enjoy the journey!

This amazing series of stretches helps maintain your overall health, stimulating the meridian lines that allow the flow of energy to your internal organs.

Eastern schools of medicine have studied and recognised the importance of the flow of energy in our bodies and practiced T’ai Chi and Chi Gung for centuries to facilitate flexibility, balance and good health in general.

It has only been relatively recently, in the latter half of the 20th century that research on our biological body clocks was undertaken in the West. It is now known that each of our cells has its own clock and at the same time different cells communicate with each other resulting in a synchronised electrical output. These signals affect our sleep patterns, body temperature, thirst and appetite and are controlled by our biological body clock.

Various factors impact on our body clock and how well it functions: stress, too much blue light from screens, illness, certain types of medication and trauma are just some of the factors that can disrupt our body clock which can lead to feeling a bit depleted or out of balance.

When energy becomes blocked it can lead to illness or pain. By practicing this short series of stretches every day you help to reestablish the balance and flow of energy to each of your internal organs, helping them to heal and function at their optimal level.

It’s a fascinating subject, each pair of organs has a time of day that they are at their peak, have a look at the list below and note if you have issues at certain times of the day, for example waking during the night, feeling tired mid afternoon etc. By going to the organ that precedes that time you can boost the energy of the next organ!

• 3am – 7am Lungs and Large Intestine, governing Respiration and Elimination. (Exercise to support these organs, 6 Directional Breathing and Pulling the Bow)
• 7am – 11am The Stomach, Spleen and Pancreas, governing the digestive, immune and lymphatic systems (Exercises: Squeezing the Ball, Heaven and Earth adding twists from the waist to the waist, looking down to lower hand)
• 11am – 3pm The Heart and Small Intestine, governing circulation and emotions (Exercises: Circling the Sun, Circling the Moon)
• 3pm – 7pm The Bladder and Kidneys, governing the skeletal and endocrine systems (Exercises: Scooping the Water, Waist twists, rubbing the kidneys, standing Cat/Cow)
• 7pm- 11pm The Pericardium and Triple Heater governing the connective tissue and fascia (Exercises: Wild Goose Spreads it’s Wings, Tortoise, Shoulder Hug Twists)
• 11 pm – 3am The Gallbladder and Liver governing muscles, joints and tendons. (Exercises: Side bends and Charging the fists)
• All of these exercises are demonstrated by Sue in the video below.

So let’s say that you wake up at 2am regularly, that’s the time that the liver is active, repairing and cleaning the blood. It may be that you need to think about your diet, the liver doesn’t like too many fatty foods or too much alcohol and you might try adjusting your diet along with the stretches for these organs (side bends) to see if it makes a difference.

Remember your health is your wealth!

By using the Body Clock you can re-balance the body’s rhythm and flow of energy. This slower version with the magnificent Sue Woodd is all you need to get you started! Check out the website wiseones.net for lots of other interesting videos and information on staying well.

Stay well 🙏🥰

It certainly feels like the rising energy of Spring is all around us. The buds on the trees have opened up displaying beautiful, bright chlorophyll rich leaves, the grass is growing again, crops are emerging and there is even some heat in the sun!

We are now in the peak of the Season and this should be matched by our energy. It’s the time to really get your heart pumping a bit faster, adding in some cycling, fast walking, jogging or even skipping! It’s also a great time to detox, our homes, gardens and our body.

The two organs associated with Spring are the Gallbladder and the Liver. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the gallbladder is known as the “decision maker”and is responsible for our ability to make decisions. If it’s out of balance this can be a challenge! The liver is known as the “strategic planner” responsible for our ability to plan, organise and see our plans through to completion. These organs work together and they are at their peak between 11pm -3am, so try not to eat too late and get to bed before 11pm to let both organs get on with their repairs!

The gallbladder collects, stores and releases bile, working with the liver which processes nutrients, stores blood, breaks down toxins, hormones, alcohol, medication, as well as storing vitamins and minerals. The liver has an amazing capacity for repairing itself, but only does this when you are lying down, so try to be asleep by 1am!

The element of Spring is the Wood Element. It’s a time to focus on your roots in your yoga practice, feeling grounded from the feet up. Spread your toes, lift your toes, feel the foundation points on each side of the ball of you foot and at each side of your heel.

From this strong foundation in your roots you find strength in your trunk and the ability to move and bend in your upper body, like bamboo blowing in the breeze. The meridian lines for the gallbladder run down the sides of your body and the meridian lines of the liver run up from between the big toe and the second toe, up the inside of the thighs to the point under your nipple on your rib cage.

To stimulate these meridian lines introduce lots of squats, horse stance, side bends and twists into your practice

The emotions associated with the liver are anger, frustration, irritability, so if you are feeling any of these emotions your liver might be needing a bit of support. Sing at the top of your voice, punch a pillow, let it go! Remember you are not your emotions, your emotions come and they go, that is if you don’t hang onto them!

Here are some tips for thriving in Spring…..

Eat lighter, start introducing more green foods, stir fry, steam or lightly boil vegetables, juicing fruit and vegetables, sprouting beans and seeds, try eating earlier at night and fasting between 7pm and 7am, cut back on sugar, fizzy drinks, alcohol, caffeine and processed foods.

Try exercising first thing before breakfast, even a 10 minute walk is a great way to start your day.

Have some healthy snacks available, carrot sticks, rice cakes with hummus, fruit, nuts, avocado

The sense associated with Spring is sight, looking forward, finding focus, seeing how to achieve your goals. Spring is a great time for planting new seeds, making plans, changing or getting rid of bad habits, exploring your creativity, trying something new, reading books you normally wouldn’t read, listening to didfferent styles of music.

Finally! Here’s the reading from “Zen, The Art of Simple Living” Shunmyo Maruno which I read during this week’s Savasana………

Spring has sprung! Enjoy the energy of the season.