mind body spirit

Autumn-leaves

Autumn And Chinese Medicine – The Metal Element

Five Element Acupuncture relates each season within nature to a specific emotion within ourselves. Have you ever noticed that your spirits change at different times of the year? In Chinese medicine, autumn is symbolized by the Metal Element. The days become shorter and crisper. Autumn’s changes are dramatic: the leaves become golden and crimson, before they fall to the ground and decay, enriching the soil. Can you guess which emotion is linked to the Metal Element?

Autumn-leavesThe Metal Element guides us in the receiving of inspiration and the releasing of waste.  Within each breath, we receive valuable oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide, a toxic metabolite.  Both aspects are critical to our health.  We must fully empty our lungs to make room for a new breath.  Not surprisingly, the Lung and Large Intestine meridians belong to the Metal Element.

Metals rhythms of taking in and letting go also affect our spirit.  When we feel inspired, we enjoy life’s riches and have a sense of harmony and connection to the universal spirit.   Inspiration enables us to aspire to do things well.  There are also times in life, however, when we must empty our hearts and let go of what we treasure most.  When we experience the death of a loved one, we grieve.  While our loss may be great, over time, we understand death’s important role in the cycle of life.  It is in the letting go that we prepare to love again.

Problems occur when we become stuck in a single emotion and that emotion rules us.  Emotions should change like the weather. That is, ideally, we would experience each emotion, integrate its lessons and move on, ready for what comes next.

Five Element Acupuncture supports the health of the mind, body and spirit to come into balance. The Metal Element provides us with the ability to receive inspiration and release waste.  It helps us to feel profound connection, and when it’s time, it helps us to let go of that connection.  So yes, Acupuncture can support you to heal from trauma, autoimmune challenges and endocrine issues, but we can do much, much more. For help with tapping your potential call us at 973.509.8464 • 212.529.1901 or book on line to schedule an appointment.

 

By • Acupuncture • • Tags: , ,

Earths-Bounty

Late Summer And Chinese Medicine – The Earth Element

Five Element Acupuncture relates each season within nature to an aspect of our health.  Have you ever noticed that you feel healthier during certain times of the year?  In Chinese medicine late summer is symbolized by the Earth Element.   Evenings become cooler and sounds of crickets fill the air.  During this time our gardens become ripe and ready for the harvest.

Earths-Bounty

In a good year, if we have tended our crops well and there is enough sun and rain, the harvest is bountiful.  In nature, however, mother earth is not always so kind and the harvest may not be bountiful.

The Earth Element corresponds to the digestion of food and thoughts, of being nurtured and of nurturing.  In our early years, it is our parents who provide us with nutrition and comfort, helping us to feel secure. As we grow and develop, if our Earth Element is strong, we become nurturing to ourselves and to others.  We are able to both give and receive.

Sometimes children are not so lucky.  If a child’s body is not  well nourished  their growth and development will be impaired.  What happens when the child’s mind and spirit are not well tended to?  Later in life, as an adult, they may lack clarity of thought, worry incessantly and not feel secure. Feelings of fulfillment may be elusive. The pantry might be full, but earth’s bounty is not felt.

Problems occur when we become stuck in a single emotion and that emotion rules us.  Emotions should change like the weather. That is, ideally, we would experience each emotion, integrate its lessons and move on, ready for what comes next.

When we feel secure within ourselves, we are able to celebrate the riches of a bountiful harvest amidst life’s impermanence.  We are nourished and enriched by food, people and thoughts, and embrace the fleeting nature of our lives.

Five Element Acupuncture supports the health of the mind, body and spirit to come into balance. The Earth Element provides us with the ability to digest our food and enjoy the comfort of sharing with others.  So yes, Acupuncture can support you to heal from sciatica, immune system challenges and reproductive issues, but we can do much, much more. For help with tapping your potential call us at 973.509.8464  or book on line to schedule an appointment.

 

By • Acupuncture • • Tags: , , , , ,

Cherry-Blossoms2

The Promise of Spring and Chinese Medicine

Spring is upon us! In Chinese medicine, springtime corresponds to the wood element.  What makes this season unique and distinct from all the other seasons?

Spring is a time of growth.   Trees begin their life from the sprouting of a seed.  Magically, shoots press upwards through the earth and reach for the sun.  From branches, buds, flowers and leaves, an intricate and beautiful structure emerges.

Similarly, when a baby is born, it is pushed through the birth canal with great force.   This transition from inside the mother’s womb and into the world is also provides us with a symbol of the wood element’s creativity and forcefulness.

Sometimes wood is thwarted.   When a boulder blocks the seedlings growth it will relentlessly push up to reach the sun.  In Five Element theory, the force of spring corresponds to the emotion anger.

In western culture, anger is often considered to be a negative emotion, which we try to avoid at all costs.  Alternatively, anger can be seen as complex;  it can be a force of positive change or a force of destruction.  The  persistence  of the wood element can help us grow and  develop, especially when it is tempered  with beneficence, another aspect of the wood element.

Cherry-Blossoms2

In life, problems occur when we become stuck in a single emotion and that emotion rules us.  Emotions should change like the weather.  That is, ideally, we would experience each emotion, integrate it’s lessons and move on, ready for what comes next.

In Five Element Acupuncture, we are concerned with the health of the body, but also with the health of the mind and spirit.  When the wood element is out of balance, there is often a lack of hope and vision.   In our culture we call this depression.  Depression has many appearances but invariably, a depressed individual has become “frozen” in their life and is unable to move forward.  For example, some people with depression are only able to whisper, afraid to assert themselves, confront others or show aggression.  Others depressed individuals are always shouting and are overly aggressive.  These are both patterns of a wood imbalance and prevent the individual from knowing their life’s purpose and fully enjoying all of life’s riches.

When our wood element is in good balance, we can see life’s many possibilities, make decisions about what we want and need to do, form a plan and develop the structure we need to achieve our goals.    These attributes all belong to the wood element and fall under the jurisdiction of the liver and the gallbladder meridians.  Each meridian functions like a member of a musical ensemble and plays an important role in our overall health and well being.

Five Element Acupuncture supports the body, mind and spirit to come into harmony, with each aspect of ourselves working in concert.  The wood element provides us with hope, vision and some of the tools we need to achieve our life’s purpose.  So yes, we can help you recover from your low back problem, tendonitis or respiratory infection, but we can do much, much more. For help tapping your potential call us at 973.509.8464 • 212.529.1901 or book on line to schedule an appointment.

 

By • Acupuncture • • Tags: , , , , ,