Let Go of that which no longer serves you.

#Autumn #Lettinggo #Easternmedicine #Acupuncture #Selfcare #FallCleanse #Trees #Earthlungs

“Let go of that which no longer serves you.” This past weekend, I sat with a tree & that sentence is what I heard. It is the perfect message for an Autumn day. The trees are pulling their energy deeper into their trunks. The leaves change to beautiful shades of gold & red as the chlorophyll drains away. As the leaves dry up, they cease bringing in the sunlight & oxygen that has helped the tree grow & thrive. So the tree must then let go. Let go of those leaves that for so many months nourished it, but now are no longer needed. To survive, the tree must pull its energy deep inside to protect itself from the harsh cold of winter. But not to worry, that energy will shine thru again, when the warmth of spring returns the world, to flourish with green & growth. Trees can be seen as the lungs of the earth, breathing in & out, providing us with life saving-oxygen. They are such an important part of our world, supporting humans & animals alike. We must remember that we are connected & support them as well.

Eastern Medicine teaches us that Autumn is ruled by the lungs. In this system, the lungs are related to our skin, nose, immune system, and obviously breath. The lungs also govern the emotions sadness & grief, so it can be very important to be aware of that, especially if that is a tendency for you anyway. Fall is also a time when we can more easily become sick. So it is especially important to support our lungs during fall. Autumn can be a very challenging time all around, but don’t be too hard on yourself. As the weather cools & the sun shines on us less, we feel more tired & often want to eat more. These are common behaviors rooted in survival. Now while we may not want to eat like a bear & hibernate, it is ok to recognize our energy is moving deeper. We can honor this time by doing some introspective work.

So this autumn, I encourage you to listen to the trees, respect the season, and strengthen your lungs by doing these things.

*Work with your breathe. Breath deep, fully expand your lungs & diaphragm. You should see you belly rise & fall. *Spend time in and listen to nature, especially with the trees, those beautiful lungs of our earth. Soak in the sunshine whenever possible, as it really does give us that light energy in the form of heat & vitamin D. *Eat healthy food to nourish your body so that it feels able to survive the winter months. *Continue exercising but only to the level that it nourishes your body, not too strenuously during the colder weather as it can be depleting. *Practice reflective exercises that help you look inward like yoga, meditation, prayer, TaiChi, or QiGong. *Do things that make you happy! It will help balance out the tendency towards melancholy. *Let go! - Take a look at your life, your home, your habits, and your beliefs. If something in your life is holding you back or doesn’t bring you joy, release it! You will strengthen those lungs by relinquishing anything that no longer supports you. Hope you are able to embrace this time of transition and have a great fall!

Let go of that which no longer serves you!