SPRING -RISING YANG ENERGY
21RST MARCH TO 20TH MAY
ELEMENT-WOOD
ORGANS-LIVER & GALLBLADDER
TIME OF DAY 11 TO 3AM
COLOUR-GREEN
TASTE-SOUR
DIRECTION-EAST
Its a time of new beginnings, start of growth, looking forward and moving ahead.
Early spring is heralded by snow drops and daffodils as they emerge from the cold and hibernation of winter, so too does our energy emerge from a period of less activity. As the season moves on, its or time to move more, start getting outdoors and exercising.
Naturally it is our instinctive time to start cleaning house, clearing cupboards, diy, gardens and especially our diets. Moving away from more comforting food and heading to the newly sprouting greens, asparagus, spring onions, celery. all great cleansing foods that help clean the liver and gallbladder.
This is the planning and goal setting stage of the year, setting your sights into the future, planning holidays, new home, new car. This is the time to change career, get a new job or promotion.
Start a hobby and exercise/wellness plan.
We want to grow in life just like the trees, the energy is about growing and expanding rapidly just like the snowdrops who grow quickly through the adversity of the hard ground. We also see this as a time to work on our will power and determination
Our Yoga Practice is strong, focusing on our foundations, our roots to keep us grounded so we can grow tall and strong. Lots of twists to massage the organs and clear toxins out, to purify and clean the systems of our body. We want to tap into that winter food supply, that we hold around our middles so the twists are great for this and the waistline.
Early spring is heralded by snow drops and daffodils as they emerge from the cold and hibernation of winter, so too does our energy emerge from a period of less activity. As the season moves on, its or time to move more, start getting outdoors and exercising.
Naturally it is our instinctive time to start cleaning house, clearing cupboards, diy, gardens and especially our diets. Moving away from more comforting food and heading to the newly sprouting greens, asparagus, spring onions, celery. all great cleansing foods that help clean the liver and gallbladder.
This is the planning and goal setting stage of the year, setting your sights into the future, planning holidays, new home, new car. This is the time to change career, get a new job or promotion.
Start a hobby and exercise/wellness plan.
We want to grow in life just like the trees, the energy is about growing and expanding rapidly just like the snowdrops who grow quickly through the adversity of the hard ground. We also see this as a time to work on our will power and determination
Our Yoga Practice is strong, focusing on our foundations, our roots to keep us grounded so we can grow tall and strong. Lots of twists to massage the organs and clear toxins out, to purify and clean the systems of our body. We want to tap into that winter food supply, that we hold around our middles so the twists are great for this and the waistline.
EARLY SUMMER -YANG ENERGY
21RST MAY- 20TH JUNE
ELEMENT - AIR
ORGANS-PERICARDIUM & TRIPPLE WARMER
COLOUR-PINK
TASTE-BITTER
DIRECTION-SOUTH
Traditionally not seen as an element, but used by some to describe Early Summer that short 1 month period just before the full peak of Summer, seen as the air element used to fuel the heat and fire of Summer.
Great time to open your web or fascia of the body as the weather warms, stretching your limbs and more dynamic movement happens in our Yoga practice.
We naturally start going out more, further afield, make more friends and connections, organise family and friends gatherings.
This is the time of the Pericardium a sack of protective fluid around the heart, called the Body guard to your heart, it also guards our spirit our Shen Men and because of this we see this organ as our emotional heart and centre.
The triple warmer is not an organ that is known to us in the west, but very important in the East, a collection of fascia, lymph's, nerves and the super highway along which our Qi or Prana or lifeforce flows. When blocked our energy becomes stagnated, happens and the lymph's, and blood cannot do there job to remove toxins, we feel this as pain. In acupuncture we source these points and release the blockages to allow energy flow in and healing to begin.
So we need our muscles and fascia of the body to contract and squeeze and then open to move our lymph's and blood and ultimately our energy to pass through.
Our Yoga practice is open and closing, big and expansive to small and contracted, flowing like water and spacious like air.
Its a time of heightening emotions and we have to stay grounded and calm with this renewed invigorating energy.
Its the start of the early summer bitter fruits and foods, this is great to calm the fire of an over heated Heart and cardio vascular system.
Great time to open your web or fascia of the body as the weather warms, stretching your limbs and more dynamic movement happens in our Yoga practice.
We naturally start going out more, further afield, make more friends and connections, organise family and friends gatherings.
This is the time of the Pericardium a sack of protective fluid around the heart, called the Body guard to your heart, it also guards our spirit our Shen Men and because of this we see this organ as our emotional heart and centre.
The triple warmer is not an organ that is known to us in the west, but very important in the East, a collection of fascia, lymph's, nerves and the super highway along which our Qi or Prana or lifeforce flows. When blocked our energy becomes stagnated, happens and the lymph's, and blood cannot do there job to remove toxins, we feel this as pain. In acupuncture we source these points and release the blockages to allow energy flow in and healing to begin.
So we need our muscles and fascia of the body to contract and squeeze and then open to move our lymph's and blood and ultimately our energy to pass through.
Our Yoga practice is open and closing, big and expansive to small and contracted, flowing like water and spacious like air.
Its a time of heightening emotions and we have to stay grounded and calm with this renewed invigorating energy.
Its the start of the early summer bitter fruits and foods, this is great to calm the fire of an over heated Heart and cardio vascular system.
SUMMER-FULL YANG ENERGY
21RST JUNE TO 20TH AUGUST
ELEMENT-FIRE
ORGANS HEART AND SMALL INTESTINES
TIME OF DAY 11 TILL 3PM
COLOUR -RED
TASTE-BITTER
DIRECTION-SOUTH
Fire symbol of Divinity and transformation.
Some culture see it as the power stolen from the Gods. Also seen as to have the potential to purify, burn away negativity.
Fire in TCM seen as the child of Wood, as Summer is birthed by Spring. So the fire of summer requires the wood from spring to burn. Fire is controlled by water Winter the dampness and stillness consumes excess fire. Fire is the Maximum peak of an activity, a car at full throttle, a sprinter at the fasts pace, peak of your own power. Maximum energy in TCM.
In TCM fire must burn something up, so it can oy be as powerful as the potential that was stored in the water stage that nourished the wood stage.
Summer flowers explode from bud to full open petals, there is nothing hidden in Summer. Even animals loss there fur to uncover more of themselves. This is where the heat of summer allows us to uncover, remove clothing as we come back to bare essentials.
Fire is full Yang energy moving upwards and outwards. Speed things up, heat is essential for growth and life, required for physical movement, for breaking food to aid our metabolism.
Too much heat however destroys life, dehydration, fevers. Heat rises so moves into our upper body trunk and head. So pulse rises, heart races, flushing, reddening of face, headaches, fever, flushes.
In our emotions fire correspondence to Excitement, laughter, joy.
When in excess it manifests as hyperactivity, anxiety, hysteria, inappropriate laughing/ speech/movements/behaviour.
Non stop talking, continuous joking is excess fire.
When deficient sadness, bitterness, heartbreak.
It is this reason that the Heart is associated with the Fire element the emotional centre.
The small intestines the nourisher of the heart, emotions and our gut feelings. Can work out what is true or not and guides the heart.
In TCM the heart and small intestine nourishes the blood, circulates it to the whole body through its network of capillaries and vessels..
So when heart is disturbed then we feel fatigue, insomnia, dizzy.
TCM also sees the heart as housing our spirit, the emotional connection to us an the outside, the universe to each other. Humanity to Divinity.
The heart manifests on the face, an open expression signally trust, tight face the opposite.
The tongue governed by the heart, indicates the state of our hearts spirit, speaking from our emotional centre.
The small intestine partially digests food, separates purer food and fluid into essence, pure essence goes to the Spleen, impure to the large intestine and Bladder for removal.
So it works on what’s pure and what’s not. What’s good for the body and what is not.
So a Imbalance in small intestine are digestive issues, IBS, and inability to trust or make own judgement.
Heart people are jolly, happy almost always contented and filled with gratitude.
Food-
Because it is cooling, bitter food can clear and calm excess heat and fire from the body.
Red food strawberries, raspberries, cherries, watermelon, romaine lettuce all good for summer.
Some culture see it as the power stolen from the Gods. Also seen as to have the potential to purify, burn away negativity.
Fire in TCM seen as the child of Wood, as Summer is birthed by Spring. So the fire of summer requires the wood from spring to burn. Fire is controlled by water Winter the dampness and stillness consumes excess fire. Fire is the Maximum peak of an activity, a car at full throttle, a sprinter at the fasts pace, peak of your own power. Maximum energy in TCM.
In TCM fire must burn something up, so it can oy be as powerful as the potential that was stored in the water stage that nourished the wood stage.
Summer flowers explode from bud to full open petals, there is nothing hidden in Summer. Even animals loss there fur to uncover more of themselves. This is where the heat of summer allows us to uncover, remove clothing as we come back to bare essentials.
Fire is full Yang energy moving upwards and outwards. Speed things up, heat is essential for growth and life, required for physical movement, for breaking food to aid our metabolism.
Too much heat however destroys life, dehydration, fevers. Heat rises so moves into our upper body trunk and head. So pulse rises, heart races, flushing, reddening of face, headaches, fever, flushes.
In our emotions fire correspondence to Excitement, laughter, joy.
When in excess it manifests as hyperactivity, anxiety, hysteria, inappropriate laughing/ speech/movements/behaviour.
Non stop talking, continuous joking is excess fire.
When deficient sadness, bitterness, heartbreak.
It is this reason that the Heart is associated with the Fire element the emotional centre.
The small intestines the nourisher of the heart, emotions and our gut feelings. Can work out what is true or not and guides the heart.
In TCM the heart and small intestine nourishes the blood, circulates it to the whole body through its network of capillaries and vessels..
So when heart is disturbed then we feel fatigue, insomnia, dizzy.
TCM also sees the heart as housing our spirit, the emotional connection to us an the outside, the universe to each other. Humanity to Divinity.
The heart manifests on the face, an open expression signally trust, tight face the opposite.
The tongue governed by the heart, indicates the state of our hearts spirit, speaking from our emotional centre.
The small intestine partially digests food, separates purer food and fluid into essence, pure essence goes to the Spleen, impure to the large intestine and Bladder for removal.
So it works on what’s pure and what’s not. What’s good for the body and what is not.
So a Imbalance in small intestine are digestive issues, IBS, and inability to trust or make own judgement.
Heart people are jolly, happy almost always contented and filled with gratitude.
Food-
Because it is cooling, bitter food can clear and calm excess heat and fire from the body.
Red food strawberries, raspberries, cherries, watermelon, romaine lettuce all good for summer.
LATE SUMMER- BALANCE OF YIN AND YANG
21RST AUGUST TO 20TH OCTOBER
ELEMENT-EARTH
ORGANS- SPLEEN, STOMACH AND PANCREAS
TIME OF DAY- 7 TILL 11AM
COLOUR-GOLDEN YELLOW
TASTE-SWEET
DIRECTION- CENTRE
Think golden fields of wheat and fruit ready to harvest.
Late summer when we start to return to the earth, back to reality
After a long Summer the heat has the effect of drying and scorching the earth, this is the control the Fire element has on Earth an excess .
We also feel the effects of the Fire element, if we overindulge in Summer, by eating & drinking to much spicy hot foods, lots of alcohol, sitting in the sun to long, too many late nights . This leaves us feeling frazzled, drying out- skin, nails, hair and over heating on the inside, our emotions are heightened ,we become short tempered, overwhelmed, over thinking and flustered.
Earth energy can be cultivated to bring us back to reality, to feel more grounded and in control of our thoughts and emotions.
The spleen and stomach are seen as the organs of discernment, knowing what is good for us or real and what is bad and false. Our Spleen filters our blood, seeks out the old blood and re-absorbs it, it also detects viruses, parasites in the blood and recruits white blood cells (our immune cells) to ward off the invaders.
The centre of our immune system our defence centre, so this Seasons is known as the time to build self esteem and immunity. Positive affirmations, thoughts and a great self care routine are vital. If we do not look after ourselves or think bad of ourselves the Chinese believe our Organ will do the same, becoming blocked and stagnant this toxic.
Food in Late Summer, think food that we harvest, sweet and sticky, plums, peaches, apricots, pumpkins, squashes, wheat, barley, corn.
Great time to make jam, stewed fruit and pickling.
Our Yoga practice starts to work with strengthen our core, building a strong centre. Hard as a nut on the inside, soft and supple on the outside, just like the fruits of the seasons. postures that connect us to the Heavens and Earth, balance Yin and Yang energy. Sun and earth, positive and negative.
This is why its great to walk bare foot or paddle in the Sea, balance the polarity of the Sun that is Positive + with the Earth/Sea that is negative-.
Research shows that free radicals, those rogue cells in our body that can mutate and become diseased, can be stabilised by grounded Yoga work and barefoot walking.
Earth people are the common sense people, people you turn to for advice, the councillors of the community as they see both sides.
AUTUMN - DESCENDING YIN
21rst OCTOBER - 20TH DECEMBER
ELEMENT -METAL
ORGANS LUNGS AND LARGE INTESTINES
TIME OF DAY 3 TILL 7AM
COLOUR GREY
TASTE-PUNGENT
DIRECTION WEST
The weather changes from dampness to cold and dry, our skin feels it first. So its a time to stay warm, but retain the moisture in the body and on the skin. So self care routines like skin scrubs, deep moisturising, hair masks, foot baths are great just now.
The Chinese see this as the Season of reflection, to embrace what worked this year and what didn't.
In Seasonal Yoga we see this is our clearing out of our Inner wardrobe, so as Spring is to Spring cleaning, Autumn is to decluttering.
Our Lungs and Large Intestines are our organs for this time, their job is to remove toxins/waste from our bodies, "letting go " of what we no longer need or serves us.
Letting go is our essential nature, this clearing of negativity and old stuff , which we know, can hold us back in life.
So, what do we need to let go off ? old habits, judgements, mental thought process, grief, sadness, anger and anything that is deep rooted and sitting in the tissue .
Look where we hold our stress or grief. Tightness of chest, shoulders, neck, headaches, clenching our jaw and teeth and shortness of breath. If we can find a way to let these issues go, this release the tension in the muscles and joints and allows us to move freer, feel the weight lifted off the shoulders. One great way is to work on the breath, Yoga breathing Pranayama-is an ancient way of changing and moving old energy/mood/emotions .
Our Yoga practice is full of chi gong breathing, postures held to find the breath, mudra of Bow and arrow to move the energy around the lungs and large intestines. Focus of letting go. tension and the past. We also focus on our Values.
The Metal Element of Autumn, think gold, silver, high value metals, we also try to value ourselves, our lives, our families. Where is the true value in our life, in our day from our relationships/friendships, our jobs, our hobbies. Like the precious metal, what do we value most.
AUTUMN FOODS
Autumn food, time to ditch the mucus forming foods, like milk, cheese and diary, instead look for plant based alternatives, oat/coconut/almond milk, cheese, yogurt.
Get into the Root veg, cauliflower, parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, beetroot, fennel,
Time to keep your food warm, stir fries, boiling and introduce roasting food.
Porridge, stews, soups and roasts.
If you eat meat, pork, lamb and beef its a great time to start eating them again. Warm and roasted.
Pick from a good local supplier who knows where the meat comes from.
It's pungent spice time to warm the lungs- choose herbs like cinnamon, cloves, paprika, nutmeg, star anise ,dried orange peel. Avoid chilli it cools the body down, best time is in the summer when its warm and dry.
WINTER-YIN ENERGY
21RST DECEMBER -20TH MARCH
ELEMENT-WATER
COLOUR-DARK BLUE/BLACK
ORGANS-KIDNEYS AND BLADDER
TIME OF DAY 3 TILL 7PM
TASTE-SALTY
DIRECTION-NORTH
21RST DECEMBER -20TH MARCH
ELEMENT-WATER
COLOUR-DARK BLUE/BLACK
ORGANS-KIDNEYS AND BLADDER
TIME OF DAY 3 TILL 7PM
TASTE-SALTY
DIRECTION-NORTH
All things go back to the Earth to be replenished and restored after a year of growing, ripening and harvesting.
Our energy diminishes as the darkness devours the day.
This is a time for restoring, sleeping more, eating comforting food and going inwardly to reflect and re-establish a connection to self.
Our practice is very Yin, conserving and healing our energy and our health. Focus is on the deeper tissues like the bones, spinal fluid and marrow in the brain. We want to move like water, working on mobility and fluidity Lots of extension and flexion, moving the spine and its fluid. Lots of hip opening and joint freeing movement.
Its time to snuggle up, read a good book, paint, study and rest.
SEASONAL FOOD
Winter - Your food has to be as warm as you can make it, now is not the time for salad, but probably the best time for a Bar-b-que... yes you read it correctly, the hotter the better. The enemy to your digestive system in winter is cold, wind and damp, so eat the opposite.
Drinks also have to be warm, defo no ice. Its important to keep hydrated and the electrolyte (mineral salts) balanced. Watch the salt intake, stick to sea salt or Himalayan salt only.
Black pepper is also a great addition now too, this little berry packed full of vitamins and minerals.
Black millet, black sesame, puy lentils, onions, garlic, ginger and turmeric great for joints and bones. Get extra supplements of Vitamin D, C, E and K2, minerals zinc and magnesium all essential for immune health, bone health and warding off not just viruses but depression and SADS disease.
Again source from a organic wholesaler, where the pills have no added additional bulkers and preservatives.
" YOUR HEALTH IS YOUR WEALTH"
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We are very proud of our photographs
Our models are real people who are either class members or students of our training school,
Courtesy of Joanne Boyle Photography
Our models are real people who are either class members or students of our training school,
Courtesy of Joanne Boyle Photography