Being outside in the natural world in the company of plants is healing. In traditional healing systems like Chinese medicine, the language of the natural world teaches us to understand and take care of our physical bodies and our inner sanctuaries. The seasons can guide is to food and herbs to help us weather the climatic conditions of the outer world and nourish and support our inner worlds.

The start of Fall in the Chinese system is the beginning of August and falls on August 7^th in 2022. This day is called a cross quarter day and represent the midpoint between the Summer solstice and the Fall equinox. It is also a time to observe your inner infrastructure and notice what the initial stirrings of Fall feel like for you.

The Inner Aspects of Fall

In Chinese medicine, Fall corresponds with the Metal element, the lung/large intestine organ systems, and the descent to the resting phase of Winter.  The metal element in balance is a moment of awareness when we can see our past, appreciate the beauty we have gained, and discern the parts that no longer serve us.  In balance it manifests as inspiration and appreciation, of feeling the perfection of the present moment and how we got there. In balance, it embodies embracing the certainty that everything is changing and nothing will remain in its present form. In balance, it is the ability to discern what needs to be released to allow growth and transformation to occur and to enable us to enter into a new cycle of creation (ie the water element of Winter).

The moment we sense the beauty of what is passing is a very pivotal moment because we have two choices. We can hold onto to something and let it rot and stagnate or we can choose to willingly move into the unknown and release what no longer serves us.  On the purely physical, we engage in this process when we breath air through our lungs and eliminate waste through our large intestine. We experience that bittersweet passing as grief, as sadness, as longing. The higher octave of that sadness is appreciation, inspiration, and the courage to walk into a new, unknown world.

When we do not release the old and we hang on to things, this creates stagnation or imbalance.  One way this imbalance can express itself is as rigidity. Think of the sharpness of metal. It can express itself as a sharp critical nature that holds on to old traditions, to dogmaticism, and old ways of being, limited by the looming fear of the unknown.  The rigidity can feel like an unwillingness to change and experience the unknown and move into a new cycle of creation. You may notice this in yourself as a need to overly control yourself and/or the people around you to try to keep things stationary, stable, safe. This is an attempt to freeze a moment in time, prevent the inevitable flow of change, growth, and expansion.

When we grieve too much for what is past unable to move forward because we long for the past, this also creates imbalance. This is different from being too rigid.  In this type of imbalance, we do not have the resiliency and the firmness, and what results is a kind of inner collapse. The lungs, in Chinese medicine, represent an important aspect of our immune system.  Physically, this would look like being sick frequently and repeatedly because our filtration system that helps us discern what we want to bring in and what we want to let go is not strong and robust. We start to see the expression of it physically when we are unable to filter and process unwanted aspects (i.e. bacteria and viruses) from multiplying in our bodies. It can feel like being unable to move forward, immobilized by sadness or too weary and tired physically and emotionally.

In the first days of August as Fall begins, is a good time to notice both the internal shifts within your body and being, as well as how the energy in nature is shifting. The days are shortening and the energy in nature is descending into the Earth. Here, too are some suggestions to help you attune to the emerging Fall energy.

Taking Care of Ourselves During Fall

• Breathing fresh air – be sure to get outdoors and do some relaxed breathing, or breathing exercise that consciously bring awareness to the breath
• Do stretches to open up the chest and the lungs, as well as singing and or playing wind instruments like the saxophone, trumpet, flute etc.
• Smile at your lungs and embrace them with love and appreciation. Imagine your smile is like a bright radiant spotlight that is shining in every cell of your lungs.
• Wear comfortable clothes and natural fibers to give more freedom for the lungs to breath.
• Get moderate sun, avoiding excessive exposure
• The virtues of the lung are integrity courage and respect. Being able to appreciate and value yourself and your surroundings is an important way to satisfy and please the intelligence of the lung.
• Pay attention to the physical aesthetics both in terms of personal appearance and in terms of the home environment to support the energy of lungs
• Use the Fall to reflect and to be grateful for the harvest of your life and the year and to reflect on and discern what is no longer serving you. Feel your sadness or grief and allow yourself to imagine what your life could look like without it.

So, how can we embrace the Fall through our food choices?

• Reduce the amount of raw & cold foods – incorporate more cooked foods, especially veggies and fruits
• Avoid foods that produce dampness in the body like dairy, frozen foods, raw foods, tofu and soy products
• Increase deeply nourishing foods including proteins and root vegetables

Foods that Support the Lungs

• Pungent foods are used to protect the lungs (hot peppers, chiles) and include white-colored pungent foods (onion, garlice, turnip, ginger, horseradish, cabbage)
• Mucilaginous foods used to promote renewal of lungs & colon (seaweeds and herbs & seeds like flaxseed, sesame seeds)
• Foods that protect mucous membranes and strengthen the blood and qi (dark green & orange vegetables – winter squash, pumpkin, kale, turnip & mustard greens, mushrooms)
• Fiber-rich foods cleanse the lungs & colon (bran of cereals, peeling & pulp of fruits/vegetables, oats, apples pears).  Be sure to cook any veggies or fruits.