The Art of Letting Go: What Autumn Can Teach Us About Wellbeing 🍂 by Lorna Paviour

Autumn Notes

‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’. There’s a wonderful walk through

Winchester which inspired Keats to write his famous ode “To Autumn”.

https://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/business-directory/keats-trail

However, from a five element acupuncture perspective, Keats is not describing Autumn but Late Summer, the time of harvest, consolidation and humidity.

So what season are we in now? Is it Late Summer? Autumn? Or is it Winter?

The ancient Chinese recognised five, rather than four, seasons – Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Autumn and Winter; and these map the yearly cycle of the five elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. This was their explanation for how energy changes and transforms in nature and in the human body through the year.

According to Wu Xing, the Chinese phrase for Five Element theory, we have passed through the season of Late Summer; and we are now in Autumn - the time of contraction and letting go. In plants, this is the orderly and active process of senescence. The leaves are ageing and falling, the air now feels drier and our mood feels a little more melancholy as we prepare for the deep rest in Winter. This is the season of the Metal element.

Acupuncturists recommend adjusting our lives to the seasons. Autumn is an

opportunity to go to bed earlier and to wake up with the sun, maximising the benefits of fewer daylight hours. Just five to ten minutes outside every morning, perhaps with a cup of tea, is enough to regulate the circadian rhythm, boost mental clarity, and lift the mood.

Gentle exercise such as yoga, Pilates and Qigong consolidate energy and fortify the immune system. Do investigate Qigong if you haven’t already- it is a simpler form of movement than Tai Chi, designed to stretch the body and build health and vitality. Jeffrey Chand’s ‘Qigong For Vitality’ video on YouTube demonstrates a 7 minute morning practice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=jMuHgj3FF_k&ra=m

Deep breathing, mindfulness and meditation all expand and support the lungs and calm the nervous system. I love Lizzy Hill’s Yoga Nidra as a way to relax and unwind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H0FKzeuVVs

A shift to eating warming, cooked foods is one we all have most likely made

instinctively, and acupuncturists recommend introducing warm breakfasts in particular. Soups and stews are now on the menu, and cooked apples and pears, honey and mushrooms are seen to combat the environmental dryness.

Protection from the wind and the cold around the neck and face becomes important too, and many practitioners recommend wrapping up with a scarf to protect our bodies from cold drafts.

This is the ideal time for sorting clutter in our houses, and cutting back the spent vegetation in our gardens. Mulching feeds and protects the soil, preparing and protecting our plants and their roots for Winter. 5 to 10 centimetres is the ideal depth.

And according to the ancient Chinese, Autumn is an opportunity for mental and emotional reflection. The ancient Chinese recognised the connection and interaction between our physical and emotional selves. The emotion associated with Autumn and the Metal element is Grief. Acupuncture treatment in Autumn can provide recognition and support for the natural and precious feelings we have of grief, loss, and letting go. It can help support and release these emotions, and help ease the heartache we all

experience during our lives.

Please do get in touch if you’d like some seasonal support through five-element acupuncture.

Lorna

Five Element Acupuncturist