Falling into the Autumn Season
As the leaves start to turn (depending on where you live) and the temperatures start to cool, our bodies echo the shift from summer’s heat and excitation into a slow, intentional phase that we call “Fall”. In Traditional Chinese medicine, this movement from the yang-oriented heat and expression to the yin-focused cooling can be the hardest to navigate in both physical and spiritual health. There is an extreme shift in polarity from the loud and excited, to the cool and quiet.
The autumn season brings coolness as it ripens the energy of summer. This season is associated with the Metal element, where a separating process occurs. We assess what we’ve gathered and start to pull the valuable from the clutter, discarding what is no longer necessary. Autumn reminds us that it’s time to conserve our resources- physical and otherwise. It’s the perfect time to still our minds and focus on storing, preparing, and studying, which is probably why it happens to be my favorite season!
So what does this ‘Metal’ season ask us to do? Release, in a word. Release can cover a lot of areas of our lives- emotional release of bitterness and anger we may be hanging onto. Expectations, unresolved grief, and self-criticism fall into this area as well. A balanced Metal element is calm and confident and able to shift with the times and the season. We tend to skip over the spiritual implications of health, which is exactly why I wanted to address this one first. In the US, we’re frequently taught (at least in some cultures) to ‘suck it up’ and ‘keep a stuff upper lip’. TCM believes that unresolved sadness can cause congestion and stagnation in the Lungs and Liver.
Physically, the Metal season asks us to look at the lungs and the large intestines as well. The lungs are considered the ‘lid of all the organs’ in TCM, and serve as a major gateway into our bodies, which makes them an important part of keeping our immune systems healthy and functioning. Strong Lungs (the capital letter is intentional- TCM addresses organ systems rather than individual clinical organs) defend the body from external pathogens, preventing them from entering the lymph, blood, and deeper tissues of the body. The large intestines have an obvious function of ‘letting go’, yet sluggish bowels are one of the frequently overlooked points of health when I’m meeting with clients. Attending to healthy bowel function during this preparatory season is a good idea.
HOW TO PREPARE AND SUPPORT THE BODY FOR AUTUMN
Supporting the body through the fall season is actually quite easy and gentle for most people. Introducing pungent, aromatic foods into the diet in the form of soups, curries, and warm drinks is a simple, yet therapeutic approach. These foods and herbs help the body disperse, expand, and move energy upwards and outwards through the body. Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? YES. Too much heat will dry and irritate the body, but small amounts added consistently through the autumn season will strengthen the lungs.
Some elemental types (as in, groups of people) are a little more sensitive to this. This usually stems from their tendency to internalize feelings and stressors around them. Metal types, in particular, tend to get caught up in analyzing and forget to move with the flow. Water types keep their head in the clouds a little too long and become discouraged when their ideas don’t develop into reality.
EXAMPLES OF WARMING FOODS & HERBS: Cayenne, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, basil, dill.
OTHER RESOURCES FOR AUTUMN: Part of the shift with the season is the changing light. Red light therapy can help correct this type of deficiency. Here’s our favorite affordable red light unit HERE
CURIOUS WHAT CONSTITUTIONAL TYPE YOU ARE? Gary Watkins is a TCM Scientist, Tai Chi & Qigong Sifu, and Marine Corps Veteran, and has hared his link to his assessment here for your use. His book, Connections: A Comprehensive Guide to the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine will be available December 2023 and is much anticipated by our practitioners!
