09/28/2015
In autumn the predominant element is metal é (jin). The two systems in the body that are most strongly activated at this time are the lungs and the large intestine. Both organs have the function of gathering in what is essential and of letting go of what is not needed. In the cycle of the five elements, metal is traditionally the first, as much as any circle can have a beginning or end.
After the growing and lengthening out of summer (the element of fire), and the centring and integration of late summer (the element of earth) it is now time to soften and draw our energy back in.
It is the best time to get back on track and to lay the foundations of our health over the next year. The way to do this is not to start running ten miles a day or to start dieting, as these are spring and summer activities. Rather, as the Nei Jing tells us, it is time to still our hearts and minds and to gather and collect the spirit and the qi ę°£ (energy). This is the appropriate yin response to this yin season. Just as the trees are drawing in and letting go of their leaves, it is time for us to let go of what we have been carrying around all year which is no longer of any use to us.
Breathing is a very powerful way to let go of our tension, whether it is physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. It is one of the primary cycles of yin and yang in the body. Having inhaled we must let go of it before we can take any more in.
Just five minutes spent focusing on the breath each day (āmaking the lung qi pureā) can have an extraordinary effect on your health and peace of mind through autumn and winter. Those who have learned longevity breathing are very well equipped to make the most of this time of year. But even if you havenāt yet learned the full method, just sitting and focusing on your breath can make a big difference. Ideally keep your chest still and allow your belly to move with the breath (out on the inhale and relaxing back in on the exhale), keeping the breath as smooth and quiet as possible with no stopping between the in and out breaths. Chapter 5 āBreath & Chiā of B.K Frantzisās Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body, 2nd edition (Berkeley: Blue Snake Books, 2006), ISBN 1-58394-146-0 explains the method of longevity breathing in detail.
Dragon & Tiger Qigong is also a very good way to strengthen and support the lungs. One of the important references of ādragonā in the name of the set is to the health of the lungs, because, as everyone knows, dragons are creatures of the air. Hence the potency of the dragon movements for the lungs. The lungs are responsible for the distribution of the protective wei qi č”ę°£ around the body. The stronger the lungs the better our immune system and general vitality.
The organ that is most responsible for letting go of what cannot be used in the food we eat is the large intestine. In Chinese medicine this organ is closely related to our ability to discriminate between that which nourishes us and should be kept, and that which does not and should be discarded. This faculty works on all levels: the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
Just as there is yin and yang in everything, autumn is not just about letting go of what we no longer need or what is holding us back. It is also about gathering in that which nourishes and strengthens us. In England ripe apples and pears now hang on the trees. The crops that grew through the spring and summer are ready to be harvested and stored for the winter. These two sides, letting go and gathering, must be balanced.
While in hotter places, such as Bermuda, autumn is not quite so apparent, the very beginnings of the cooler, dryer weather of November can occasionally be detected. The very beginning of something is the best time to prepare for the coming change. It makes the transition easier. This accords with the Daoist principle of doing what is easy before it becomes difficult. Laozi 63 tells us to, āchart the difficult when it is easy, act on the great when it is tiny.ā While Chapter 64 advises us to, āact when something has not yet come to be, regulate when it is not yet disordered.ā
In the same vein the Nei Jing, later in the same chapter as our Autumn passage says:
The sage does not treat those who are already sick ,
But treats the not yet sick,
Does not treat those who are already disorderly,
But treats the not yet disorderly.
The person who is already sick and then takes medicine,
Or who is already disordered and then seeks treatment,
Is comparable to one who is thirsty and then digs a well,
Or one who forges weapons only after the war has begun.
Are not these measures also late!
(Nei Jing Chapter 2)
Small, relatively easy adjustments at the beginning of a time of change can eliminate the need for making drastic alterations later on. The appropriate activities of each season prepare us for the next so long as we make the necessary adjustments at the right time.
The reason many people fall sick in the autumn is because they do not adapt to the change of season. Protect yourself from the cold and especially the wind. The activities of the summer are over. Now rather than spending our energies it is time to start saving. If we continue to act in the autumn as we did in summer, we can expect to get sick. The Nei Jing warns us that if we do not act according to the season it will lead to diarrhoea in the winter. If this happens, at precisely the time when we most need to store and conserve that which nourishes us, we will unable properly to distinguish between what we must keep and what we must let go. And if we lose our nourishment we will become depleted and ill in the winter.
This then is the time to practise containment and balance, to let go of what we do not need and to gather and collect the spirit and the qi, and make the lung qi pure.
Eating what is in season is always a very good way to comply with the qi of the time. Eat more warming foods: jasmine and later oolong teas should replace your green tea. It is a great time for fruit and vegetables: blackberries, plums, apples, pears, pumpkins, squash, leeks, courgettes and parsnips etc.. Pears are particularly good for the lungs...... Energy Arts
