8 Branches Chinese Medicine

08/27/2025

End of Heat | Chu Shu 处暑
Seventh Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Pi | Obstruction

Yang becomes exhausted. As yin grows, heaviness is common. Yin settled below creates obstruction.

Gather what is needed. Avoid excess, including emotions.

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Southern Hemisphere:

Rain Water | Yu Shui 雨水
First Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Tai | Peace

Yin water gently nourishes, inviting yang to emerge. Hibernation ends.

Walk outside. Wear loose clothes. Avoid over-productivity.

08/20/2025

“Dao, moreover, manifests most visibly and tangibly in qi. Translated as cosmic breath, vital energy, ether, pneuma, life force, and so on, qi is the stuff from which the world is made, this primordial energy of Dao lies at the root of creation and constitutes each and every part of it.

Both a material and a spiritual force, qi connects the visible and the invisible, the living and the dead, the created world and abysmal Dao. Every living being, everything that is created and has form, has its particular being because of qi.

Qi is manifest Dao, and it is in deviating from the patterns of one's own inherent qi, in going against the specific qi of a place or time, in breaking the qi of a particular social situation that evil and suffering arise.”

📖🙏🏼 Being at One with Heaven and Earth: The Ethical Integration of Self, Society, and Nature in Daoism
LIVIA KOHN

08/20/2025

Dao, moreover, manifests most visibly and tangibly in qi. Translated as cosmic breath, vital energy, ether, pneuma, life force, and so on, qi is the stuff from which the world is made, this primordial energy of Dao lies at the root of creation and constitutes each and every part of it.

Both a material and a spiritual force, qi connects the visible and the invisible, the living and the dead, the created world and abysmal Dao. Every living being, everything that is created and has form, has its particular being because of qi.

Qi is manifest Dao, and it is in deviating from the patterns of one's own inherent qi, in going against the specific qi of a place or time, in breaking the qi of a particular social situation that evil and suffering arise.

08/14/2025

Autumn Begins | Li Qiu 立秋
Sixth Leap Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Pi | Obstruction

Changing winds fight to overcome damp heat during this transitional time. Repressed emotions may erupt as this yin / yang separation occurs.

Dress lightly. Stroll in the evening. Eat simply. Be honest and true.
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Southern Hemisphere:

Spring Begins | Li Chun 立春
First Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Tai | Peace

Yin and yang are harmonious. Celebrations of renewal occur.

Renew relationships. Socialize with friends, family and food. Move slow.

08/07/2025

08/07/2025

🌳FREE YOGA IN MORGAN PARK🌳

Start your August off with some free outdoor yoga!

Healium is so happy to partner with 8 Branches Chinese Medicine and Milwaukee County Parks again this summer at Morgan Park! Please join us each Sunday at 10:00 am through September 28th for an all-levels gentle yoga class! Bring your mat and stretch out in the sunshine (or shade!)

☀️Advanced registration is requested so we can notify students in the event of class cancellation due to inclement weather☀️

Register: healiumhotyoga.com/links

08/07/2025

The rhythms of earthly time were honored in the old medicines—simple, clear ways of sensing flow: in and out, up and down, wet and dry, season by season.

These rhythms weren’t just observed, they were lived—paired with rituals that kept us in step with time, anchored in center, and reconnected to both self and Mother Earth.

📷 Annual calendar of the Kabyle (after Bourdieu, 1977 – reproduced with permission of Cambridge University Press)

07/27/2025

🌳FREE YOGA IN MORGAN PARK🌳

Stretch into your Sunday with FREE yoga!!!

Healium is so happy to partner with 8 Branches Chinese Medicine and Milwaukee County Parks again this summer at Morgan Park! Please join us each Sunday at 10:00 am through September 28th for an all-levels gentle yoga class! Bring your mat and stretch out in the sunshine (or shade!)

☀️Advanced registration is requested so we can notify students in the event of class cancellation due to inclement weather☀️

Register: healiumhotyoga.com/links

07/27/2025

Increased clinical hours available starting August 1 at the Center at 8 Branches Chinese Medicine ✨

Now offering more opportunities for you to reconnect with yourself and restore your own natural harmony using the integrative power of therapeutic sound and intention. ✨

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be part of your own electric and energetic health journey. You are amazing ✨

Want to learn more about the power of therapeutic sound work? Check out my website. Looking for specialized care outside of clinic hours? Contact me directly ✨

www.resonantheartmke.com

07/23/2025

Greater Heat | Da Shu
Sixth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Dun | Withdrawal

Yang flares outward with oppressive heat from yin below. Peaceful transfer from yang to yin will lessen conflict and damp heat illnesses.

Clear physical and emotional heaviness. Pace yourself.

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Southern Hemisphere:

Greater Cold | Da Han
Twelfth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Lin | Overseeing

Yin is carried by the wind. Expect rain, snow and ice. The dead of winter will not continue much longer.

Stay warm. Rest digestion. Keep the mind at ease. Avoid overthinking.

07/23/2025

In Chinese medicine, the concept of the square within the circle represents the interplay between the universal (circle) and the material or manifest (square). This symbolism offers profound insights into balance and harmony within the human body and the natural world.

The circle represents the infinite, the cosmos, or the spiritual and cyclical nature of life. It symbolizes wholeness, unity, and the continuous flow of energy, often associated with the concept of qi and the Dao.

The square, by contrast, symbolizes structure, materiality, and the physical realm. It relates to the tangible world and manifestations, like the human form and the seasons. The square represents the structured, grounded aspects of life.

When the square is placed within the circle, it embodies the integration of these two realms—the universal with the individual, the spiritual with the physical, and the dynamic cycles of energy with their material expressions. This union reflects the idea that the body is a microcosm of the universe, with its rhythms and systems mirroring larger cosmic patterns.

This is us, our experience and wholeness.

07/19/2025

Lesser Heat | Xiao Shu
Sixth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Dun | Withdrawal

The hottest period begins. Yin grows, expanding yang outward. Plants begin to gather yang inward. Strong roots and fertile seeds ensure future survival.

Enjoy the twilight sky and abundant harvest. Limit midday sun exposure.

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Southern Hemisphere:

Lesser Cold | Xiao Han
Twelfth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Lin | Overseeing

The coldest period begins. Yin compresses yang. Yang only beings to imagine its revival and must be nourished.

Retreat. Realize potential. Wait to manifest. Be patient.