Seasonal healing is something we all do intuitively. We also do it socially, responding to changes in the natural world with our collective motions.
Though modern inventions grant us the security of knowing there will be food and heat and light available -- regardless of any scarcity in our natural environment -- most of us still feel the stirrings of our bodies and hearts drawing us to prepare for the cooler, darker days which lie ahead.
We only need to look to nature to see what is happening internally in our bodies. Just as the trees release their leaves, drawing their energy inward for the winter, so does our energetic system. At this time of year we naturally let go, connecting to the process of descent and release in our physical and energetic bodies. On an emotional level, this often looks like taking clear action around what needs to be done, what needs to be let go of, and intuitively prioritizing with the seasonal changes.
Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes grief as the primary emotional response to autumn. In this tradition, the Metal element reigns over the Fall, and the Lungs and Large Intestine take their seat as paired organs of the season. Both of these organs are fundamentally involved with the balance between inner and outer. The way they both work involves acts of giving and receiving, (ideally) taking in and expelling in appropriate degrees.
Autumn is a great time fine-tune this process of balance. Seasonal energetics are already in motion and ready to be consciously integrated in our lives.
Practices To support health in the Fall
eliminating excess (clearing clutter from the home, releasing extraneous activities)
breathwork to support the lungs and facilitate letting go
meditating on balance and implementing necessary boundaries
eating soups and stews, root vegetables, squashes, apples, pears, and warming spices
gentle, slow bodywork to call the energy in and down and support the release of external attentions