How do seasonal changes affect you ?
Seasonal changes are a natural part of our existence. From season to season the weather patterns change and our bodies attempt to adapt to these environmental factors. If we live in a temperate climate the changes our body has to endure are different than if we are living in a sub-tropical area. So the important point here is being able to adapt to these environmental changes. If we cannot adapt to these seasonal variations then we can become sick. That means we have lost the balance between our "external" environment and our "internal" environment.
We are all born with tendencies to be more susceptible to specific environmental factors. Some people feel better in warm weather, others in cooler weather, while others prefer dryer weather patterns and others more humid conditions. Our inherent constitutional make-up will greatly influence our prefence for specific weather conditions and our capacity to adapt to the changes which take place in the natural environment.
Fundamentally, it is our skin which is in direct contact with the external environment. Our skin is our third lung as it "breathes" and greatly assists in regulating our body's internal environment. If the pores in our skin "close off" when the cooler winds start to blow then our body is provided with a first line of protection. In this outer layer of skin there also exists another element - our "defensive energy". It is this defensive energy which are like the walls of the castle and the pores of the skin are our shields. Depending on our constitutional make-up this defensive energy can be either strong or weak. The quality of our defensive energy predisposes whether we are susceptible to "catching" colds or not. We can equate this as having a good immune system or a weak one. When we get run down the overall energy levels in our body drop so our defences become weakened. So a good defence against adverse environmental weather conditions is to make sure we get enough sleep and of course eat healthily.
So what can we do to assist in keeping our body's defences strong? By eating foods which are seasonally available is very important. Foods have different qualities depending on the season they are grown in. Foods available in summer are dispersing in nature. They cool our bodies and open the pores of our skin so we can ventilate easily. Foods available in winter are contracting in nature. They warm our bodies and keep our pores closed so we can maintain our internal warmth. If we eat foods out of season it places a stress on our body's capacity to adapt. Of course this is more important in climates where there is a great range between summer and winter temperatures. So by eating foods which are seasonally available you enable your body to gain the appropriate catalysts for adapting to the weather conditions which you will be exposed to.
Another thing which is beneficial at the change of seasons is to visit an acupuncturist. An experienced practitioner will be able to fine-tune your body's defence system in such a way as to enhance the capacity of your immune system. The internal harmony of your intenal organs is crucial to your overall wellbeing. By regulating the quality and quantity of energy flowing through the respective energy channels of your body you will be more prepared to ward off any colds or influenzas which are always a part of our winter months. As an adjunct to acupuncture treatments Chinese herbal medicine offers a great resource for the tonification of weakened body states and if someone does become ill then there are specific herbal formulae which can speedily return you back to health. If you need more information on anything discussed here then you can contact us or your local Chinese medicine practitioner.
How to switch off your busy mind ?
In this modern and often hectic world it is a challenge for most of us to disengage our minds from the activities they have been involved in throughout the day. As a result our nerve system becomes overstimulated and so switching off becomes a problem. We go to bed expecting our minds to settle a soon as our heads hit the pillow but often restless and dream disturbed sleeps are the norm. So how can we get a more relaxing and energising sleep ?
What we need to do is to find a way to distract the mind from being active. Reading , watching television or using the computer only stimulate more mental activity. With this stimulation our sympathetic nerve system is encouraged to stay activated. The sympathetic nerve system is normally active during the day. It is yang in nature as it controls movement, our senses, our mental activity and our general ability to function. It is like the charged battery which uses energy but doesn't recharge itself. The parasympathetic nerve system is the opposite. It is the battery charger. It soothes our nerves, relaxes our bodies and helps our minds to calm down and lessen their activity.It is active at night and its capacity to heal and restore will depend on how it is allowed to carry out it's work.
However, there is often a struggle between which of these nerve systems controls what part of the day / night. When we have no rhythm in our lives our nerve system becomes out of sync and insomnia, agitation, lethargy, irritability and poor concentration are some of the symptoms which can be a result.
So what can we do to assist our body to deal with this disharmony ? If we think of our minds as being like a computer. When we finish using the computer we go through a process of shutting it down in a systematic way. We clear rubbish which has been sent to the rubbish bin, we make sure our files are in order and we back up files which we want to keep. In other words we create space for the next day. So what we need to do is to empty our minds so we can create space for a good sleep and to enable our minds to be clutter - free for the following day. So we need to take the time to let go of the day and to embrace that "empty space".
If we look at our breath pattern we can gain a great insight into our mental / physical state of being. When we need to stimulate the body we take a big breath in to prepare us for action. It awakens us for the task at hand. When we have completed the task we often feel ourselves letting out a big breath, a way of releasing the tension which was created from the activity.
So daytime represents the inbreath - stimulating; nightime represents the outbreath - relaxing. If we seat ourselves in a comfortable chair with our backs straight and our feet on the floor we have aligned our spine and have created the best posture for us to influence harmony once again in our being. By being aware of our breath, just watching the in breath and the out breath we come to realise there is no end to the breath cycle. The breath is just that, the breath. But when our minds are agitated we need to assist in this process of letting go by focusing on the out breath until we feel a peacefulness within. When we talk about focusing on the out breath we mean to just make the out breath a little longer than the in breath. That is all. After a couple of minutes you will begin to realise that the mind is watching the breath and is being soothed by this process.
We can utilise this breath awareness at any time during the day / night. It will enable us to find the inner space where the constant whirling of the minds activity is not dominant. It engenders a time to get in touch with who you really are and it is like coming home, finally. Enjoy the process !
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