The Earth Element | Late Summer

Ah. beautiful summer! The wheat is already harvested, fields are being cultivated for the next crop cycle. The golden blankets have become muted, the chestnut trees have gone brown with bright green conkers await a swift drop to the ground. Look around your area for the few tree’s with golden leaves. Stop and listen to the sound of leaves gently falling to the ground. It’s the final weeks of late summer.  Autumn equinox is upon us soon.

Earth is the mother of the four elements from a Chinese Medicine philosophy. The other elements are metal, water wood  and fire.  Enjoy the final soft moments of the Earth element. There’s so much to learn from observing nature.

Just as the physical earth beneath our feet provides nourishment the same ancient wisdom reigns true from an individual perspective in the health of our body, mind and spirit.

How does the Earth element resonate in each of us?

Empathy & Caring

Learn to strike a balance of caring for others and more importantly, ourselves. At many points in life we all can loose this sense of balance and end up feeling drained. In our overworked reality, the pressure seems to mounting for each of us. How you will maintain self care balance during turbulent times? This is a great time of year to take stock and let go of things which are depleting your energy. 

Bach flower remedy to help with constantly being on the wheel of helping other and not self: Centuary

Finding our Centre

A big concept, which can mean several different things. From a physical sense, thinking about core strength emanating from the lower dan tian located 2 finger widths below the belly button. All martial arts practice view this as our power centre. When doing grounding exercises project your energy from this powerful place. 

When you have a merry go round of thoughts it’s a great practice to also focus your thoughts toward this power centre. This process takes us out of mental chatter and brings us back into the body. Take a few deep break picturing your energy reaching this point. A simple but effective practice to relax the central nervous system.

Bach remedy for merry go round of thoughts which just keeps playing in the mind: White Chestnut

Nutritional Nourishment

Feed your Earth element (stomach & spleen) properly and reap the reward of longevity and energy. It’a all a bit boring but straight forward. Eat three balanced meals a day at the same time. Try not to snack too much. Eat clean. Balance raw with cooked warm food. Drink filtered room temperature water. Eat foods which are organic, pasture fed and have a low environmental impact.