Autumn - Why it’s a great time to do Yin and Pins.
Autumn is the season of dryness, contraction and going inward. Related to the "Metal" element in Chinese medicine, that contracts. The Lungs and Large Intestine are the organs we associate with this season, breathing in the new and letting go of the old. Movement, strength and stability create change, the shaking of our bodies and nature around us can cause unsettling within.
Each Yin and Pins class is a combination of Yin yoga, and acupuncture with a guided meditation to surrender, and relax, with flowing healing energy.
Points used in our Yin and Pins class create strength, and stability and calm the mind and body. Ideal for moving any stagnation, that can cause constipation and anchoring to help with transitioning through the autumn season.
Below are several Autumn Yin poses to help move stagnation and anchor you during this Autumn session. Practice with us Mondays and Fridays or join us for Yin & Pins monthly on a Sunday.
An Autumn diet
During Autumn our body is sensitive to dryness. We get dry lips, dry skin and dry eyes, constipation with dry stools, and our respiratory system can be compromised, with symptoms of cold and flu. At this time of the year, we should consider foods that It is moistened, preferably of the colour white, to be in harmony with the energy of the season.
An Autumn diet incorporating foods that moisten and warm the body. Your daily diet could have the following foods:
Nashi Pears / or any pears, that are juicy and crunchy, yellow and golden with a beautiful white flesh. They moisten the lungs and calm coughing. Try them poached with goji berries, adding a little honey to serve.
Enoki Mushrooms - With immune-enhancing qualities, wonderful antioxidants and anti-cancer properties enoki mushrooms are a superfood. Add to a stirfry or a broth for great flavour and health benefits.
Tremella mushrooms - They have been used for thousands of years in Chinese and Japanese medicine as an energy tonic. Nourishing the lungs, and stomach and a tonic for the immune system, an antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. Prescribed in the clinic as a herbal medicine for eczema, dermatitis, skin issues, cancer and vaginal dryness. Along with clearing lung heat, promoting bodily fluids, and invigorating blood, and energy.
Spicy, acrid and pungent flavours are generally benefitial to the Lungs and Large Intestine, stimulating the immune system. They are also great for poor circulation and mucus production. The direct flow of energy moves through the superficial layers being the skin, opening the pores and inducing sweat. Spicy foods that are good to add to your daily diet throughout Autumn are:
Ginger
Mint
Red capsicum
Eschallots
Tea for when you have a cold
When you feel a cold coming on, with symptoms of headache, body aches, nasal congestion or runny nose and poor appetite:
Boil 6 thin slices of fresh ginger in 1 ½ cups of water add a small amount of diced eschallot and sip, make a larger amount of tea by doubling the amount.
When you have dry eyes, nose, lips or intestines with constipation - make a goji berry tea, 10-15 goji berries in boiling water and seep, sip throughout the day, the more cups the better.
Other foods to add to your diet for moistening the Lungs:
Grapes
Almonds, releive cough and asthma, transform phlegm and aid with lubricating the intestines.
Flax and sesame seeds ( moisten the bowels)
Honey is a tonic that helps lubricate the large intestine.
Wearing a scarf to cover your neck and chest area during Autumn helps with juggling temperature changes, blocking cold and wind, entering your body helping you to keep warm and avoiding any respiratory problems.
Melinda Webb is a Chinese Medicine Doctor available at Beattie Street Health Clinic on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Bec Practices group Yoga on Mondays, and Fridays and holds private classes on Wednesdays.
Click below to book a spot with Mel or Bec.
