Being Flexible with Spring's Arrival

Elemental Wisdom

As an acupuncturist, I rely on the seasons and their “elements” in my work.  In the Five Element style of acupuncture, Spring is the season of the Wood element.  What does this mean to you?  The Wood element corresponds to muscles and tendons of the body.  It allows for physical movement, energy pushing up and out in the body like the plants and flowers push out and up from the ground.   And it needs flexibility so the “push” is smooth and efficient.
 
It has been interesting to observe the shift from Winter to Spring this year.  In mid-March, nature was pushing right past Spring and all was in bloom.  Then everything took a step back to cold and windy days.  Even the birds took notice and quieted in the midst of bursting trees and flowers.  What has the bumpy transition to Spring felt like to you?  Maybe you were enjoying the summer-like days in March and then felt a slump back into the colder weather.  Or perhaps you didn’t feel ready for such intense temperatures.   How flexible have you been with the swings in nature?
 
Regardless, nature will continue to move through its cycle.  Some ways you can support your movement through the transition is to be flexible.  As you keep in the rhythm of the transition and take on springtime activities, incorporate simple stretching, yoga or qi gong in your days.  Take time to open up at the hip and shoulder joints, where the flow of energy can get stuck or blocked.   Wood must be easy and flexible to maintain its strength.  And as it is in nature, it is within us.
 
Karen Giles Acupuncture wishes you all the gifts and new possibilities that spring has to offer!

Spring Renewal Workshop

 

 

Spring's Renewal Workshop
Friday, May 4th, 7pm-8:30pm

 
The cycles of nature offer us much about how to live life with more ease.  The transition through Spring this year continues to be one with large swings and changes in nature.  Have you been flexible with the big shifts in temperatures?  What are you noticing in yourself?
 
Come learn about the season of Spring through the Five Element philosophy.  A brief overview of acupuncture and the Five Elements will be followed by an in-depth discussion of Spring’s Wood element, its gifts and challenges, and how it relates to your body and life.  The workshop will conclude with a gentle acupuncture treatment to help anchor in your body your learning from the evening.
 
Registration for the workshop and acupuncture treatment is $25.  Please reserve your space with me by phone or email, as space will be limited.
 
Learning how to allow Spring its full expression in your body and life can help you prepare for the Summer ahead.
 

Restorative Yoga and Acupuncture Workshop

Springtime Exercising!

The transition through March and April can bring swings in temperatures as well as some windy days.   Even with this year’s warmer winter, our bodies need time to acclimate to being outdoors. Learn what works for you and plan for layering options. 

I recently had the opportunity to attend a workshop offered by Karen Scher, Certified Yoga Instructor, who led a group of us through some valuable ways to open up at the shoulders and upper body.  The exercises are simple.

To begin, keep both arms down by your sides.  Take one arm and reach behind you around your low back.  Take hold of your other arm, somewhere near the elbow.  Then focus on relaxing your shoulders down and back, feeling a stretch across your upper back and chest.  Hold the position while you take a few deep breaths before switching to the other side.  This will bring your posture upright, release the muscles along your neck and shoulders and also help free your breathing by opening up the lungs.  Practice the position a few times at home or while working at your desk and then incorporate it into your spring training activities!

It's Spring (almost)! Time to Grow, Create, and Refresh!

This weekend we pushed our clocks forward and began to enjoy longer hours of daylight.  The weather has warmed and our thoughts are turning to the enjoyments of spring.  It's time to grow, create, and refresh.  Karen Giles Acupuncture offers the following suggestions to make the most of your spring!

"Spring Cleaning" often makes us think of cleansing.  Spring is a great time to cleanse and refresh body, mind, and environment.  Enjoy foods that cleanse the body such as lemons, spring onions, and greens. Cleanse your mind by letting go of baggage you have been holding onto and fill your mind with fresh goals you want to reach. Cleanse your environment by remove clutter and organizing.  Cleansing gives you the opportunity to begin anew.  Start a new project or a new routine.  Go someplace you have never been and maybe travel there in a manner you have never traveled.  Spark your creative energy and follow it where it leads.

Why not start a garden and grow some of the cleansing foods you want to eat?  A garden is the embodiment of growth, creation and refreshment and allows you to develop a connection with the earth.  Use the food you grow to create new dishes or the flowers you grow to create beautiful arrangements.  A garden offers endless opportunities for creation.

These suggestions just scratch the surface on ways to maximize the benefits of spring.  Let me know what suggestions you have!

Restorative Yoga and Acupuncture

Winter's Gift

The Quiet Gift of Winter

The Winter has seemed a bit hesitant to settle in this year.  Some unseasonably warm days, while a respite from last year’s snow-filled Winter, is a bit confusing in nature.  Is it feeling that way for you too?  The recent snowfall delivered the gift that Winter offers – “permission” to relax into your own version of hibernation.  Regardless of the changeable temperatures, it is still Winter.  The trees are bare and grey against the sky.  If you listen carefully to nature, you will hear…silence.  There are no birds chirping, very little wildlife is active right now and often the only sound you hear is the wind blowing through the open spaces around us.  Plant life is huddled down, although I have noticed a few buds that wonder what to do on a warm winter day.  How is the Winter within you?  Are you finding some ease in the warmer temperatures and minimal snowfall to date?  Notice how you feel with each swing of the weather as we continue on through what’s left of this season.
 

Elemental wisdom

Winter is the seasonal expression of the Water element.  In the acupuncture tradition, the Water element is literally about the water in us.  Anatomically, our kidneys and bladder function as reservoirs and filters, managing the flow of fluids in our bodies and supporting the delicate balance of chemistry in so many functions.  But the kidneys also guide birth, development and growth, particularly in our bones.  The kidneys are the seeds that are the foundation of our skeletal structure, as well as our vitality. 

The spirit these organs have in this tradition is of power and potential in our lives and bodies.  Are you feeling energized or do you feel like your “tank” is empty?  The ability to power through the challenges of life comes from the Water element.  Physically, by keeping our bones strong and supporting our upright posture.  Emotionally, by helping us move through trying times, conquering fears and determining appropriate boundaries in how we live.
 

Karen Giles Acupuncture is proud to offer the Winter’s Gift Seasonal Workshop: Saturday, 2/4, 3pm-5pm.  A brief overview of acupuncture and the Five Elements will be followed by an in-depth discussion of Winter's Water element, it's gifts and challenges, and how it relates to your well being.  The workshop will conclude with a gentle acupuncture treatment. Registration: $25.