Spring is a time for growth and self-expression. After nurturing and nourishing yourself through winter, you now have an abundance of energy to enjoy the active and dynamic energy of springtime. Use this energy to start manifesting your creative visions and goals. Enjoy seeing all your ideas and . . . → Read More: Spring]]> Living by the Seasons

Spring is a time for growth and self-expression. After nurturing and nourishing yourself through winter, you now have an abundance of energy to enjoy the active and dynamic energy of springtime. Use this energy to start manifesting your creative visions and goals. Enjoy seeing all your ideas and planning start to blossom around you.  Spring relates to the element of wood, so think of a new sapling tree reaching up towards the sun.  Feel the vital energy flowing through you and energising you. Spring is the season for you to express your own unique self to the world.

Spring is all about movement. After the cold winter season of staying indoors and building your energy reserves it is now time to be active. A time to ‘do, act and become’ and bring your potential into form.   This expressive energy of spring is urging you to follow your passions and become all that you dream yourself to be.

Spring is a great time to get outdoors.  Walk through forests, parks or bushland and feel the energy of all the new growth. Sit and rest against a tree and consciously connect with nature.

Spring is the most appropriate time to cleanse. Cleanse yourself on every level: mind, body and spirit. This will move blocked stagnant energy to free up your creative expression and give you more direction.

When it comes to food this spring, think green.  Green light young foods promote cleansing and cooling, and encourage movement and activity. Also sweet pungent flavoured foods are beneficial during this time.  Now that the hot soup season is over, have some fun creating healthy delicious salads. And of course, Mother Nature knows best, so always use fresh, whole foods that are in season and they will provide you with the perfect nutrition for spring.

Springtime is your time, so use this opportunity to express yourself fully and allow yourself to truly blossom.

By Sally Drinkwater

Wu Tao Dance Instructor

www.sallydrinkwater.com.au

Trust in the process of life and release all you are holding on to. Release feelings, thoughts and attitudes that are keeping you stuck in the past. To be truly present in this moment and open to life . . . → Read More: Autumn]]> Autumn is the season to let go. It is a time to surrender and release.

Trust in the process of life and release all you are holding on to. Release feelings, thoughts and attitudes that are keeping you stuck in the past. To be truly present in this moment and open to life you must surrender and let go of anything restricting and limiting your flow of energy. This is the only way to live in the now.

Think of the autumn tree letting go of its leaves. It must go through complete bareness to allow for new growth. If you observe Mother Nature and the patterns of the earth you will see that all life goes through cycles.  So must we understand that there will be times of fullness and emptiness and in all states there are gifts.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the season of Autumn relates the element of Air.  The element of Air is associated with the emotion of grief. Grief is a natural expression of the process of letting go. Understand that  the feeling of loss that accompanies letting something go is natural so embrace any feelings of grief that arise so that  you can complete the process and move on with life.

The Air element is also connected with the lungs and the large intestines. Both of these organs and meridians are connected to the process of ‘letting go’. The lungs take in fresh air and expel the old, and the large intestines expel what is left after we have taken in all the nourishment from our food. The imbalances caused by not letting go can manifest mentally, emotionally and physically.

Attune yourself to the season of Autumn and rid yourself of things you are no longer using and that are outdated. Free yourself of old habits and thought patterns that no longer serve you.  Prepare your body for winter by eating wholesome healthy foods to build up your immune system with good nutrition. And most importantly take the time to enjoy meditation and deep breathing as a way to practice letting go of life so that you can be brought to the present moment.

This Autumn allow yourself to become one with the element of Air and Set yourself free.

By Sally Drinkwater ©

In Traditional Chinese Medicine Summer is the time of the Fire element. The energy of Fire is warming, expansive and joyous. The element of fire relates to the heart, so this is the time . . . → Read More: Summer]]> Summer is the time when the Sun is high in the sky and the energy is full and vibrant.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine Summer is the time of the Fire element. The energy of Fire is warming, expansive and joyous. The element of fire relates to the heart, so this is the time for love and openness.

It is a good time for energy to flow out to others as well as to stand tall in yourself, honouring who you are and the gifts you bring to the world. Summer is the time to release the burdens and build up of energy of the past months and reconnect with your heart’s desire and truth.

In Summer there is an abundance of sunshine (and rain). The heavenly energy descends and the earthly energy rises. When these energies merge, heaven and earth connect. As a result, plants mature and animals, flowers and fruit appear abundantly. During the Summer one should stay physically active to prevent stagnation of Qi within the body. Be sure to take some time each day connecting with the sun and energy of Fire.

Summer is the time to be outdoors. Enjoy early morning walks on the beach and picnics in the park with friends and loved ones. Foods in season include a variety of tropical fruits and fruits of red, orange and yellow. Whilst Summer is the season to be jolly, one must be mindful not to over indulge in celebration and festivities as this may lead to an imbalance.

This Summer, Surrender all that burdens your heart so that you may be happy and merry and radiate JOY!

© Sally Drinkwater 2010

Winter is the time to rest and dream.  It is a time for bringing our energies internal and being in receiving mode. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is believed that people should follow the ways of nature and avoid excessive activity at this time.  Winter is the season . . . → Read More: Winter]]> Living by the Seasons

Winter is the time to rest and dream.  It is a time for bringing our energies internal and being in receiving mode. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is believed that people should follow the ways of nature and avoid excessive activity at this time.  Winter is the season when everything in nature moves inward. The seeds lay dormant in the earth.  It is a still time.  A time for our body to rebuild our energy stores and draw upon the energies of life to build our deepest Qi (energy).  By doing this we will be able to move out of winter with the motivation, strength, courage and endurance to bring our visions and dreams into fruition. In winter we are building the foundations for the life we want to birth in spring.

Winter is all about nurturing and nourishing.  Plenty of sleep, gentle exercise, and proper breathing techniques are beneficial for this time of year.  Eat lots of warming foods using local seasonal ingredients.  When we eat foods that are in season we are showing our trust in Mother Nature, and we can take comfort in knowing that she is providing us with the foods that are perfectly matched to our nutritional needs during each season.  Winter is the time for slow cooking…..meditation cooking.  Enjoy a warm bowl of soup or stew made with plenty of root vegetables, while curled up on the lounge with a blanket and your favourite book.

When we honour the energy of the seasons we become more aware of our own nature and our connection to Mother Nature.

Use this winter to practice the art of being.

By Sally Drinkwater

Quote:

‘The three months of winter are called the period of closing and storing….People should retire early at night and rise late in the morning and they should wait for the rising of the sun.  They should suppress and conceal their wishes as though they had no internal purpose, as though they had been fulfilled’   (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic)

excerpt from The Wanderer by Khalil Gibran