I love that first morning where there is a hint of fall in the air. We may not get a fall flurry of colors on our trees here in Florida, but we do immediately notice when the humidity changes. Praise Be- reprieve of cooler temps is on the way! Time to break out the boots and leather jackets, for what my husband jokingly calls Han Solo season. All joking aside, while our transition into fall may be welcomed and gradual, there can be some symptoms that you might notice with the change in season. We wanted to give you some tried and true ways to ease that transition.

The ancient sages of Chinese Medicine very much encouraged welcoming the change of seasons with a shift in self care to match or balance or the characteristics of the seasons governing element.

In Chinese Medicine, Fall is governed by the Metal Element and the Metal Element is all about awakening our animal nature or the Po, our corporeal soul- the animalistic portion of our soul that arises at conception and we carry until our last breath. Its energies culminate in the Large Intestines and Lungs which literally help us to instinctively refine what we take in and let go of, from food, to the breath, toxins, and even emotions and beliefs. The Metal Element also rules the emotions of grief and sadness, as they typically reside in the lungs. Because of this, fall can be an excellent time to purge our homes, our habits, and even grief.

The other way in which we notice manifestations of the metal element in the physical body is through the skin, which is seen as an extension of the lungs in Chinese Medicine. Is it dry and agitated, losing its youthful turgor, itchy or maybe even showing you signs of heat with eczema or psoriasis or other signs that or toxic burden may be too high?

Emotionally speaking it can be helpful to ask ourselves what are we holding onto that no longer serves us- a grudge, anger, indifference, sorrow? A helpful way to work these feelings out of the body is to scan your physical body as you think about what you are holding onto and simply notice where there is tension in the body. Before you attempt to change it, breathe into it, acknowledging its presence and valuable message. Let any feelings or sensations rise to the surface and shake that part of your body. Like a tree losing its leaves in an autumn gust of wind or a dog throwing off tension. Shake anywhere from 2-20 minutes and instinctively shake any part of your body that could use a good unfurling.

If you aren't in a place to be shaking about, another helpful way to move stuck emotion is to use what we call snake breath in Qi Gong. Start by noticing your natural cadence of breath in and out, in and out. Let your inhales come through your nose and your exhales go out the mouth. Bring your awareness to your crown chakra at the top of your head. Imagine a pillar of white light pouring down through your head and straight into your heart. Gently press the tip of your tongue to the back of your two front teeth and you your next few exhales through the mouth allow yourself to make a hissing or sssssss sound. Repeat until you feel lighter.

If you find yourself strangely constipated at this turn of the season, it may be helpful to ask yourself what you could benefit from letting go emotionally or physically. Also noticing if you perhaps need more water in your routine as evidenced by dryer than normal hair, skin, or eyes. Along with upping your water content and tending to your emotional body, adding in magnesium citrate or burdock root as a tea before bed can also help seasonal transition constipation.

We may find that our energy waxes and wanes as the days grow shorter. Detoxing by simply becoming more mindful about what you put in and on your body can be super helpful to rid the body of toxins in a gentle way without taxing our reserves with intense cleanses. Dry brushing with the meridians can also be an excellent and safe way to lightly detoxify and nourish the natural changes we see in our skin this time of year. And if you do decide to employ any detoxifying herbs or supplements, be sure that the bowels are moving freely first or you run the risk of re-absorbing dangerous partially broken down chemicals increasing your toxic load.

Foods that help to moisten the lungs and large intestine are pears, sesame seeds, almonds, apples, long cook oats, and honey. They can all be helpful to ease the transition to fall.

If you’re prone to fall allergies and/ or sinus infections, saline or garlic neti pot rinses can be extremely beneficial. Click here for detailed instructions for our garlic neti pot regimen.

And last but not least, acupressure points that can help you embrace the shift into fall are Lu1, Lu7, LI1.

LU1 is called middle palace. It is especially helpful to move grief out of the lungs especially when crying or holding our breath has caused our breath to feel shallow and shaky. It is located on the upper chest in the deltopectoral triangle just under the outer third of the collar bone in the hollow triangular space. Press or rub for 10 seconds, repeat on the other side or cross your arms and stimulate both sides simultaneousy while you take deep breaths. Check out a video of how to find it.

Lu7 is called Broken Sequence. It opens the conception vessel and beckons heavenly energy to help conception as well as to relieve tension stored in the upper back and neck from repressed or retained emotion. To easily find it, interlock your hands together at the webbing between the pointer finger and thumb. Let the pointer finger extend out straight and fall parallel to the thumb. Notice where the pad of the finger lands just proximal to the wrist crease and feel for the divot in the wrist bone. Check out a video of how to find it.

LI1 is called Metal Yang. It is helpful if you want to increase the qualities of the metal element like letting go emotionally or physically through the pores. It is located at the corner of the nail bed on the pointer finger on the side closest to the thumb and in line with the bottom of the nail bed. It can be easily stimulated with the fingernail of the thumbnail on the same hand. Check out a video of how to find it.

We hope this helps to give you some ideas of how to care for yourself in the transition to fall and how to strengthen your metal element. If you want an extra bump in your wellness and immunity at the season change, don’t forget to book an apt with us and ask your provider if Engystol Homeopathic might be a good fit for you to strengthen your immune system. You can read more about them here.