Late summer wellness wisdom from traditional Chinese medicine

Peer into the wisdom of ancient health systems like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and discover a wealth of tools, techniques, and a way of seeing the world like you've never seen it before. One of the most fascinating and applicable insights that Traditional Chinese Medicine gives us is how we can live seasonally, not only in terms of what we eat, but also when we think about our daily routine, exercise, self-care, and even specific body organs that we need to focus on nourishing.

As we approach late summer in the UK, we enter what TCM sees as a season all its own, linked to the earth element. As you may feel, the end of summer has a different feel to the beginning of the season; Instead of the hot and humid days and a palpable excitement about how we might spend the next few weeks in the sun, there is a shift to cooler, drier air and a sense of slowing down. If you're finding the heat hard to bear (particularly with record temperatures this year in the UK and Europe!) then you might even feel like late summer is a relief as we finally break through the heat and move on to cooler temperatures.

According to TCM, all seasons have a directed movement of energy, and late summer is the season when we return to our center. This season, ruled by the earth element, is about returning to our roots and rebalancing ourselves before moving on to a completely different season. This might mean revisiting the important health tools you left behind at the start of summer, such as: E.g. go to bed early or swap your summer cocktails for something healthier. It might look like taking time to pause and reflect on how you felt in the first half of the year and set intentions as we move into the final months of 2022. Perhaps late summer will be the time when you focus on rebalancing yourself with a gentle detox or focusing on the health of your stomach and spleen – the two organs TCM recommends the late summer diet.

However you spend your late summer season, let us inspire you with a few pieces of ancient wisdom remixed perfectly for the modern world:

Connect with the earth element

Each season is ruled by a different element, and late summer is all about the earth. Most living things come from Earth and then return to Earth, and this element represents our ability to feel grounded, safe and at peace within ourselves and to feel safe in the world around us. When we don't feel grounded, it can increase anxiety and lead to problems like digestive problems, bloating, and even IBS. To connect with the earth element and bring back our birthright to feel safe and at peace, we can practice simple techniques such as grounding (standing or walking with bare feet on the earth), spending more time in nature and less time in front of screens. Use(link removed)for 65 device-free, bite-sized activities that are scientifically proven to promote true happiness and help you step away from your phone for a while. Gardening and caring for plants are also effective ways to feel more groundedDr. Kate Cooper explains in her beautiful bookPlant therapy. The Eastern Feng Shui tradition recommends bringing the color yellow into the home to enhance the stabilizing effect of the earth element and using furniture made from natural materials such as(link removed),or the sustainable(link removed)from the cork oak, which regenerates its own bark after harvest.

Nourish your stomach and spleen

According to TCM, late summer is the time to focus on the health of the stomach and spleen organ pairs, both of which are considered to influence the overall health of the digestive system. One of the most common problems in the Western world that many TCM herbalists and acupuncture practitioners see isSpleen Qi deficiency.This problem can lead to gastrointestinal disorders such as bloating, bloating, sluggish digestion, slow metabolism and the after effects of these problems such as weight gain, lethargy or hormonal imbalances. Problems with the stomach and spleen are also believed to cause excessive "dampness" in the body, which you may notice if you feel heavy, lightheaded, or constipated. Foods to avoid if you feel your stomach and spleen are deficient:

• Kalte Speisen
• Zucker
• Verarbeitete Lebensmittel
• Nicht biologische Milchprodukte
• Erdnussbutter
• Alkohol
• Raffinierte Kohlenhydrate

To promote stomach and spleen health and prevent excessive moisture, TCM recommends:

• Wurzelgemüse (insbesondere Süßkartoffeln und Karotten)
• Kürbis und Kürbis
• Orangenschale
• Miso-Suppe
• Hafer
• Termine
• Reis
• Gerste
• Knoblauch
• Gewürze wie Zimt, Ingwer, Nelke, Chili, Kardamom, Fenchel und Kreuzkümmel

(link removed)gives an insight into further TCM wisdom, Yin Yoga and how to become a master of maintaining healthQi.You'll also find recipes with ingredients that nourish your stomach and spleen(link removed)

Slower

Before we dive into the deep, dark Yin energy of fall and winter, late summer gives us the opportunity to slow down, assess where we might want to make changes, and prepare to live life at a different pace. It's natural for us to live in "go-go-go" mode in the summer when the days are longer and sunnier, but in darker and colder months, living in "summer mode" can cause us to burn out. It is important that we modulate between yin and yang, up and down, fast and slow throughout the year to maintain a sense of harmony and balance within ourselves. Late summer is the time when we can gradually relax by setting aside less time for you(link removed)transforms a hasty morning cup of coffee into a tea ritualPukkas day to nightTea collection,and prioritizing good sleep quality with tools like this(link removed),and tips from(link removed)

As we move from the intense yang of early summer to the calmer, cooler days of late summer, tune into your intuition and ask your body what it really needs.