A turn toward Fall: Lungs and the Element of Metal

Beginning from this month's eNewsletter:

Fall

The season is fall. Fall is a time when we begin to feel that sense of quieting. The weather becomes cooler. Animals are storing food for winter. Plants are letting go of what is above the earth and preparing to draw down into the earth. While many may look “dead” above the earth, down below they thrive, just like burrowing animals. It’s a time to draw inward. A time to reflect. All of the aliveness around us does this. And we do too. It's a time to reflect and notice.

Body Tissue: Skin

The Lung Organ System shows up in the skin. Whether you’re in the season and notice the need to apply more moisturizer or drink more water - or in the Metal Phase of your life, like me - you may notice the skin changes: drier, drab.

It’s our container so as we move through life, it can tell us a lot about us. The skin protects us, gives us a boundary, and it is the tissue we feel everything with. So, it’s our connection to the outside. But it’s also a container for us to feel what’s going on inside. 

Our skin offers:

• Separation and definition between ourselves and other people. Boundaries. 
• Internally, it’s the ability to connect inward. To be aware of emotions, thoughts, and body.

Sense Organ: Nose

The filter for the air we breathe into the lungs. Air we breathe is a DIRECT connection to building energy (qi) in the body. It is the ONLY direct connection we have. It’s immediate. Of the ingestible things we draw qi from, air is instant. So, our noses are really important in making sure that air is filtered and clean. In many ways, our breathing reflects our emotions and our energetics. Short or fast breathing may reflect anxiety or fear. Shallow, slow can reflect depression.

Color: White

White is also what we begin to see on leaves and grass, due to the frost that comes. But it happens to us as well: I know this one! I’m definitely entering (or have arrived!) at the metal element in my life. My hair is turning white. I’m losing the bright color I had in my skin and settling into a more subdued palette. This is part of what we see in nature when we are with the elements. Many try to maintain their youthful palette with makeup and hair dye, but it still happens!

Flavor/Scent: Spicy Pungent

When we look at nature, all of the plants we had out in the garden, if they aren’t picked, either are pungent with rotting or they dry up and have a spiciness to them. We can use these flavors to rid ourselves of toxins in the body but also to circulate Qi, Blood, and Fluids during a time when we are slowing down, and becoming reflective. We still need that subtle stimulation of vitality.

Pungent foods relieve Lung congestion, bloating, and stuffiness - even our personalities are shifted when we eat a wide palette of flavors. Small amounts of ginger used regularly tonify and strengthen the large intestine and bring warming to digestion. But remember, these spicy foods can also create dryness. So...all in balance.

Emotions: Letting Go, Grief, Courage

Just as the leaves are drying up, releasing, and letting go, we can feel the same sensations as we move through this phase of the year. Many people begin to feel grief and can drop into depression. This is where we give ourselves the spark of courage. Whether it’s a challenging pose we can build up to in class or a new breathing technique that can build rootedness. Even more powerful: we can challenge ourselves to sit and just notice the sensation of loss, honoring it without being swept away by it.

Overall

Lungs teach us about boundaries. Those boundaries help us decide what to let in and what to let go. It is a time to be reflective (whether it is part of our day, our week, our year, or our life!) and give time to ponder, being open to the answers that arrive.

 This is a time for closing our mouths, quieting our minds, and opening our hearts.