Happy September, everyone! I’m looking forward to seeing you when our online Qigong classes resume on September 9th. I’ll also be at the Millbrook Library teaching hybrid Zoom/in- person Qigong this coming Friday, September 5th.
September 7th marks the beginning of “White Dew,” according to the 24 solar terms of the traditional Chinese agricultural calendar. I could feel a change this morning as I took my coffee outside and sat with the trees. The trees were still and the only birds I heard were some talkative crows and a rooster down the road. There was, indeed, cool dew on the grass. Summer has reached its peak: excellent peaches and corn are still in the markets, but gardens are beginning to put on their brakes. Nature is slowly letting go, and moving into a yin time of rest.
“Late summer”, as this phase is known in Five Element Qigong, is when earth energy is at its peak. It’s a good time to work on the earth element within ourselves: our digestive system, including the spleen and stomach, and the emotional energy we need to feel grounded, stable, and centered. When our earth energy is balanced, we don’t get stuck in an anxious, worried, over-thinking mind. Instead, like nature, we let energy descend to our center, where it gives us nourishment, and the ability to think clearly and maintain emotional steadiness.
One of the participants in last Saturday’s “Acupressure for Stress Relief” at Innisfree was really excited. “This is so cool! I never thought of late summer as being its own season!” she told me. I loved her enthusiasm. It reminded me of all the beautifully sensible, reassuring, natural gifts that come with Qigong practice. What a great support it is for us all, to remember how connected to nature we truly are. It can help to keep us just as rooted, strong, resilient, and calm as the trees.
