FIVE ELEMENTS FOR FIVE SEASONS

The fifth century B.C. Greek physician Hippocrates for instance, declared that a person's health was dependent on the balance of four bodily fluids that corresponded to the Natural Elements of Air, Water, Fire & Earth. The same elemental idea- along with a fifth component - Ether, is echoed in the ancient Indian healing traditions of Yoga, Ayurvedic Medicine and Vastu. This philosophy has held that good health is a result of 5 elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal & Water. The holistic interconnected philosophy can guide us in using the elements to tend to our health. By focusing on each element and its corresponding season, we can see how the five elements can help keep our bodies in better harmony.

1. SPRIND - WOOD: - The element of wood is associated with Spring, a time of birth and new beginnings. "The wood element refers to living growing entities. Trees, Plants & The Human Body."(Elson M. Hass in "Staying Healthy with The Season")

In addition to diet and exercise, there are other ways to balance your wood element. Wood governs the early hours of the morning, when we first awake. Just as morning is a great time to plan the day ahead, Spring is a great time to look at your life and where you want to be in the future.

Spring is a good season to: -

*Eat light, raw foods such as greens, sprouts, fruits, nuts, seeds and celery.

*Add lemon to your drinking water to help detoxify the liver.

*Develop an exercise program to further detoxify the liver.

*Make plans for your future to capitalise on Spring's association with bring awake and alert and have a plan for Summer, the season of activity.

SUMMER - FIRE: - Fire is about warmth, transformation and dynamic sparkling movement. Summer brings fire through the heat of the sun, long days and energised bodies. "In the five elements cycle, the fire phase describes a stage of peak power"(Gail Reichstein in "Wood becomes water: Chinese medicine in everyday life) "Fire, then is about peaking - reaching a maximal stage of activity."

Summer is also an ideal time for power lunches, good conversations and warm greetings of friends, as fire is associated with midday and connectivity.

Summer is a good season to: -

*Gey plenty of cardiovascular exercises, because fire rules the heart and circulatory system.

*If you are fire deficient, eat warming foods, such as peppers, ginger, citrus, butter, meats, corn, cherries and basmati rice.

*If you have an excess of fire, eat cooling foods, such as cucumber, sprouts, watermelon, apples, lemon's and limes.

*Set up power lunches and meet with friends, because fire is linked to social connectivity.

LATE SUMMER- EARTH - Earth is unique among the five elements in that it corresponds to two unusual time periods. First, it's related to the short season called "Indian Summer", those last warm light- filled days in September and October, just before the cool weather sets in, Second earth is linked to times of change throughout the year: those few weeks b/w seasons in which autumn changes to winter, winter to spring and spring to summer.

Earth is a stabilizing force during these times of transition. After all the activity of Spring & Summer, nature's time to grow and bloom, earth can help us get centered and balanced in late summer as we organise ourselves for the autumn harvest and begin to prepare ourselves for winter, the season of rest.

Since the earth element rules mealtime and community, late summer is an ideal time to share a dinner with neighbors and friends- and take a walk afterward.

Late Summer is a good season to: -

*Choose smart sugars - Apples, Carrots, Dates, Figs, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Squash and Sweet Potatoes to help the pancreas regulate your blood sugar.

*Eat Mindfully. By paying attention to portions & slowing down when you eat, you can help the spleen.

*Throw a dinner party. Late summer is associated with community and mealtime.

AUTUMN - METAL: - Autumn brings the harvest of crops, shorter days and preparation for winter. The metal element, from rough ore to sparkling gemstones, symbolizes the process of refinement and it's resulting products. In this season; it's time to make sure everything pure & necessary is used and maximised and that anything unnecessary ore wasteful is eliminated. Furthermore, metal is connected to air through the lungs. The lungs and the large intestine, associated with metal. 

This is a good season to: -

*Eat root vegetables, whole grains and healthy foods as a way to clean out the intestines.

*Do weight training to make good use of the muscle- building protein, you crave as winter comes.

*Focus on relaxation in the evening hours. Autumn is associated with late afternoon and evening time, and getting ready for sleep.

WINTER - WATER: - Winter, the cold and dark season, is a time of inward reflection, rest & restoration. It is associated with water, the element of pooling, tranquility and fow. In the body, the water element is connected with circulation of the blood, perspiration,tears, the bladder and most significantly, the kidney. To keep the kidneys healthy, you should keep them warm & well hydrated. Winter may be time to converse energy but that doesn't mean you need to stay completely still.

This is a good season to: - 

*Make sure to keep your lower back warm and drink plenty of liquids like soups, streaming cups of ginger or cinnamon tea, avoid ice water.

*Eat black beans, kidney beans along with seaweed and steamed greens. Fish and shellfish are a good source of protein at this time of year. Use sea salt in moderate amount, remember that excessive salt can damages the kidneys.

*Practice fluid exercise like Yoga.

*Pay attention to your dreams; try writing about them or processing them through other creative activities. Winter is associated with intersection and receptivity.

Paying attention to one element at a time is a wonderful way to begin noticing their effects. But ultimately, you should balance all five elements within your body, because they work together in a rich complex system.

When in harmony, for example, the elements support eachother in a creation cycle: Water nourishes Wood, Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth produces Metal & Metal produces Water. But when the elements are out of balance, they have the capacity to damage eachother. In the destructive cycle; Water extinguishes Fire, Wood separates Earth, Metal chops Wood, Fire melts Metal & Earth observes Water.

 Making efforts to find just a little more balance with the elements in your body can go a long way toward ahead, go elemental and reap the healthy rewards.

GO ELEMENTAL: - To feel more in touch with each element seasonally try these simple tips: -

WOOD (SPRING): - Take a walk in the woods, bring some new houseplants into your office or home. Express your creativity through any form of art or movement.

FIRE (SUMMER): - Get up early and watch the sunrise. Share a joke with friends. Feel the warmth with someone you love.

EARTH (LATE SUMMER): - Walk barefoot in warmth of the summer sun. Volunteer in a soup kitchen.

METAL (AUTUMN): - Start a breathing meditation practice. Visit mineral pools. Clean out your closest and book shelves, keeping only what had meaning & value to you.

WATER (WINTER): - Head to the gym to sit in the whirlpool or steam room or take a stroll near a creek or the sea. Treat yourself to a long warm bath, a nap or the time to simply lie back and watch the snow fall.