Sitting with sweetness: Summer’s end

Monthly Newsletter September 2018

It is almost September! As the final fruits of summer ripen into intense sweetness we are invited to eat their concentrated delicious energy – and to check in with the element of Earth – as we transition into Fall.  After the heat and flow of summer how do we connect back to ourselves, creating a smooth and enjoyable shift of seasons?

The time between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox is truly pivotal, as the earth prepares for the shift from Yang to Yin. The vast, Yang expansion of high summer in which our energy reaches outward begins to draw back inward, into our centre. We nourish and nurture ourselves to prepare for the darker, colder days that will come. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine late summer is the Earth element, which endows us clarity of purpose and intent,  with the ability to stand up for our words and our dreams – to find the Earth on which to stand, and in which to plant seeds for next summer.

• Eat ‘smart’ sugars – apples, carrots, dates, figs, grapes, peaches, pears, squash and sweet potatoes – to help regulate your blood sugar;
• Eat mindfully and slowly; recognise your belly as a cooking pot into which you add the right ingredients, at the right time;
• Focus on centering yourself with breath;
• Practice yoga outdoors  to connect further with Earth energy;
• Try massaging your feet every day for a week to draw energy into the supportive soles of your feet and open your foot chakras;
• Let go of ideas that do not nourish you and practice loving the body you are in. Embodiment is a sweet gift. Taste it!