My favorite T-shirt says – “Let That Shiitake Go”.
It reminds me I have the power to let stuff go if it clutters my mind, messes with my physical and/or spiritual health.
Fall vibes are all about letting go and shedding what doesn’t serve you – just take a cue from the trees.
Living in a place where you get all the seasons is a gift that’s easy to take for granted.
While I love summer’s long days and warm weather I’ve come to realize following nature’s patterns help me physically and mentally.
I’ve found nature is the best “influencer” with solid lessons to follow…
…way better than any of the dancing social media influencers with great memes.
Traditional Chinese Medicine talks about the change in seasons and helping your body adapt to these changes.
Could it be – nature is dropping hints to be followed?
Like pouring all it’s resources inward and downward as the days shorten and the weather cools.
Nourishing fall foods like beans, lentils, squashes and root veggies are last to be harvested in the garden before the freeze takes over.
Chinese Medicine recommends these foods to support you each fall and winter…
…sweet potatoes, potatoes, yams, onions, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, and squashes hold a lot of vitamin A and C as well as fiber and nutrients needed to keep your resilience to infections up through the winter.
The fall harvest is perfectly designed to help support your body’s transition through fall and into winter.
Fall detoxes are popular in the alternative medicine space, yet I question how they are being done.
The lungs and large intestine are the organs associated with fall, hence it’s the best time to support them.
Harsh diarrhea producing colon blow styles of detox are hard on the body and in my opinion depleting you right when you need strength instead.
Most detoxes do not include an aspect for the lungs nor do they mention them.
This fall I invite you to go with the flow of nature instead of a commercially influenced detox.
Your lungs and large intestine are pals, they work together to help you let go of things physically and spiritually.
The lungs are often referred to as the “container of grief” in Chinese medicine writings.
How you breathe and the extent to which you exhale has a huge impact on the pH of your body.
It even shows up as low CO2 levels in your blood.
Daily breath work exercises focusing on longer exhales stimulate the body to mobilize more oxygen to your tissues.
Greater oxygen to your tissues = enhanced circulation, more energy and improved cell detox.
Try it right now – count to 5 or more on an exhale…
…did your shoulders come down a bit from their tight tense state?
Make it a point to practice this anytime you’re driving, have free time or when you feel overwhelmed and need to let some stuff go!
A longer exhale helps you let toxins in gas form like ammonia and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) from inside your body out.
Your lungs are a self detoxing organ.
All they need is a little nudge from you to do their thing…
- Breathing – longer exhales
- Steam inhalations of essential oils
- Diffusers with non-synthetic essential oils (see Campo Beauty)
- Halo therapy – salt breathing
Mentally and spiritually the lungs require a bit of introspection – perfect for fall and winter energy.
I invite you to think about the following this fall…
- What are you doing that isn’t serving you?
- Is there clutter in your home you can donate or dispose of?
- Are you cluttering your mind with thoughts holding you back from moving forward?
- Could there be someone in your life or one who’s passed that it’s time to let go of?
For the large intestines, it’s all about the fall foods I mentioned earlier and sauces.
It’s common to want to roast veggies, bake them with meats or use the air fryer.
These cooking methods dry out the food and make it harder to pass through the body causing constipation.
Master sauces to add to your baked, roasted and air fried fall and winter foods to prevent this annoying factor of life.
My fave book – Modern Sauces by Martha Holmberg.
Simple sauces and a few long exhales when you sit down to eat make “letting your shiitake go” a delight!
Here’s to a smooth fall to winter transition (pun totally intended),
Dr. K
