Spring represents renewal and growth, and just like every phase, has lessons for us. 

The climactic factor of the Wood Element and spring is wind. Wind is always moving and shifting. We can't control it, so by learning how to move with the wind while remaining grounded, we cultivate a practice that supports physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

The Significance of Flexibility in Mindful Movement like Qigong and Taiji

Incorporating the principle of flexibility into your practice is essential, especially when working with the Wood element. Flexibility allows our bodies to adapt to external conditions rather than resist them. Just as trees sway in the wind, a flexible approach in Qigong and Taiji encourages us to let go of rigidity and embrace natural movement. This is not just for the physical body, it teaches us to be less rigid in the rest of our lives.

When you're moving with the wind, you are softening to the flow rather than pushing against it. This adaptability fosters...

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, our organs are not simply part of our physical makeup. 

They are integral to our being on earth.

Spring is the season that highlights the Liver and Gallbladder.

The Liver is significant in allowing qi to flow through the body unimpeded. That's one of its main jobs. Anger, frustration, and similar emotions affect this part of its job and we find ourselves feeling stagnant. Not only in the tasks at hand but internally. There are many ways in which stagnation appears in the body - from a simple bout of constipation to the long haul of clogged arteries.

This is a very simplistic example, but you get the idea.

The paired yang meridian to the Liver is the Gallbladder. It also helps in regulating Qi flow through the body. It does this by helping us make decisions, to have the courage to move through difficulty - without force.

Various factors can damage the gallbladder and liver. These factors include:

Emotional stress: Chronic or excessive emotiona...

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 als...