Autumn Awareness Somatic Seasonals
Below are the practices we'll be doing during the course of the Fall 2008. The dates you see recommended by each section are in sync with the Coherence Calendar. You can use any/all of the resources below any time of the year. What's reflected in the protocol here is a rhythm that will present you with an opportunity to move through the seasonal cycle in harmony with your nature...
FallBODY The autumn is a time to use exercises like yoga, Tai Chi and somatics that emphasize breathing. The lungs inititate the new cycleof chi each morning from 3am to 5am. The large intestine is next to recharge from 5am to 7am. Tune into that process this way..... If you find yourself awakening or maybe you have a job that requires that you are up during that time, use the opportunity to monitor the tension in the neck, shoulder, lower back and thigh muscles and see if a new breathing pattern alters that tension. Remember, physical tension reflects distilled memories of past and future patterns.
#1 Weightbearing lean two – Stand with your feet shoulder's width apart and the arms relaxed at your sides. With your eyes open, shift your weight into the left foot by firmly pressing the foot into the floor and sinking the knee a little. When you arrive in that position, inhale and close your e`yes. Still holding the breath, slowly return to the center. Pause for a moment and notice if you feel like you're rocking forward or backward. If not, exhale and open the eyes. Repeat this for the right leg. The feeling of "rocking" is very subtle, so be patient and see what develops. If feel like you "rocked" a little then continue the experience with stillcenter breathing.
Entraining Window: SEPT 22nd to OCT 7th
Stillcenter Breathing -Begin with your arms relaxed at your sides and your weight evenly distributed, feet at shoulder's width. With your eyes closed and your tongue on the roof of your mouth, slowly inhale through the nose. As you inhale, guide your hands up from your sides so your palms face the floor. At the top of your breath, your hands arrive with palms facing away from you at just about eye level. Pause briefly and then slowly exhale orally. Allow your hands to drift downward with palms to the floor. At the bottom of the exhale, allow the palms to face behind you and seemingly "push" the air away. Repeat this cycle 3-5 times and note if your feet are more solidly "connected" to the ground. It might help to trace your breath from the base of your spine, to the top of your head as you inhale. Then trace the exhale down the front of the body and wind through the legs so it returns in an complete arc. Acupuncture calls this the microcosmic orbit. Try it!
Entraining Window: OCT 8th to OCT 22nd
Fall Brain The general recommendations for a balanced Metal element is based on the guidelines of Elson Haas' "Staying Healthy with the Seasons" and my clinical observations.
Blood Fillers - My pal Peter D'Adamo, ND, knows much more about this, as his upcoming book will chronicle, but our general ABO blood types influence which foods help or hinder our immune response. For a more individualized program, get Peter's book "Eat Right 4 Your Type".
Type B & most AB's- For omnivores, more meat and dairy is OK. Cheddar cheese is the #1 source.
Type A and O - For the rest of us, a diet that avoids congestion is the target. Lubricators like PC55 eggs, garlic, butter {yeah butter} soap sud the lymphatics and keep us clearer.
Sea me, Heal Me - To boost up a sluggish metabolism, dulse or red seaweed is good. To calm down an overactive thyroid {worry worts} use kelp. As for the colon, the Japanese black seaweed, wakume, helps neutralize gas. Any deep purple color is sufficient. To support the spleen and blood, Jack Schwarz suggests a teaspoon of liquid chlorophyll nightly. This is good pineal hygiene.
Entraining Window: OCT 23rd to NOV 7th
Organ rehab - Elson Haas suggests the following herbal teas for the fall cycle: Haas says two teaspoons per cup a day is enough to stimulate the body. Use them as builders, not symptom chasers. Use the new moons to experiment with these chemical tools. Remember there's no substitute for flexible breathing rhythms. Them with the most oxygen wins.
Autumn Herbal Teas for the Lungs: comfrey {chronic skin disorders, coughs, sprains}, burdock root {gout, arthritis, eczema}, coltsfoot leaf {pulmonary congestion}
Autumn Body Heaters: If you tend to "run cold", try licorice root, ginger root, or slippery elm as morning teas and cayenne pepper as a surface stimulant, like "Boswellin Cream" over bony prominences for rheumatic relief. Cayenne can also be used in salads to put "fire in the belly" if your digestion is sluggish. The body heaters facilitate a smoother transition to "wintertime" once the clocks change.
Autumn Herbal Teas for the Large Intestine: Oregon Grape root {toxemia, psoriasis, constipation}, cascara sagrada {hemorroids, biliary stasis}, St. John's Wart as an extract 30 drops/day {diarrhea, myalgia}.
Entraining Window: NOV 8th to NOV 22nd
Fall Mind The Chinese symbolize the Metal element's emotional map around the skills of communication and inner peace. The Autumn is a time to take a big stretch in every direction before the long winter nap. Stay open to new ideas as the harvest unearths itself within you.
fall fone fun - A good strategy for whole brain awareness during phone conversations is to match up your "ear to what you hear". If the conversation is a business, detail-oriented one use your right ear to receive messages in the left brain. If it's a light-hearted gab-fest with a friend, opt for the left ear. See if you can guess what ear your listener is using at the other end of the line. Most people use one ear for every conversation!
Entraining Window: NOV 23rd to DEC 7th
fall dream diary-To get access to your subconscious messages get yourself a small memo pad and pen. Place it next to your bed. When you wake up, write down the first thing that comes to mind. String together ten days of these messages and see it you can decode it's meaning. You'll be learning a whole new alphabet this way.
Entraining Window: DEC 8th to DEC 21st
