moxa

I 💛 Late Summer

Seriously. A whole season unto itself for the transition from Summer to Fall.

In Chinese Medicine, this is the time of the Spleen (and Stomach), the color yellow, the emotion of empathy or sorrow, the direction of center, and the element of Earth. The aspect of the spirit associated with the Spleen/Earth element is the Yi, which is the mind/intellect. This is a great time to begin or rededicate oneself to a meditation practice to cultivate the calm, clear mind.

The Earth/Spleen Qi is also about boundaries and our sense of self. This makes it a natural time to reflect on how we are doing with maintaining boundaries and concurrently how we are doing with caring for ourselves.

  • Garden Flowers of Late Summer

Acupuncture treatments, especially including moxa, are an excellent way to bolster the Spleen Qi and transform Dampness which is prevalent now with all the humidity. The moxa burns through that foggy layer, allowing us to feel more free and clear in our upright Qi….manifesting in healthy boundaries, strong immunity, and self containment/confidence.

Enjoy these precious days of cool fresh mornings, steamy afternoons, and relaxed evenings.

Haiku on Late Summer:

while forest bathing

I sensed a quiet sadness

quite familiar

from whence does it come?

is it of the Earth or my own?

empathic sorrow

Sally Robinson, L.Ac.

828-545-2288

http://www.whitepineacupuncture.com

Late Summer, 2016 by Sally Robinson, L.Ac.

imageimageimageFirst of all, I LOVE that Late Summer is its own season.  We know this to be true as we experience August quite differently than we do June.  Chinese Medicine is rooted in the interplay and continual unfolding of the five seasons and the five elements.

Late Summer is now ….. the time in which we have been made so aware of a change that is soon coming.  We see it in the way the morning light comes in a little differently, the angle, time and quality of it have all shifted.  And yet we are still in the ease, heat, and humidity of long, hot summery days.  It is mostly at the beginning and end of these days that we sense something is different.  The morning light has changed, and there is that cherished freshness that the misty mornings bring.  The evenings bring a new coolness and quiet that cast our minds into what’s coming next…..the invitation of fall.

 

Chinese Medicine associates Late Summer with the Spleen and Stomach, the Earth element, the color yellow, the sweet taste, the emotion of worry/contemplation/compassion, and the direction is that of the center.

 

The center- this is what I’d like to emphasize.  The Spleen energy/Earth element is the still point between activities and seasons.  It is the energy that supports us through transition.  Late Summer is that fulcrum between Summer and Fall.  Within us, that coincides with our sense of center in our body.  Traditionally that is thought to be in the abdomen, the middle, the area between the navel and the chest.  This sense of center is further extrapolated into us as human beings, standing on the Earth reaching up toward the Heavens.  We are the mediary.  This carries a lot of significance in Chinese Medicine, as humanity is much revered for being this go between between Heaven and Earth.  Humanity has long been associated with benevolence. To be aware of an innate sense of goodness and kindness infusing each of us and all of humanity brings us into a peaceful state.

 

I believe that much of what we intentionally do, whether that be prayer, meditation, yoga, or exercise is to get us more in touch with our sense of center within ourselves.  We can visualize a warm, bright, yellow orb lighting up our Stomach area.  This is the place we are connecting to and operating from as we live from an integrated place of center.  Calm and clear, still as we honor the sacred pause.  Essentially is Late Summer not a sacred pause?

 

haiku for Late Summer:

here I am, coming

home. peaceful and still, golden

light beckons my heart.

 

Parting tidbit:

And in closing, our wonderful massage therapist, Tara Nichols, is running a special right now.

10% off new clients’ first massage

Tara can be reached at 828-674-7711 and tarasyogabliss@yahoo.com

 

See you soon.  Enjoy the pause.

 

 

Late Summer 2015 by Sally Robinson, L.Ac.

Here we are in Late Summer, a season unto itself in Chinese Medicine.  This season is associated with the Spleen, the Earth element, the color yellow and contemplation or worry.

imageThe Spleen energetics relate to transition.  The Spleen Qi is what keeps us centered and focused while we transition. We come back to that sense of  center within ourselves, that round Earth energy in our middle area, that of the Spleen and Stomach.  It can be helpful to visualize a yellow orb in the middle part of the body, like a joyous and peaceful Buddha belly.

“The Spleen loathes Dampness” is an adage from the Classics in Chinese Medicine.  Dampness manifests as muddled thinking, poor digestion, and low energy.  Ways we can transform Dampness are eating warm and cooked foods, clarifying the mind by practicing meditation, and burning moxa(Artemisia vulgaris) on acupuncture points to nourish the Spleen.

Haiku for Late Summer:

sitting still, pausing

the gold finch seeks solace in

but a fading bloom

Winter 2015 Newsletter

Dear friends of White Pine,

Hello, brrrrrr, and welcome to 2015!

Let’s hop straight to it! In this newsletter, you’ll find:
1. New Year(s) Special
2. Moxa for sale, get ’em while they’re hot!
3. Brian’s free class series
4. Massage promotion
5. DIY food therapy
6. Sally’s (in lieu of) haiku

1. Happy new year(s) special
In honor of 2015 and the impending Chinese new year, we’re offering a special at White Pine:
Buy a gift certificate for a friend and save money on your next treatment!

gc pic

Here’s how it works:

  • Buy a gift certificate for a new patient ($140) and receive $30 off your next treatment.
  • Buy a gift certificate for an existing patient ($80) and receive $15 off your next treatment.

Treatments must be used in 2015. Discount offer expires on the Chinese New Year (the Year of the Sheep!), February 22, 2015.


2. Moxa sale!

Bring home some moxa for warm, DIY nourishment. Loose moxa and sticker moxa products are 40% off, and pole moxa is two for $1. Offer ends March 1, 2015.

3. Brian’s leading “Touchstones”

We’re excited for Brian’s upcoming collaborative discussion group, Touchstones.

Read and discuss excerpts from the Great Books and other great authors and:

  • Join a community rooted in collaborative discussion
  • Speak authentically in a supportive environment
  • Learn effective group dynamics through specific exercises designed to avoid group pitfalls

The group will meet (most) Sundays here in Asheville from March – August. Click here for more information and to sign up.

4. Massage promotion!

If you’ve never gotten a massage from Tara at White Pine, now’s a great time to start.

Tara is offering a 20% discount off her 60-minute and 90-minute massages to new massage clients.

This offer ends March 15, 2015. Click here to schedule your massage!

5. DIY recipe – love your kidneys

As we’ve probably told you in previous newsletters, each season corresponds to an “element” within Chinese philosophy and medicine. Each element also corresponds to our bodies. Winter, as we know, is the darkest time of year – when the world burrows down deep to rest and prepare for the great effort of spring. Winter embodies the water element: darkness, deepness, powerful creative potential, wisdom, and fear. This is a huge topic – deep and fertile soil – but suffice to say here that within the body, the water element coalesces as the kidneys.

There are lots of reasons to want to nourish your kidneys (fertility, longevity, avoiding low back pain, caring for the knees, the teeth, the bones, the hair on the head…) and lots of ways to nourish your kidneys according to Chinese medicine (soaking the feet, eating seeds, staying warm with moxa, getting more rest than you might think is reasonable.) An ideal time to nourish the kidneys is, well, all the time. But an especially ideal time is during winter, when we are at our slowest.

Sesame seeds are considered to be a direct kidney tonic in Chinese medicine food therapy. Click here for Sally’s favorite (dairy-free) “snowy sesame milk” and give your kidneys a little wintertime love!

6. In lieu of haiku

While gazing up at the winter night sky, pondering the fathomless depths of the dark night, feeling the mystery, it became clear this mirroring of as above, so below.


The black watery depths riddled with starlight miraculously reside also in me. 

A flicker of golden light, a tiny little flame emanates through the darkness, birthing infinite possibilities, sourcing the cerulean dawn.

Blue arising from the black! Light warming the darkness…….  

Wishing you well, 

Sally Robinson, Brian Huwe, Mary Beth Huwe, and Heather Spangler