Clinic update: September
The seasons are well and truly changing: the heath is bursting with wattle, the winds are blowing, and the orchids are showing their sweet faces. It’s a time of sudden bursts in warmth followed by cold nights and frosty mornings, an interesting challenge for our bodies, and one to be mindful of. Here’s a few tips for the challenges of this season:
Keep warm and protected from the wind: wear a scarf, a windcheater, and rug up when walking out and about in the beautiful scrub. Sudden changes in temperature, or being exposed to cold can be a factor in what is known classically as wind or wind-cold invasion. You get too cold and then a day or two later wake up with a runny nose, aching and stiff neck or back, some chills, maybe even a mild fever. Stay warm!
Move a little more: The days are lengthening and with more sunlight, there’s more capacity for us to move. I’ve been enjoying long walks through the ironbark basin, or through the heath around Anglesea on the hunt for orchids. The air is cool and fresh and walking is a great way to improve your energy after the slower pace of the colder months.
Add more greens to your diet: As the weather warms and we begin to move it’s the time to support your Liver and Gallbladder organs, the Wood Element. The easiest way to do this-make sure you’re eating 1-2 cups of steamed, or lightly blanched greens (broccoli, broccolini, kale, asparagus etc) with a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil with lunch and dinner.
In other news, I’ll be taking the rest of September off. It’s been a year of growth here in the clinic and I’ll be off to Chiang Mai for another meditation retreat with my teacher Ajahn Mike. I look forward to seeing everyone in the clinic in October. I’ll be finishing up on Saturday 12th September, and returning to practice on October 4th. See you all then :)
