One size does not fit all! We are complex beings and our bodies are not textbook replicas. We all have that one friend swears by black cohosh for flushes, but it does nothing for you. Or you swear by Rennies for heartburn but it does nothing for your colleague.
Once we can understand WHY this is, looking after ourselves is So. Much. Easier. And when we can understand WHAT the challenges we might face are likely to be then we can often avoid annoying symptoms altogether.
Want to learn with me? 😊
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The place to start is with the building blocks of all things – the elements that make us and the world around us. The elements give us the qualities of each season and the strengths and quirks of our individual bodies.
Most traditional forms of medicine around the world use a system of elements to describe the world. TCM (from China), Ayurveda (from India), and even our own Western tradition all use a system of interdependent elements. Each culture has it’s own way of describing them and don’t always agree on the same qualities. When we see this we need to remember that each was born out of a different landscape – the spring air in Scotland is not warm and dry like that of Greece where the Western tradition was born, and India has entirely different seasons altogether, whether the Ayurvedic tradition was born. So we need to observe what is going on for us, in our own environments to unlock this knowledge for ourselves.
The elements I refer to in my practice are Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. We are all familiar with them – but perhaps you haven’t ever realised just how they affect you every day.
Structural, stable Earth: moving, intuitive Air; transformative, heating Fire and fluid, cleansing Water.
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Understanding what elements are dominant each season, even each day, and which are dominant in you is the key to helping you understand why some seasons are challenging for you and some are a breeze. And most importantly, how to deal with challenges before they even begin. In other words, know your strengths – and your weaknesses!
Over the next few weeks, we’ll have a deep dive into each element – which have the strongest influence over you?