Seasonal Advice Sheet

Autumn in Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is the season governed by the metal element. The lungs and large intestine are the organs associated with this element, and can be vulnerable during this season. The body is surrounded by a type of energy (Wei Qi) that helps protect it from the penetration of pathogenic factors such as colds or flu. Wei qi circulates in the skin which is governed by the lungs. If the lungs are strengthened, your body’s immune function will improve, increasing your resistance to colds and flu-like illnesses.

During autumn hot spicy foods such as curry should be avoided. Such foods can make some skin conditions worse. The climate associated with the metal element is dryness, and this must be avoided for the lungs to stay healthy. Too much central heating without ventilation is to be avoided.

Breathing deeply into the abdomen will aid the production of Qi by the lungs, and also help with bowel function, due to the link with the large intestine mentioned earlier.

All seasons and elements are associated with an emotion, and the emotion of autumn, and the metal element, is grief. You may notice some feelings of sadness arising during this time. Be kind to yourself, and let the feelings come up, but don’t try to hold on to them, or analyse them, just let them go, and make some space for newness and happiness to flow in.

"It is the single movement which embraces the dying and letting go and the power to recognize and take in the pure essence which is the key to understanding the part of the metal element in the pattern and movement of Qi energy." - J.R. Worsley

This is a good time to gather all that you want to take into winter with you, discarding material and emotional baggage that doesn’t serve you any longer.

"As something dies it falls and leaves a space, a void which has the potential for growth but no substance. The metal element is the part of Nature which both creates and fills that void by bringing new substance in. Not just any substance but that whose quality makes growth special and vital." - J.R. Worsley