Align with the seasons, 5 element theory

I often speak of aligning with the seasons to find balance within ourselves. But what does that actually mean? Well, we are part of nature and if we align with its cycles we will benefit from the flow of energy that is present within that season. This may still not make much sense, so let’s break it down. First, begin by looking at nature; how is it, and all within it, behaving? Is it coming alive, full of colours or is it shedding its leaves, adding fur to help conserve energy and stay warm?

If we look at each season we will see the type of energy that is present and if we can tap into that same energy we will flow along the energy currents of each season and experience more of a flow in general. For instance, spring brings a sense of newness, waking, of fresh and green. It can bring unpredictable weather, unexpected storms and cold fronts. During summer there is a heightened energy, nature is at its ripest, nights are shorter and daylight longer. End of summer brings a slowing down, a satiation, summer harvest. In nature Autumn is the prelude to winter, preparing for colder weather by shedding what is no longer needed and consolidating what is. In winter when days are shorter and nights longer, nature retreats into a sort of hibernation as do some animals.

Second, look at what kind of foods are growing during the specific season. Natures provides us with the right type of foods to help us thrive through each season. In traditional Chinese Medicine this is referenced to as food energetics. If you take summer you will notice produce is light, hydrating and is a lot more perishable than winter produce which is much more dense, hardy, and energy sustaining.

Within Traditional Chinese Medicine each season is related to an element, which is associated with a colour, an organ pair, a flavour and an emotion. The element is a reflection of the state of each season, helping define the qualities of that element. Almost as if it were a person whom you could describe. The color and flavour further helps represent the foods that are supportive of the organ pair that is in focus. The emotion attached to each element often shows up when someone is not aligned (when there is an imbalance). Even the weather patterns are associated with each element. This is weather can aggivate this particular element. For instance during spring is you are out of balance wind will increase your sense of unrest, anger, irritation. This weather pattern can also inhibit your body, showing up as dryness or cold or heat, indicating an imbalance of this element that needs rectifying. For each season we are given a window of opportunity to help fortify, correct and nourish each organ through the foods and life style practices we hold. By aligning with each season we will naturally support each organ pair in focus and thereby improve our overall health and well-being.

Here is a short overview of each season.

Spring

This is nature’s re-awakening; with its gradually longer days and tender sprouts breaking through the soil. This is the time to sow & nourish your seeds of desires/dreams by creating new plans! Traditionally this time of year that is often connected with fasting, cleansing, detoxing.

Element: Wood

Colour: Green

Flavour: Sour

Organ pair: Liver & Gallbladder

Emotion: Anger/Frustration

Weather pattern: Wind

Within TCM it is time to support and nourish the liver. When we do not we can be quick to anger which is a reflection of of unstable spring weather. Similarly we may or feel out of alignment with our work and relationships, this can block or our Liver Qi. Therefore this time of year is a good time to clear out old emotions, finding way to let go of anger in a productive manner. When our Liver Qi can move freely, we have a sense of agility and expansiveness, and are enabled to make decisions, take action. Green, sour and astringent foods will help fortify the liver and gallbladder (lemons, yoghurt, sauerkraut, pickled veggies) and the pungency of the radishes and spring onions and chives. Add sprouts and other chlorophyl rich high energy foods like chlorella and other algae. Drink liver-supportive teas: using herbs such as milk thistle and dandelion root. It can be a good time to eliminate some of the heavier winter foods such as meat and dairy and to invest in a sauna, massage or acupuncture to help dislodging toxins, these therapies help the liver.

In Ayurveda Spring is the time to pacify the kapha dosha, which is associated with sluggishness, heaviness and sleepiness. Meaning this is the time of year when we can help invigorate and awaken ourselves form our winter slumber.

Summer

Summer time is nature at its most ripe, abundant and expansive. In TCM this is the most “yang” time of year, nature is at its most active and productive phase. We humans like to enjoy this time of year with others, socialising and staying up late. If you look to the summer produce you will see a lot of shades of red.

Element: Fire

Colour: Red

Flavour: Spicy & bitter

Organ pair: Heart & Small Intestine

Emotion: Joy /Anxiety

Weather pattern: Heat

Within Ayurveda this is the time to pacify pitta, the dosh that is represented by fire. This is done by eating cooling, refreshing foods. Luckily this is exactly the type of food that natures provides us this time of year. Cucumbers, melon, salads, courgettes, tomatoes, peaches etc.

Late summer

This is also referred to as Indian summer, the last warm sunny summer days. It’s harvest time, collecting all the bounty from the efforts laid down in Spring. We see the slow progression of long days becoming shorter and if this seasons organ pair is unbalanced we will experience worry, rumination and pensiveness sometimes even looping thoughts. The stomach and spleen play a major role in our well-being and health. These organs will “ripe and digest” our foods that become our fuel. When we eat certain foods we can enhance the “damp” in our body (sugars, alcohol, dairy, processed wheat) which translates to phlemn, which can lead to symptoms and conditions such as candida over growth, obesity, feeling of heaviness, puffiness of the skin, swelling or water retention, distended abdomen, phlegm discharge, nodular masses, loose bowels .

Element: Earth

Colour: Orange / yellow

Flavour: Sweet

Organ pair: Stomach & Spleen

Emotion: Worry / Sympathy

Weather pattern: Damp

During harvest season you will see a lot of yellow and orange foods; pumpkins, sweet potatoes, melons. This is a time to enjoy tropical fruits such as pineapples, mangos, papayas. Cultivating a balanced earth element and strong Spleen qi in the late summer contributes to a stronger immune system and healthy lungs in the fall.

Autumn

This time of year is a wrap up of natures productivity, a time of consolidation of what has been produced. It is a time to celebrate the “fruits of labor” and recognise how far we have come.

Autumn is the turning point, when we go from Yang to Yin time of year. Yang being extrovert and active, yin being introvert and inactive. Days get darker and colder and natures is starting to retreat into itself. It is a good time for reassessing, for shedding ourselves of things that no longer serve us (letting go & pruning), with grace & gratitude. So that we can make space for new things. Autumn may bring feelings of sadness or even grief, when there is a tendency to catch colds & flus and when you may feel a lot of dryness (dry skin, hair, nails, stool). If this element is out of balance you may feel bloated, digestive distresses, constipation, and or lung issues.

Element: Metal

Colour: Grey/White

Flavour: Pungent

Organ pair: Lungs & Large Intestine

Emotion: Grief

Weather pattern: Dryness

To support the lungs and the immune system you can add pungent foods such as; onions, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, tumeric, organo, thyme, rosemary these all help break through stagnation. This is an excellent time of year to being drinking chai tea regularly. To support the large intestine warm and soft cooked foods are helpful as well as moisture.

Winter

As we enter the most Yin part of the year. Meaning nature slows down, conserves energy by shedding elements it no longer needs. Therefore if we align with these energies we will benefit from spending more time on self-care, sleep, rest and cultivating our dreams, what do we want from life? Meditation, journaling, listening to relaxing music. Another aspect of the water element is the emotion of fear, which crops up when we feel insecure. This time of year is a prime time to face fears in small or big ways, to help our emotional development and free ourselves of the limitations these fears place on us. During the winter we must preserve and nourish our energies and not exert our mental and physical states. It is a time to recharge, being less social and sleeping longer.

Element: Water

Colour: Black/Blue

Flavour: Salty

Organ pair: Kidney & Gallbladder

Emotion: Fear

Weather pattern: Cold

To deeply nourish our Kidneys and bladder we can eat foods that are energetically dense, meaning higher calorie; root vegetables, richer dishes such as casseroles and stews to help warm up our bodies. As well as dark (black and blue) foods will help strengthen our kidneys and bladder. According to Ayurveda winter is the time to Pacify Vata, which is the represented by air, light being flighty. Therefore we need to bring it down to earth with warming, easily digestive foods & spices.