Five Element Acupuncture: About Summertime and The Fire Element
By Lance Isakov, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac, CYT

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the woods in the summer.  What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What is the sense of the air on your skin? Pay attention to how you feel. 

Think of the last time you were around a fire...remember the dancing flame, the warmth, the connection... Fire is the element of the Summer season and represents the energy of warmth, maturity, expansion, connection, relationships, and love.

In Summer, the activities of nature have reached their peak. The Sun is the strongest and the days the longest. The plants and trees are flowering and opening to their fullest expression. The bees are buzzing, the cricket chirping and all the sounds and sights of the forest are alive and in full vibration. 

Since we are part of nature, we too experience that same energetic movement of fire. It shows up as the emotion of Joy and the ability to express deep feelings of love, warmth, spontaneity, passion, and compassion. It’s our ability to feel connected to other people and our word.

Physically, fire shows up as our heart, the part of us that expresses our true spirit; the small intestine, responsible for sorting and separating the pure from the impure; the pericardium, which guards the heart, allowing the entry and exit of appropriate energy; and the Triple Warmer, responsible for the movement and balance of heat in the body.

Spiritually, the fire energy has to do with our full expression of being, knowing our true spirit, and shining it out to the world.

One of the reasons I LOVE 5 Element Acupuncture is because it offers an integrative lens with which to see the workings of our bodies, minds, emotions, and world.  When you come in for an acupuncture treatment, I am looking at you through this lens and making sure the cycle of inner seasons is working in the best way possible!

In Summer, the powerful growth spurts of springtime have given way to an abundance of new life. We have beautiful plants including yummy vegetables and powerful healing herbs, buzzing insects and noisy birds squawking in the loudest voice they can. Summer is the time of year the energy of nature is at its fullest, biggest, brightest. Life is shining and moving as powerfully as it can. 

In us, the energetic movement that summertime represents shows up as our fullest capacity of being. We have abundant energy, our biggest heart, and love, playfulness, intimacy, relationships, and joy come easily and abundantly. 

In 5 element medicine, the goal is to keep the energy moving through this natural cycle. When it gets stuck that’s when dis-ease, pain, or upset occur. When the shining Summer energy (FIRE element) within us gets out of balance we may feel sad, lonely, shy, doubtful, confused, anxious, or depressed. We may find it hard to make friends or have intimate relationships. We may feel low energy, lack of warmth, or experience insomnia or heart disease.

When Fire is in balance it offers us the gifts of warmth, partnership, compassion, joy, laughter and touch. 

If your Summertime energy or FIRE element is feeling stuck here are a couple of exercises that can help!

1. DANCE! Turn on your favorite music and let your body move! you can even sing along if you want. There is a wonderful saying from Zimbabwe that goes: "If you can talk you can sing If you can walk you can dance"

2. LAUGH! Just for the hell of it! Do what it takes. read jokes online...tell the good ones to a friend or beloved. watch a comedy or listen to a comedian. You can even join us for The Laughter Yoga Experience!

3. SMORES! Gather your friends and make an old-fashioned campfire. Tell stories, jokes, make smores..

If you have been receiving seasonal acupuncture treatments, now is the perfect time to come in for your Summer session. We can help bring Joy to your body, mind, and soul! If you are new to acupuncture now is the perfect time to jump into sessions =) Also if you know anyone who may be interested please feel free to pass on this newsletter! 

Click here to schedule your session, email, or call us at (610) 203-3747. 

enJOY!!!!

Love,

Lance

Earth Meditation: for 3 minutes - Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the woods in theLate Summer (harvest time).  What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What is the sense of the air on your skin? Pay attention to how you you feel. 

Now, Imagine standing on the raw earth...feel it beneath your bare feet, ground yourself, notice how the earth supports the weight of your body... Earth is the element of the Late Summer season and represents the energy of support, holding, nurturing, nourishment and abundance.

In Late Summer, the activities of Summer start to slow down while harvest time kicks into gear. The plants and trees offer fruit and vegetables that are ripe and bountiful. Food is available for all animals to get fat and happy before fall approaches. Late summer reminds us that Mother Earth gives us all that we need without asking anything in return.

Five Element Acupuncture theory reminds us that we are one with nature and that we follow energetic movements similar to the natural cycle .  Late Summer is a sweet and nurturing time of year isn't it? The fruit is sweet, the air is sweet, even the light is sweet, right!? And best of all we have a surplus of yummy fruits and veggies, the sweet gifts from the growth and busyness of Spring and Summer. 

So how does this the energetic movement of Earth and Late Summer show up in us? 

In 5 element medicine the goal is to keep the energy moving through this natural cycle of seasons. This will help to imbue us with the gifts of the elements. 

Earth shows up as the emotions of sympathy, empathy and compassion. Its our ability to give and receive caring feelings and mothering energy.

Physically, Earth shows up as our Stomach, the part of us that breaks down and digests food; and the Spleen, which transports nourishment around the body. 

Spiritually, the Earth give us the ability to feel completely nourished, stable, secure and abundant in all areas of our life. We feel so abundant, that we overflow with this energy and are able to share our bounty with others.

When Earth is in balance you have the gifts of nurturing, thoughtfulness, nourishment, taste, sympathy, stability and home.

When Earth is out of balance you may feel obsessive worry or sympathy. You may be self-centered or insecure. You may not be able to give or receive help or care from others. You may feel a lack of abundance, like you dont have enough. You may experience, muscle pain, digestive problems, ulcers, headaches or even cancer. You may also find it hard to lose or gain weight.

***Curious about the rest of the elements? Read my ebook: 5 Element Acupuncture & you. (use the code "ancient wisdom")

If your Late Summer energy or Earth element is feeling stuck here are 4 practices that can help:

1. GIVE! Lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need; give a random gift to someone in your life; volunteer your time at a homeless shelter or food kitchen; Give out hugs; Literally feed your partner or friend =)

2. GRATITUDE! Keep a daily gratitude journal; Give thanks to mama earth and the creatures on her for providing your food before you eat; When you say "Thank You" look the person in the eye and mean it from your heart.  

3. RECEIVE! Consciously accept the thank you's, gifts and offerings of others; Be aware of the processes of taking in food, chewing and digesting; When someone gives you a hug, shakes your hand or gives you a high five..What is it like to really take it in?

4. 5 ELEMENT ACUPUNCTURE:  If you have been receiving seasonal acupuncture treatments, now is the perfect time to come in for your Late Summer session. We can help bring Nourishment to your body, mind and soul! If you are new to acupuncture, massage, nutrition, or energy medicine, now is the perfect time to jump into sessions =)