How Acupuncture Keeps You In Tune With Seasonal Changes

How does acupuncture work?  I think there's still a lot about it that we don't fully understand.  

When I get acupuncture, I feel it's like a system reboot.  Like for your body's computer, your nervous system.  

It works better for some people than others because of 

• the practitioner's skill (it only gets better over time; the way I practice now is very different than it was even 2 years ago, let alone 20 years ago!)
• the individual's condition (more serious things that have been in the body longer take longer to balance out)
• the individual's openness to change (Some people are more rigid, "stuck," or shut down than others) 

Being open to change is a part of acupuncture. 

We HAVE to change!  I remember in high school, signing yearbooks, "Never Change!"  Ha!  We SHOULD change.  Goodness, can you imagine if you never changed from high school?  That would be a disaster. 

I mean, you should always be YOURSELF.  But, your SELF will change. 

We change throughout the day, every day.  We change through the week.  We change through a month - full moon to new moon and back again. 

We change through a year.  It happens - visually and viscerally - in the seasons. 

Spring = Wood Element in TCM

• growth
• birth 
• renewal after an ending

Summer = Fire Element in TCM

• adulthood
• peak humanity / full bloom
• joy, happiness and also, anxiety (the other side of the happiness coin)

Fall = Metal Element in TCM

• old age
• wisdom (can be "cutting") 
• sadness

Winter = Water Element in TCM

• death, dying, or hibernation
• endings
• fear 

As much as we'd like to, we can't be "Summer" all day every day.  

Let yourself experience all the seasons.  Through the year and through your life.  

In the Acupuncture process, it's an invitation to listen to the wisdom of your body.  The more your can tune in, the more you get out of it.  

People have the hardest time with Winter, to tell you the truth.  

We don't want to die!  We're afraid of dying!  

Like in the Tarot, the Death card doesn't actually mean "you're gonna die."  It doesn't even mean someone around you is going to pass (right away anyhow).  I mean, we all are, eventually, going to.  But it's more of the sense of - things come and go.  

Sometimes you need to let things go.  

Winter is associated with the Kidneys, in TCM.  The Kidneys are associated with the ears.  

Listening.  

The quiet of an icy cold snow day is like no other.  No airplanes overhead, no sirens, no cars zipping by, nothing.  Just quiet.  

You can finally hear yourself think.  Just listen to what your body wants to tell you.  What can you let go of?  

Slowing down. 

Fire (Summer) is fast. 

Water (Winter) is variable.  It can speed up; it can completely stop; it can refresh you; it can drown you; it can clean you; it can make mud.  

We need to be able to let ourselves change pace.  

Noone can or should go full power and speed all the time.  Winter gives you a chance to change it up.  

Keep in mind, seasons happen in our life as well.  Winter and autumn, as we're aging, means there's no need to try to keep up with the 20-year-olds anymore.  Why would you even want to?!  

As someone who loves being on the go, I also struggle with slowing down.  When I take a rest week (every 3 months of training), it's an actual challenge for me to NOT say, "Oh, maybe I'll just do a little bit of ... " 

Humans have momentum.  

If we're always on the go; we want to stay on the go.  

If we're couch potatoes, it's a struggle to make it to the gym one day.  Let alone the second day.  

It's good to remind yourself - and to listen to that inner voice that's in there somewhere - what's best for me right now?  What's the balance that I need? 

Enjoy the silence.  Slow down.  

That's the key to enjoying winter.  It's only after slowing down, after taking that break, that you power up for spring and renewal.  It's right around the corner.