Whole living

Summer in Chinese medicine is a time for abundance, for flourishing and for blooming. I think about this in terms of making the time to look within and think about whole living – to see what it is I am struggling with and what barriers I am creating for myself, to just look at how I would like to make life easier.

So here are some random quotes that may get you thinking and doing some whole living –

-        Taste something straight from the tree (a trip to the farmers markets!)

-        Notice your cravings – for sugar, caffeine, alcohol. Ask yourself what you really need

-        Get outside and move! Nature invigorates the mind and body (especially those early am starts)

-        Kick off your shoes and spread your toes, and ground yourself in the present

-        Rise to a physical challenge (a bootcamp?) it can make you feel powerful in every way!

Last week I talked a little about whole living. Being mindful and aware of what we are doing instead of just being ‘spent’ at the end of each day collapsing on the sofa with a glass of wine and not really sure where the day went or how we got through it. Especially when we are trying to keep the kids busy! But it is important to recognise that .. we are ourselves …important and significant …not just a mum or a wife! The Summer is your time to grow as well - take time over the next month to consider how you would like to work in a different way, so you are doing more then just surviving, you are really living! Joy is the emotion of Summer and by opening our hearts and finding ways to keep that joy in our life, we'll get a a sense of fulfillment that we can hold onto.

Continuing on the theme of Whole living and Growing yourself! Give yourself time to embrace who you are and time to clear embedded patterns, for in the clearing we create space for new things. Summer gives us time to begin to reflect and work through some of our stuff. We may find we need support, which doesn’t always means having to ‘talk it through’ - we can achieve a lot on a subconscious level. This is where I think oils are really relevant as blends can give immense solace and support through such changes. Their ability to work both on the subtle and the physical can create powerful shifts, releasing and processing and help dissolve these embedded patterns, without draining us. This has been the experience of some of my patients using the seasonal oils – the profound effects have been more than just helping with those wrinkles.