Spring is in the air and many of us are preparing to do spring cleaning in the house, around the garden and in the garage. After months of Lockdown this winter, you must be feeling sluggish and frustrated. Did you ever think of spring cleaning for your mind and body? Are you thinking about detoxifying using supplements or taking a yoga class. I have a solution to help you. I am offering an alternative method to energize you using the ancient Chinese Theory of Five Elements.
For five thousand years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has applied the Theory of Five Elements as the governing laws of how our body systems, organs, emotions and more function.
What are the Five Elements?
The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. In TCM, each one of these elements relates to specific organs and emotions.
Wood
– includes the liver, gallbladder, eyes, and tendons and the emotion anger.
Fire
– includes the heart, small intestine, tongue, and all blood vessels, and the emotion anxiety and depression.
Earth
– includes the spleen, stomach, mouth, lips, gums, teeth, and muscles and the emotional worry.
Metal
– includes the lungs, large intestine, nose and skin, and the emotion sadness and grief.
Water
– includes the kidneys, urinary bladder, ears, and bones, and the emotion of fear.
How is this information useful to us? We all know that too much alcohol can cause damage to the liver but do we know that anger can hurt the liver also? In TCM, if your liver is not functioning at an optimal level, you may become more impatient and get frustrated easily. Conversely, if you get angry often, you could reduce your liver function.
Balancing the Five Elements is key to health in TCM and many different types of relationships between the Elements have been categorized. As a simple example, one such relationship is categorized as generative. In nature, wood generates fire and in the body, the liver (wood element) nourishes the heart (fire element). Understanding how these principles work takes years of study. Dr. and Master Zhi Gong Sha is an MD in China and a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine in China and Canada. A grandmaster of many ancient disciplines, including tai chi, qigong, kung fu and more. Combining his vast medical knowledge and the wisdom from these various disciplines, he teaches how to use sound to stimulate each Element.
What I like about his methods is because they are simple, easy to apply and effective. It does not require a certain level of fitness in order to begin. You do not need to go to a gym or even a yoga mat. It is complementary to everything else you do to enhance your wellbeing.
In April, I am offering a complimentary on-line meditation series to introduce the basic concept and practices over 5 weeks. In each session, you will learn sacred sounds and special hand positions to balance each element. If you want to jumpstart your body and mind after these many months of Lockdown…
Register your session series at GSGF
April 14, 21, 28 and May 5, 12
Each session will be from 8 to 8.45 pm.
If you have any question you can email us at paulinechan108@gmail.com or info@greenschoolsgreenfuture.org
Blog Image Credit: Pauline Chan
Written By Pauline Chan
