Hello!

Welcome to the Late Summer Newsletter

In the Chinese 5 Element system Late Summer is the time of year when we come back to our centre – to Earth - pausing after the high energy of Summer and before the more Yin energy of Autumn.

The main organs of the Late Summer are the Stomach and Spleen (& Pancreas), the meridians for which run up and down the front of the body. When the energy of these organs is in balance we experience a sense of being centred, stable, secure and are not plagued by worry.

In our yoga we will focus on strength in the lower body (belly and legs); balancing postures; feeling grounded.

Love and light

Rachel

More about the Spleen

Many of you will have heard of your spleen but have no idea what it does! In Western medicine the Spleen is part of the immune system – it’s the largest collection of lymphoid tissue in the body. In Eastern medicine the Spleen is paired with the Stomach and together they are seen as the main organs of digestion. For a summary of the Chinese approach – and some tips for maintaining balance in the health of the Spleen – follow this link:

https://www.chinesemedicineliving.com/medicine/organs/the-spleen/

Late Summer in Ayurveda

Yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda (a system of traditional medicine with roots in the Indian subcontinent) also recognises 6 seasons in the year, and recommends us changing our life with the change of the seasons. Interestingly some of the advice given in this article: https://artoflivingretreatcenter.org/blog/5-ayurvedic-tips-for-late-summer/ is similar is what would be recommended in Chinese Medicine. There are lots of connections between the two! Particularly important is the emphasis on living in harmony with the flow of nature around us, rather than fighting against it. That includes eating seasonal produce.

Acupuncture and Diabetes

With diabetes becoming increasingly common, we must certainly look towards prevention  (join me in my Late Summer 21 day Sugar-fast?) but addressing the symptoms can also be helpful.

This study suggests acupuncture can be a useful part of a suite of approaches:

 https://acupunctureinvermont.com/2018/01/research-update-acupuncture-diabetes/

Late Summer 21 day Sugar-fast

I’ll be cutting out all sugar as well as simple carbohydrates like white/refined baked goods (bread, cakes, pasta, flour) and caffeine too for a 21 day period in September/October. Would you like to join me? – contact me for details.

Sat 9 November – Seasonal Workshop – Autumn

The organ pair of Autumn is the Lungs/Large Intestine. As well as an Autumn seasonal practice, in this workshop we will explore the breath and mantra. Further details

Sat 16 November – IYN Regional Day of Yoga – Westmill Centre, Hitchin. A lovely day of sharing yoga… open to all – beginners and improvers, members of the IYN and non-members. Sessions (with a wide variety of teachers) will include talks, meditation and pranayama as well as posture practices,. A full programme will be available shortly.

 Tickets from here: http://iynyogadays.org/hitchin/

January 2020 - Seasonal Yoga Elemental Foundation Course starts. More details on the Course page

For prices and details of how to book, Contact me

 “The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures

but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.”

TKV Desikachar