Popular triyoga acupuncturist Tom Watson reminds us that Chinese medicine teaches to cultivate the earth element during times of adjustment – a timely teaching for so many of us. Learn how to cultivate the balancing force of earth using tools such as nutrition, gentle stretching, qigong and acupuncture. Click here to book an acupuncture appointment at the Camden Urgent Care Clinic.Â
Wow, what times of change we are living through. I think we all need to take a collective breath… or three. A return to ‘normality’ is beginning to materialise for me on the horizon as acupuncturists have been cleared by the British Acupuncture Council to resume urgent care. Having been unable to work for three months this is an exciting moment for me as I can again offer my help and services to those that need it.
It is no surprise that through periods of uncertainty, we can lose the feeling of stable ground beneath our feet. We can all be forgiven for having some wobbles over the past few months. In the ‘5 elements’ or ‘wu sing’ system of Chinese medicine, the earth element is seen as the stabilising and balancing force through times of change.
In the body, the earth element principally relates to the stomach and spleen organs and meridians, and to our digestive system. In times of great change it can therefore be common to have a tendency to over eat, or reach for the ‘wrong’ foods as a form of comfort. This may also manifest in unexplained fatigue and bloating, or even loss of appetite and loose bowels.
In the muscular-skeletal system the earth element ‘governs nourishment of the four limbs’ so weakness and imbalance here can result in new aches and pains and injury around the shoulders, wrists or knees. In the mental emotional sphere, a loss of a sense of ‘ground beneath us’ can create worry, anxiety and obsessive rumination.
Chinese medicine teaches us to cultivate the earth element during these times of adjustment, and in so developing and maintaining a strong sense of grounding. This can be done through food (yellow/orange foods in general are recommended such as grains, sweet peppers, carrots, squash) and taking your time over the preparing and consumption of your food. Gentle stretching and qigong are great for the body. And being in nature, walking barefoot outdoors for example, is a wonderful way to connect with earth.
Acupuncture is another excellent tool that can help support this system within us. Using points on the stomach and spleen lines to nourish earth can help restore internal balance, improving digestion, soothing anxieties and relieving muscular injury and pain. If you feel you need urgent help, please get in touch to come and experience the benefits of acupuncture in a clinically safe setting.
Stay safe, go well –
Tom
Tom Watson practises a variety of acupuncture styles. Along with his technical proficiency, Tom has a gentle and nurturing manner that further enhances his treatments, enabling him to work in a holistic way that benefits mind, body and spirit in each session. Tom’s broader experience of Daoist practices allow him to work intuitively with a person’s Qi and energy balance…
