Fall
Fall
Element: Metal
Organ: Lungs
Sense: Smell
Emotion: Grief
Color: White
Organ Taste: Spicy/Pungent
Seasonal Taste: Sour
Time of day: 3–5 a.m.
Duration
We are officially entering Fall Season. Hello Soup Season! The days are getting cooler and shorter, the nights crispy and the wind is arising. We are entering the first Yin season. In Chinese Medicine, Fall is associated with the Lungs and Large Intestine. Fall is the season for harvesting and to prepare your body for the cold winter season. If not done properly can lead to colds and flus. Since Fall is associated with the lungs, these are most negatively affected by ill preparation.
Theme
The element of this transitional season is Metal, which represents Grief.
We can divide Fall in three different moments, each one with a different focus:
Early Fall - This moment is prominent right after the Late Summer. You will still feel hot days and some humidity. During these weeks you should continue to focus on your digestion with naturally sweet foods (see here) and slowly introduce sour foods. Spicy food triggers sweating, which can dry out your body and skin. Sour foods, like pickled vegetables, help cool the body and prevent fluid loss. Yin and Neutral Foods will reduce Dampness. It’s normal to start to feel more appetite when the cold season starts to settle in.
Mid-Fall - As the crisp fall air sets in with cooler days, your skin may need extra care if imbalanced. In this point of the season is advisable for you to slow down, focus on Lung health and watch for signs of dryness. While dampness was an issue a few weeks ago, we now want to prevent dryness as humidity begins to rapidly decrease. Signs of dryness are thirst, dry lips and skin, dry coughs, and allergies. Stay hydrated and eat enough Yin-nourishing foods. Fall is a time when nature starts "contracting." Cut back on activities that require a lot of energy, cozy up inside, foster your inner world, and go to bed a little earlier. Storing our energy and giving ourselves time to decompress and relax makes it easier to go through the colder months healthily.
Late Fall - The days will become colder accompanied by the same dryness we saw in mid-autumn. You will feel more the necessity to move inwards and have that introspect feeling, and that is normal. This is the time of the year that the lungs are most affected by dryness.
Signs of Healthy Lungs 🫁
Good immunity
Quick recovery from illness
Hydrated skin
Vibrant Complexion
Signs of Lungs’ Deficiency 🤧
Shortness of breath
Excessive and/or Spontaneous sweats
Dry and sensitive skin
Pallid complexion
Cough
Weak Voice
Propension to stay quiet
Susceptible to cold and flus
Prone to grief
Hard to move on from a situation
What to do
It’s a time to focus on decompress and relax and nourishing the body with proper nutrition to support your lungs system and continue to support your digestive system.
Activities
Slowly Introduce:
Calming meditation & Mindfulness practices
Yoga (not hot yoga), Pilates, Power Balance. Try to not sweat as much as in the summer to conserve energy.
Nature Walks - this is the time to introduce scarfs and jackets. Wind will cause imbalance and will weaken your lungs
Breathwork exercises
Self-massage before bed
Early to bed, early to rise (if possible go to sleep before 11 PM)
Start doing less, mentally and physically.
cover the nape of your neck when out to protect your body’s defences
Feng Shui - The colour white adds a crisp, clear and fresh sense to the air. This goes well with the metal element. Allow for white space in your life as you clear corners, purge the excess, and consequently find more room to breathe.
Mindset
Let go of things which no longer serve you
This is a good time to organize things and set aside what you no longer need
Release habits and commitments
Set limits/boundaries
Food
Rule of thumb - To prevent any illness during the season we introduce the flavour associated with the season. If we feel that the organ correspondent to the season is out of balance then we introduce the flavour associated to that organ, to balance it again.
The best way to protect your lungs and keep them healthy is to introduce some sour tasting foods into your diet. You will find this flavour associated to the food harvest during this season. You can find the sour taste in ingredients like apples, grapes, vinegar, lemons, oranges, limes, fermented foods. Natural sour foods promotes contraction and the feeling of moving inwards. Even so don’t overuse them. If you feel an imbalance in the lungs then you need to add neutral pungent foods to clear phlegm, stimulate digestion, clear and disperse circulation, fight a cold.
Warm breakfasts
Cooked and hearty meals
Early Fall
mushrooms, winter melon, lotus root, white tahini, tofu, apples, pears, lemons, vinegar, cauliflower, sweet potato, pumpkin, tangerine, fennel, watercress, grains and legumes, turmeric, basil, sage.
Mid-Fall and Late Fall
introduce some spices like ginger, ginseng, clove, coriander, cardamon, nutmeg, and pungent foods like scallions, radish, leeks, onions, garlic, monk fruit, lotus seeds, duck, fish, nuts, rice wine, broths and stews. This is the perfect moment to drink golden lattes, chai lattes or that tasty pumpkin spice latte.
What not to do
Foods that contribute to building more dampness within our bodies (cold foods, too much sweet foods and dairy).
Do not overwork. This is a time for resting.
Rest, reflect and restore your energy and explore these Fall Recipes
✨ Own Your Energy✨