Hello Everyone, how are you? how are we? how am I?
I’m checking in…I think I’m feeling a little sad, that’s natural this time of year, summer fun days are overš. Autumn is the time that corresponds to Metal, the Lungs and Large Intestines. It also corresponds to the emotions of grief, disappointment, integrity and respect. I like to think of Autumn as a time of year of Receiving and Letting Go…breathing in and breathing out. The ease in which I breath, tells me a lot about my state of mind. I’m feeling a little heavy, so it’s my cue to take some time for myself to reflect on how I’m doing and do some breath work (pranayama in yogic terms). One of my favorite breathing practices is Dirgha Rechak Pranayama. This involves a regular inhale and a long slow extended exhale. Exhale with a pause at the end, allowing the inhale to come naturally. You can do 5 rounds any time of the day as part of your routine and it is also very helpful in times of stress.
So back to the Letting Go part. If only we could do that as easily as the trees let go of their leaves…maybe we can! With compassion and forgiveness anything can happen to make space for Receiving something new! That’s our practice.
Autumn is a good time of year to take care of our bodies (our garden, our terrain). What have you been doing that’s been helping you? Email me gigivincentine@hotmail.com and share what you’ve been up to.
Practicing Gratitude helps put a spring in my step. A big thank you to you. My practice has been open since May, and I’ve been full and steady ever since…Alleluia! These times have not been easy for some. My heart goes out to you. Reach out if you are wanting to connect to yourself and find peace within, or you’re wanting a tune up to strengthen your immune system, or if you’re in pain of any kind. I’m in the clinic Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Hello everyone, welcome to Fall, bye bye crazy summer fun months. It’s back to school for my family and back to routine…with a little more self-care. What about you? What does your self-care look like? What do you do in your life to spark joy? Who do you surround yourself with? Fall is Lungs & Large Intestine season- the Metal Element (Metal is more linear and routinized). So it makes sense that we are adding more routine and more discipline into our lives. The sun makes it easier to be happy, so with less sun we could insert some more joyful activities to keep balanced. The emotion of the Fall is sadness and/or loneliness. I sometimes feel homesick this time of year. Keeping my lungs open and my digestion smooth will be one of my goals for the next few months. I go for more walks and stretch out my arms while breathing and doing circles; movement with breath. This slows me down and brings me in the moment. I have started taking some probiotics and some immune teas and formulas, getting some acupuncture and massage, and going to bed earlier. I am sure all of you have some tricks that you do this time of year too.
This Fall I have some exciting events and courses lined up. I just finished taking an acupuncture course on Luo-Collateral channels in the body. These are channels in the body that connect the yin and yang paired organs. When we get overwhelmed these Luo-Collaterals have the potential to hold things at bay for later, creating a latency in the body until we are more capable to deal with certain stresses. Our bodies and channels have a super wisdom to deal with life. At some point we want to be able to slow down and take stock of how we are doing and make sense of things in our lives. If this doesn’t happen, our bodies are constantly overwhelmed, and life feels stressful. Acupuncture can help the body offload some of this stored emotion/tension. In the course I was taking, we even saw how the body creates extra blood vessels to store this stress or latency. Wow!
Over the summer, I was co-teaching Yoga at the Salt Spring Centre. This sparked a fire in me to start teaching here in Victoria. I’m going to start teaching a group of Montessori teachers weekly classes, and then we’ll see ( I know some of you have been wondering… I’ll keep you posted when I start to branch out). I’ve also been asked to be the key note speaker at a Montessori Conference on The Tao of Montessori. Two things very close to my heart. There are so many opportunities in life, we just need to grab them, even though we are terrified!
I’m flying to Portland next month for a two day workshop with Kiiko Matsumoto. Her specialities lie in teaching the Classics, and combining their wisdom with Modern Medicine. She will be focusing on systemic detoxification of our most common pharmaceuticals, and how they affect our kidney function. We’ll be discussing other topics such as bone strength and long term health goals (longevity). Chinese Medicine is all about longevity and happy life!
Looking forward to hearing what you have been up to. Some of you I haven’t seen in a while. Drop me a note via email or make an appointment. I’m in the clinic Mon, Wed, Fri, Thursday is my overflow day. Please remember you can text/email me to make a booking, especially if you don’t find a spot that’s convenient for you. I can put you on a waitlist for that day.
Here’s my email gigivincentine@hotmail.com
cell# 250.882.0659
Blessings
Gigi Vincentine Dr. TCM
My winter greens! Something to keep my spirits up during this time of year while everything else is dropping and rotting, the greens are still growing and glowing. It’s Fall, Lung and Large Intestine time.Ā Our energy is starting to turn inward.Ā Think of that bear collecting and gathering it’s nourishment for the winter months.Ā For us we are harvesting our fruits and vegetables and drying, fermenting, canning, and storing our food to keep those 2 batteries (2 kidneys) nourished during the colder months and keeping our Spleen/Stomach in balance. Following the seasons and looking to nature for cues is a great way to stay balanced and keep your immunity strong for all seasons.Ā So this brings us to the foods we could be eating now to build our immune systems for the colder months. Root vegetables! And lots of them! Beets, Carrots, Potatoes,Yams, Parsnips, Onions, Garlic. Eat them in a soup or grill them in the oven. Adding them to bone broths can help strengthen the digestive system and support good gut flora.
A lot of us didnāt want summer to end, I know. However now that the cooler weather is here, Iām looking forward to hunkering down and getting to āworkā on all those things I didnāt get around to on those hot summer days. A few of those things are about getting back to routine and taking care of myself. This starts in my garden. Will I ever get to all those tomatoes, beets, carrots, apples, pears and grapes? Well I got to the grapes and made delicious juice. I used the last of the tomatoes for spaghetti sauce. Next? Apple sauce, apple juice, apple pie, apple sandwiches (That’s from Little Bear stories).
Don’t forget Rosemary Gladstarās Fire Cider recipe.
Ā½ cup of onion, garlic, horseradish (chopped up)
Ā¼ cup ginger (chopped up)
Ā¼ teaspoon cayenne
Put in large mason jar (1quart)
Fill to the top with apple cider vinegar
Let sit for 2-4 weeks, drain and add honey to taste
So when Iām feeling cold and run down, this should do the trick to help prevent common colds and flu, increase my circulation, and clear phlegm. For more information visit http://learningherbs.com/
The Fall, in Chinese Medicine, relates to the Metal Element which corresponds to the Lung and Large Intestine. Itās important to keep our lungs open and our chest turned outward. Donāt let yourself ācave inā. A simple exercise to do this is to wave your arms from front to back on a horizontal plane and clap or do circles with your arms or simply thump your chest like a gorilla. This all helps promote circulation to the chest and keep viruses, bacteria, and phlegm out. For the Large Intestine (hence digestion), itās time for more warm and cooked foods. We donāt have the summer heat to help us digest so put more heat in your food ie garlic, onion, cayenne and ginger is my favorite. Raw foods take more energy to digest, so if you are feeling a little low, try and reduce your intake of them. Make apple sauce with ginger instead of eating cold fruit. Make oatmeal with berries and ginger instead of cold cereals and milk.Ā Add stewed pears to your diet. Pears are an excellent lung tonic, keeping them moist and free of bacteria and phlegm.
The emotion that corresponds to the Metal Element is sadness or grief. In my practice I refer to it as a feeling of āhomesicknessā. For me thatās the best way to describe it. For others there can be a real sense of sadness or grief for no apparent reason, especially if they have a history of lung issues. Keep that chest open and know that it will pass.
Fall is the perfect time of year to boost your immune system. Gentle tonics include Astragulus and Elder berry. For kids in particular, (because it tastes so good) Elder Berry syrup can be a great way to keep those viruses away. Add some fish oils and chewable probiotics and thatās far fewer colds this season. Shoni-shin and/or Acupuncture can also be helpful for prevention and treatment of upper respiratory illnesses. Children can benefit with fewer treatments than adults, as their energy is more easily influenced.
In my practice, this is the time of year I encourage my patients with Asthma, COPD, or any Chronic Respiratory Illness to come for a series of treatments before the Winter Season is upon us. It’s also a good time of year for a tune up as the change of seasons can be challenging to your immunity and emotional health.
You can visit me at my clinic: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Victoria Professional Building
1120 Yates Street, Suite 406
(250)882-0659
This is a fun 2 minute video by Brodie Welch talking about Fall and Chinese Medicine. It takes a few seconds to upload. Enjoy!
Welcome to Fall! A lot of us didnāt want summer to end, I know. However now that the cooler weather is here, Iām looking forward to hunkering down and getting to āworkā on all those things I didnāt get around to on those hot summer days. A few of those things are about getting back to routine and taking care of myself. This starts in my garden. Will I ever get to all those tomatoes, beets, carrots and grapes? Well I got to the grapes and made delicious juice and canned it. I used the last of the tomatoes for a vegetable stew, the beets Iāve pickled and the carrots will last in the garden another month or so. I always feel a great sense of satisfaction when my family and I are eating our own food in the middle of winter. So this brings us to the foods we could be eating now to build our immune systems for the colder months. Root vegetables! And lots of them! Beets, Carrots, Potatoes,Yams, Parsnips, Onions, Garlic. Eat them in a soup or grill them in the oven. Adding them to bone broths can help strengthen the digestive system and support good gut flora.
I just came across Rosemary Gladstarās Fire Cider recipe and jumped on it this year for my winter tonic. Ā½ cup of onion, garlic, horseradish (chopped up)
Ā¼ cup ginger (chopped up)
Ā¼ teaspoon cayenne
Put in large mason jar (1quart)
Fill to the top with apple cider vinegar
Let sit for 3-4 weeks, drain and add honey to taste
So when Iām feeling cold and run down, this should do the trick to help prevent common colds and flu, increase my circulation, and clear phlegm. For more information visit http://learningherbs.com/
The Fall, in Chinese Medicine, relates to the Metal Element which corresponds to the Lung and Large Intestine. Itās important to keep our lungs open and our chest turned outward. Donāt let yourself ācave inā. A simple exercise to do this is to wave your arms from front to back on a horizontal plane and clap or do circles with your arms or simply thump your chest like a gorilla. This all helps promote circulation to the chest and keep viruses, bacteria, and phlegm out. For the Large Intestine (hence digestion), itās time for more warm and cooked foods. We donāt have the summer heat to help us digest so put more heat in your food ie garlic, onion, cayenne and ginger is my favorite. Raw foods take more energy to digest, so if you are feeling a little low, try and reduce your intake of them. Make apple sauce with ginger instead of eating cold fruit. Make oatmeal with berries and ginger instead of cold cereals and milk.
The emotion that corresponds to the Metal Element is sadness or grief. In my practice I refer to it as a feeling of āhomesicknessā. For me thatās the best way to describe it. For others there can be a real sense of sadness or grief for no apparent reason, especially if they have a history of lung issues. Keep that chest open and know that it will pass.
Fall is the perfect time of year to boost your immune system. Gentle tonics include Astragulus and Elder berry. For kids in particular, (because it tastes so good) Elder Berry syrup can be a great way to keep those viruses away. Add some fish oils and chewable probiotics and thatās far fewer colds this season. Shoni-shin and/or Acupuncture can also be helpful for prevention and treatment of upper respiratory illnesses. Children can benefit with fewer treatments than adults, as their energy is more easily influenced.
In my practice, this is the time of year I encourage my patients with Asthma, COPD, or Low Immunity to come for a series of treatments before the Winter Season is upon us. You can visit me at my clinic or learn more at http://gigivincentine.ca/
Simple Remedies
1111 Fort St. (near Fort)
(250)380-1223
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