(16 min CLASS) Seasonal Living for May w/ Sophia Bouwens

May is the first month of the Summer season in the Traditional Chinese 5-Element calendar theory.

ELEMENT: Fire
ORGAN: Heart
EMOTION: Joy

The element of this time of the year is Fire - this is the time of growth and flourishing. In this video, Sophia dives briefly into an explanation of the 5-element theory and how this time of year relates to this season of the year. Working with the energies of Fire and emotion of Joy, she explains how to bring balance to our heart system, or fire element this time of the year with wisdoms from Classical Texts of Chinese Medicine for optimal balance.

In this video, Sophia reviews some of these themes, then gets into harmonizing this pattern and energy with joy. What we focus on, is what grows so shifting our attention to what is working in this time of year, helps us move towards joyful, conscious creation.

Embodiment

Growth and flourishing are high energy in Summer. This season marked by the “vital energy of things,” it is a season of quick-paced, exciting, joyful, and colorful emergences. This is governed by Yang energies, which come to a peak next month at the summer solstice.

In this video, Sophia dives into how to ride the wave to bring vitality, flourishing, and joy in our life.

The heart is a powerful organ that interprets so much of our environment before our conscious brain can detect these energies. We engage with our heart energy by allowing ourselves to connect with joy, our senses, and pleasure in order to bring forward joy and fun in our daily routines. Breaking free of the burdens of duty and building in time for pleasure and fun can be very beneficial for this time of the year.

It is important to sustainably fuel our fire in our daily life; things like consuming water to balance fire, and by finding routines that bring us joy can help us adapt properly to the energy of growth this time of the year. Ancient texts describe that improperly engaging in this time of growth can lead to “inadequate harvesting of the fruits of our labor” in the next season… so get to work having fun!

Reflection

1. What brings me joy, or a spark of fun in my life?

2. What senses do I find pleasure in most?

3. How can I build routine for that kind of enjoyment in my life on a regular basis?

Suggestions

FOODS

Bitter foods (like dark chocolate)
Greens (arugula, dandelion, spinach, sprouts)
Citrus (grapefruit, tangerine, kumkat)
Nuts
Moderation around indulgences like sweets and alcohol
Mint water, cucumber water

ACTIVITIES

Movement that gets your heart pumping and leads to breaking into a sweat:

Ashtanga yoga
Hot yoga
Cardio exercise (running, biking, dancing, etc)

**focus on heart opening to enter the energy of the heart and welcome joy into this space

MEET YOUR TEACHER

Sophia Bouwens, L.Ac, is a Neurological Acupuncturist and Traumatic Brain Injury survivor who is on a mission to help others heal and empower their nervous system and bodies. She uses a unique integration of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Functional Neurology to produce profound effects and positive changes in brain function and body connection.

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