Immune System Support
Immunity Support In Autumn
The clocks have gone back and we find ourselves entering ever deeper into the cold and darkness of Autumn. However we are still probably living our lives as if it’s mid summer with long days and lots of activity. As the climate changes we are vulnerable to current seasonal illness’s, below are a few ideas in how to support your immune system to keep you well and to embrace the colder months ahead.
Food
Regularity
What we eat and how we eat affect our mind, body and spirit. Regular meals three times a day, help support our sugar levels and keep us away from adrenal fatigue. When fatigued we are susceptible to coughs, colds and other illness’s that are common at this time of year. So enjoy eating delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with regular snacks if needed to keep mood and immunity steady in Autumn.
Warming Food
Do you crave for curries, soups and roast dinners too? I know I do. When I am no longer supported by the natural heat and light of the sun my Yang energy wanes. Hot food, high in calories are desired and needed in the colder months. Spice’s and hot foods provide warmth, whilst cooking with heat means our food is easily broken down into much more digestible sustenance, meaning less energy for our stomach to digest.
Support Digestion
Digest food only. The act of digesting is receiving. Can you receive the food you eat? Tricky to do in our modern world of gadgets, telly and work, but try it. Eating a meal with friends, family or on your own, without phones, laptops, books, magazines or the television allows your digestive system to function effectively. When you are watching, scrolling or reading you are digesting your external environment, taking the much needed energy away from your stomach. Allow yourself to receive much needed nutrients to nourish you mind, body and spirit at this time of year.
Sleep
Rest and Activity
Are you getting enough sleep? That’s always the question. It’s different for everyone, we have natural cycles of daylight, Yang and nighttime Yin, that occur during our day. Being awake and active in our Yang cycle, provides the unwinding and resfulness during our Yin cycle. So rest leads to activity and activity leads to rest. It also leads to good health and immunity.
Rest
Clocks changing in Autumn always signifies the increasing Yin darkness. If we were allowed to flow with the energetic shifts in nature we would probably retire early for bed, take naps, rest and conserve our energy. Hibernating we would become slower and stiller so we can survive over the winter months. If tiredness consumes you, take a nap, rest, meditate, listen to a guided meditation. Moments of pause can range from five to thirty minutes, perhaps after lunch to allow for digestion. Each moment of pause is an investment to your immunity bank account.
Bedtime
The 24 hour clock
Your body repairs and recovers in the darkness of night. Each organ has high and low times on the 24 hour clock, it’s a good guide used in Chinese medicine that follows the laws of nature, and your energetic flow of a full day. Bedtime before 11pm as you can see on the image opposite is ideal for mind-body recovery and a supported immune system.
Grieving
Face Reading and Grief
There are signs of grief that show on the face. These are lines highlighted when smiling, which start at the outside of the eye and fall down over the cheekbone cutting into the cheeks themselves. As a Face Reader I’m trained to look for lines, markings, discolourations in the cheeks. It is where our metal element shows and our immune system is displayed.
Grief is a number one component in lowering the immune system, as grief affects the energetics of the lungs also known as the respiratory system. Do you notice these lines on your own face? Are you unable to grieve or stuck with letting go? Ideally your cheeks should be unlined, smooth, with a rosy glow and plumb enough to pinch between your thumb and first finger easily.
Letting Go
Greif and the Metal Element resonate with Autumn. Grief is sometimes buried and we are not always aware it’s there. A good question to ask is, what is it I am holding onto that no longer serves me? Grief is loss. This can be a loss of a person, item, belief, dream, a life not yet lived or the person you never became.
When Grief arises allow yourself to feel it fully, honouring your sorrow with rituals, memorials, pauses and reflections at particular anniversary or when the need arises. Grieving is really important part of life, that creates the space and stillness to allow something new in.
Breathwork
Breathing Helps
Think of the lungs as balloons that inflate and deflate, grief deprives the lungs of air by sitting on them like a heavy weight. Most breath shallow, laboured and constricted breathing in the upper chest, lowering your immunity.
Try This
Fill the lungs fully, deep down into the bottom of the belly, then open the mouth and allow for a long releasing exhale, clearing old stale air, fully and completely. Hold for just a moment at the bottom of that breath, allow the next breath to arise, deep into the belly and fill the front and the back body fully with fresh oxygen all the way up into the collar bones, once full, then open the mouth and allow for another releasing exhale, repeat this three times.
Gratitude
The Antidote To Grief
Like the ballon analogy gratitude inflates and softens the lungs. The antidote to grief is acceptance. Gratitude humbles our experiences in life for what is extraordinary and very special to us. Creating a daily practice, especially in Autumn can remind us of what is beautiful and important in life and what no longer serves us.
Write Down
Lastly another wonderful exercise is the practice of gratitude. Write down one item you are grateful for today, what would that be? To see the sunrise, have a hug, received a gift, spending time with a good friend. They can be big or small, now close your eyes, connect and feel what you are grateful for, notice what happens around the chest and heart space. Take it in, feel it and notice how you feel after. Practice this every day with a minimum of three items, feel each one and support not only your health but also you mental, emotional wellbeing.