Take an actively seated position.
If you can,
Sit on the tip of your chair with a straight back and your hands clasped together like this.
Make sure it is an active position and you are not straining yourself.
Once you have clasped your hands together,
Put them in your lap.
Gently close your eyes or look at a point in front of you.
If you want to keep your eyes open,
Make sure they don't wander too much.
And we will start by observing our normal breath from three times.
Your normal in and out flow.
For the moment there is no need to change anything.
Just check in with yourself.
And after three breaths we will breathe together where I will be counting up to three.
You pause and another three for the exhale and another pause.
So synchronize,
Breathe in and then fully out through the mouth.
Pause for a moment and then inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Hold.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Pause.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Hold.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Pause.
Another inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Hold.
Exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Hold.
And the last one.
Inhale one,
Two,
Three,
Hold.
And fully exhale one,
Two,
Three,
Pause.
And then return to your normal breathing.
And stop focusing on the breath.
Just let it have its natural flow.
Bring your attention to your forehead and imagine smoothing out your forehead.
Ironing out any wrinkles,
Traces of worries.
And then let a warm relaxation flow down from the forehead into your cheeks,
Chin,
Neck and throat,
Into the torso,
Back and front.
Down the arms and the legs and release it through the tip of your fingers and your toes.
Release the tip of your tongue behind your front teeth,
Against the roof of your mouth.
And ever so slightly turn the outer sides of your lips upward like a gentle smile.
Feel free to just imagine this,
It does not have to be visible.
And if you like revisit a happy memory.
Something that made you smile,
Laugh or just gave you a warm feeling.
Go back to that sensation and bring it into this meditation.
Bring your attention to the heart and the heart is the yin organ of the fire element in Chinese medicine.
It is paired with the small intestines.
And the heart is the emperor.
It is believed to be the house of your soul and your mind.
Someone with a balanced fire element is a person who is courageous,
Generous,
Full of joy and funny.
Signs of imbalance include on the physical level a pale complexion,
Over intense or lack of eye contact,
Overall low energy,
Problems of the heart.
On the mental level most mental challenges and illnesses are related to the fire element,
Losing heart,
Desperation,
A lack of joy and laughter.
And on the behavioral level you may notice some socially inappropriate behavior.
If you would recognize any of these signs of imbalance there are so many things you can do.
For example,
Avoid any thinking and decision making at night as well as excessive screen use and reading which strains the eyes and thus the heart.
Instead be creative,
Meet friends,
Start a new hobby,
Especially at the night time.
And as we always do we will release any slight imbalances in the fire element,
Our heart,
By making the sound of ahhh like a big sigh.
So I invite you on the next inhale exhale to make this sound once.
If at any time you feel you would like to repeat the sound,
Take another inhale and make the sound again.
As we move to our lungs,
The yin organ of the metal element,
And metal represents rocks and minerals.
The lungs are paired with the large intestine and together they are responsible for your body's waste management.
Not only are they responsible for letting go of bodily waste,
But also for letting go of grudges,
The past and grief.
A balanced metal element is seen in people who are full of life and very much in the present.
Thousands of imbalance are problems with the sinuses,
Asthma,
Foggy head,
But also constipation,
Skin problems,
Shallow breathing.
On the mental level,
People may experience anxiety or panic attacks,
And behavioral,
They tend to be stuck,
Stagnant,
Holding grudges and a flat demeanor.
If you recognize any of these symptoms,
Some small changes you can make are early morning walks and doing a breath awareness meditation.
And of course for any of these elements,
If you feel more than slightly out of balance,
Please visit a medical doctor,
Chinese,
Western,
Whatever takes your fancy.
And together we will once release by making the sound of shhhh like a snake,
To release any grievances,
To let go.
We breathe in and release with shhhh.
Bringing our attention to the right side of our body,
Our liver,
Together with the gold leather,
It represents the element of woos.
They are responsible for detoxing the body.
People with balanced wood elements are flexible,
Both in mind and body.
They are calm,
Easy going.
Possible signs of imbalance are more stiff bodies,
Heavy eyes when waking up in the morning,
Even the eye whites may look more red or yellow.
On the mental level,
You may be easily frustrated or irritated,
Angry.
You may feel stagnated,
Stubborn,
Inflexible.
And on the behavioral side,
You may have angry outbursts,
Yelling,
Road rage is a good example.
Or you may feel indecisive.
And some of the recommendations from traditional Chinese medicine is taking early walks or do other exercise.
And similar to the heart,
To avoid straining the eyes in the evening and night.
In spring clean,
Clean out the house,
Clean out your mind,
Your soul,
Be ruthless.
And we will release the liver by making this sound of shoo,
Like a tired inflating.
Breathe in and release in your next exhale.
Next we bring our attention to the left side of the body.
The spleen and stomach,
Our digestive system,
Known as the earth element.
Balanced earth element is a person who is grounded,
Has clarity and focus,
Feels sorry,
Solid and aware.
Examples of imbalance include a lack of muscle tone,
Could present as either obese or skinny,
Foggy head,
Diabetes and problematic bowel movements.
On the mental level,
This person may feel ungrounded and flighty.
They may be overthinking and experience concentration problems.
Some of the suggested changes are to eat regularly at the same time every day and with attention.
To avoid cold drinks and do some weight lifting.
For now we will release our digestive system by making the sound of shoo,
Like a strong wind.
On the inhale and the next exhale release.
As we come to the last element,
The water element.
Bring your attention to the kidneys and your lower back.
And the kidneys are paired with the bladder.
They're responsible for the water management of your body.
They're also believed to hold our jinji,
The energy we have inherited from our parents.
So over time,
The function of the water element decreases just because we're slowly using up our jinji.
People with a balanced water element are confident,
Show willpower and courage.
Possible imbalances can be picked up on by the following symptoms.
Bad hair,
Thin or greying fast.
Chronic fatigue.
And the danger of a burnout.
Mentally people may experience fear and anxiety.
Especially focused on the future.
Behavioral people may look like they have no backbone.
They lack confidence.
They have a tendency not to finish projects,
Avoid new ventures.
Kind of withdraw into themselves,
Limiting their world.
Suggested changes are all about warming the body up with warm teas,
Warm water,
Hot baths,
Massages.
And there was the suggestion of sometimes even drinking some glow wine.
I'm sure everyone who's in winter at the moment would appreciate a glass of glow wine.
And to release our water elements,
We make the sound of shoo in your own time.
And then bring your attention to your whole body.
Feel how you're sitting.
Feel how you're feeling.
Notice any bodily sensations.
Any thoughts,
Emotions or a lack of those.
As always wherever you are,
It's all good.
I advise you to remain seated for a couple of minutes more.
I'll say goodbye here.
Thank you and namaste.
