Metal energies protect us from the external environment. Deficient lung energies show up in the breath and skin. Allergies are a common finding in one whose lung energies are weak. So are respiratory ailments such as asthma, shortness of breath, chronic or recurring coughs, sinus infections, frequent colds, skin rashes, and hives. Since metal energies govern release, and thus the ability to defecate, imbalanced metal energies can also manifest in chronic constipation.
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Metal energies that are not aligned and balanced can make you stiff and resistant, just like metal. The po grasps life itself, and when excessive metal energies are expressed, life can be grasped too tightly. People with imbalanced metal energies may spend undue effort trying hard to control themselves and everyone and everything in their lives. But, as many of us have, learned, imposing control never works. Life is moving, not static, and although we can shape it, it cannot be controlled.
This goes against societal training, which, from the very first rules we are taught by our parents, teaches us to follow norms and laws determined by an external authority. So people come to believe that all things unwanted can be controlled. They try endlessly to control the conditions in their lives, and by doing so make things even worse than they are, because resistance causes contraction, not receptivity. For example, women who believe they are infertile contract themselves into a state of fear, sadness, and loss, making themselves less and less open to new life. At my Fertile Soul retreats, I continually see women who have tried everything to conceive a child. But the more they fight, the less receptive to life they become. Ways To Have A Healthy Baby
This resistance, this fierce struggle to command the coming of a child, is the first aspect I deal with at my fertility retreats. I work to help my patients let go and stop fighting, and open themselves to a receptive, expansive state. So many women who haven't been able to become pregnant finally do when they come to a state of acceptance and stop trying. That's why it's common for women to conceive after they've adopted a child. Letting go of the fight for a child lets them shift into a state of being that offers possibility and hope. Opening up inside and allowing life to breathe through you puts you in a place of balance and lets in creation, be it a child, a new way of living, a new dream, or a new project or career.
A fussy woman named Wanda once came to a retreat consumed with every little detail of every aspect of her life. She was a financial analyst and her inquiring, penetrating mind served her well in business but made her extremely intense and anxious. She was a self-described hypochondriac and wanted to know every detail about her body's symptoms, and thought her health care providers should give them to her. She was completely detached from her body and continually asking other people to provide answers for her: "Why does my cycle do this? Why is my blood this color? Why do I wake up at night to urinate?" She also had difficulty with the movement exercises I prescribe to help retreat-goers loosen up and release. Wanda had a rigid build, could make no sense of her body, and literally couldn't let go. She proclaimed, "I didn't come here to let go; I came here to get pregnant."
Wanda was slow to make progress, but eventually was able to let go a bit. During her time at the retreat she lightened up, was fun to be around, and became more open and receptive. But once she returned home, her anxiety seeped back in. She e-mailed me with new concerns: "I don't know when I ovulated. My period never came. My temperature never went down. Something is wrong!" When she took her worries to her local doctor, he confirmed that she was pregnant.
Physically Rebalancing Your Metal Energies
Taoists believe that during the process of receiving and letting go, the metal energies can fall out of balance, causing your spirit or soul to say no to life. Fortunately, there are several ways to realign your metal energies and restore balance to aid you in connecting to your highest level.
Detoxification
Keeping your metal energies pure and healthy requires taking in every breath deeply. It also requires eliminating the old in order to let new vital energy in. We release the old through exhalations, skin cells, sweat, tears, and feces. The intestines, skin, and lungs eliminate what no longer serves us, detoxifying the body's energies. Ways To Have A Healthy Baby
To help your skin eliminate the old, exfoliate your body daily with a skin brush or a dry washcloth. This process will, both literally and figuratively, shed your old skin so that promising new skin can appear. As you exfoliate, bring intention to the process. Being mindful to treat yourself gently, consider what you need to eliminate and brush it all away. Taking a sauna will also cleanse anti detoxify your pores.
Having a healthy bowel movement each day is another important way your body eliminates toxins. Drinking plenty of water and eating plenty of roughage in fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and grains will help to cleanse yourself of what you don't need and prevent toxins from being absorbed into your system. If you have trouble eliminating - many of the women I treat suffer from constipation - reduce the heat in your system, which can be the result of spicy foods and too much internal stress and tension. In addition to balancing the heat, try boiling rhubarb and prunes and drink their juice.
Also limit the food you eat in the evening. If you pack your gut right before bed, it will become overwhelmed with messages: to fill, extract water, and consolidate the residue; and to release the previous day's contents. Because the intestines rest at night, undigested food can rot in your gut and the toxic contents are sent into your bloodstream, making elimination much less efficient the next day.
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Self-message
Skin sweats in order to lower body temperature. It also senses pain to keep us away from danger. These automatic responses do a great deal to prevent harmful substances from entering our bodies.
To be mindful of the importance of your skin, massage yourself as part of your daily or nightly self-care routine. Traditional Chinese medicine believes massage is a beautiful way to thank your body. Take baths and follow them by massaging yourself with natural lotions scented with soothing essential oils, such as lavender. Let your skin know that you are aware of and appreciate what it does for you by massaging your face, scalp, hands, and feet. Be aware of how your touch feels and indulge in its comfort. To learn more, you can check out Ways To Have A Healthy Baby.
