Finding Quietude in a Noisy World

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

Recently I had the honor of taking part in a live online class taught by one of my heroes, Julia Cameron.

Julia is the author of the international bestseller The Artist’s Way, as well as over 40 other publications. Her work has impacted my life more than any other writer and if you know me well, you know how often I recommend her to others. 

I had the pleasure of meeting this humble soul in person a couple years ago during an Artist’s Way workshop she hosted near my hometown. At that time, I was celebrating over a decade of writing Morning Pages and was able to let her know personally how profound an impact this practice had (and continues to have) on my life.

My morning writing practice drops me every day into silence to listen to my inner truths, regardless of how uplifting or painful they may be.

Throughout this new course, Julia talked about the power of deep listening to hear the sounds in your surroundings, your mind, your heart, to guidance, and even the sound of silence.

It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by Ram Dass: “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”

As I got quiet and listened, I started hearing sounds I’d never heard before in my home, during my yoga practice and on my walks.

I began to have a greater appreciation for simple things, like the scratching of my dogs’ feet as they walked across our hardwood floors and my mother’s voice as she spoke to me on the phone. 

I began to listen more deeply to my inner wisdom for what I wanted or needed. And I started to listen more acutely to the guidance that comes constantly from Source.

To me, deep listening is at the heart of presence.

To be able to hear what others have to say without needing to respond or do anything is freeing. 

How liberating to simply be present with what is rather than feel I have to control everything!

Silence is powerful. More often than not, simply listening to someone share rather than speaking provides the space for clarity to arise for that person. The same goes when you listen to yourself.

At a time in history that’s perhaps noisier than any other — with the blaring sounds of the news, social media, and a landscape filled with fear, anxiety and worry, it’s essential to stop and listen.

While you may not be able to turn off the noise, becoming more aware of the sounds in both your inner and outer worlds can change how you experience them.

Taking time to slow down and truly listen helps lower the volume of distraction and tune you in to the wisdom that lies within.

Then, you can reveal the truth of not just what you truly feel, but also what you truly need and want.


2 Simple Practices to Help You Listen More Deeply:

  1. Listen & Write

    With a pen and paper in hand, sit in a quiet corner of your home. 

    Close your eyes. 

    Take three deep breaths.

    Now, open your eyes and write down every sound you hear in your environment—the fan of your heater, cars driving by outside, birds chirping, the rain or the breeze, the sound of your children walking or dogs barking, etc.

    Write down every single sound you hear for the next 3-5 minutes.

    Then pause and take another three breaths.

    Be still with all that is in the moment.

    Now write down what you feel – physically, emotionally and mentally.

    This may stir up some emotion, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve taken time like this for yourself. Invite in all the feelings. 

    Listening deeply is essential to hearing your personal truth. Writing it down clarifies the path to your authentic self.


  2. 10 Minute Meditation (BEME Meditation): the meditation below will help you listen more closely, more often.

    I like to call it The BEME Meditation; it’s a practice I developed that invites you to listen to your body, emotions, mind and environment, without judgment. 

While judgments and inner narratives can distort reality and cause you to suffer, the process of quiet observation supports you to be authentic by simply being more present.

So feel, hear, be.

And know that everything will be OK, even if you don’t feel OK in this particular moment.

What’s the soundtrack that’s playing in your life right now? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers a one-of-a-kind form of empowerment coaching, clinical services, and transformational workshops and online courses that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com. 

The 3 Most Important Life Lessons I’ve Learned from Two Decades of Practicing (& Teaching) Yoga

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

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I realized this past week that yoga has been a part of my life for just about twenty years now. While that’s hard for me to believe, at this point I can’t imagine my life without it.

When I first started practicing yoga during my first year of college at UC Berkeley (after much resistance to get started), it changed my life. I went from an anxiety-ridden teen to a clear, focused and mindful young woman in what felt like no time at all. I became obsessed with the practice and even in the midst of a busy schedule with school and work, I somehow managed to fit in at least an hour of practice every day. (You can find the full story of how I found yoga in this article).

Nowadays, my practice takes on a different shape. On days that I have the luxury of practicing an hour or more, I feel blessed and sometimes even a little guilty. The days of practicing more active styles of yoga have shifted to focusing my practice on loosening my joints, relishing several minutes in one Yin Yoga posture and doing some Qi Gong and Tai Ji.

But one thing has stayed consistent for me over the past two decades — the days I practice are much better days than the ones I tell myself I don’t have time or distract myself with something else instead.

The days I show up on the mat, even when I’m exhausted or distracted or busy, help me connect to Source and deepen my relationship with myself. Honoring my practice is a way of honoring my body as the temple it is, and staying true to the commitments I make to myself, both on and off the mat.

Practicing and teaching yoga have taught me a myriad of important lessons. Here are just three of them:

  1. Prioritize Your Self-Care

    When you learn to really take care of and honor yourself, everything evolves from that space. We’ve created cliches on this topic for a reason — put the oxygen mask on yourself first before placing it on someone else. You can’t fill from an empty cup.

    The only way you’re going to thrive as a practitioner, a healer, a friend, a parent, a teacher, or really anyone in any kind of relationship, is by taking care of yourself first.

    No one wants to take food from a person who’s starving. Feed yourself, fill yourself. And you’ll be amazed at not only the quantity but more importantly the quality you’ll have available to share with others.

    Self-care has probably been the hardest lesson for me to learn. Coming from a culture and family history of caretakers and role models who self-sacrificed, I learned that prioritizing yourself is selfish. Over time, I’ve come to realize that in some ways, selfishness is a virtue. Because all of the things we want to create are born out of the care we give ourselves.

    Self-care involves daily practices to move your body and still your mind, proper nutrition and perhaps most importantly, setting clear boundaries (more on that here). And to me, self-care starts with how you start your day. A healthy morning ritual is essential to set the rhythm for your day and how you care for yourself throughout your life.

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  1. Be Consistent

    Many of us struggle with a block called perfection. I’m definitely one of those people. When we start something new we think that we have to do it “right” or we just can’t do it.

    We often demand so much of ourselves, forgetting that progress trumps perfection and starting something imperfectly is always better than waiting to do it right.

    I used to think for example that daily practice meant waking up at 5am, practicing for 60-90 minutes, writing and meditating before going into the rest of my day. And to be honest, in my early 20s when I first started practicing yoga, I actually made time on most days to do all that. It sounds crazy now, but back then I simply didn’t have the responsibilities and distractions I have now.

    So, for a long time, relenting to the fact that life is different now, I spent many days skipping practice thinking I simply didn’t have time. But when my body started aching and my sleep suffered, I realized that not practicing was not an option; that even if I could squeeze in 10 minutes every morning I felt dramatically better. And ironically, when I did practice, I felt less busy and overwhelmed.

    Practicing gives my day a slower, more manageable pace and a sense of order. And by practice, I mean writing Morning Pages (3 long-hand pages of uncensored, unfiltered writing) and moving my body. Nowadays if I don’t complete the full 3 pages some days, I can forgive myself. And if I only get on my mat to warmup my body for 10 minutes, rather than beat myself up, I’ve learned to thank myself. Because something is better than nothing and skipping morning practice is no longer an option.

    Ultimately the lesson I’ve learned is that consistency matters—it creates a rhythm that brings clarity and holds you accountable to yourself.

    The more you honor the promises you make to yourself, the more you cultivate self-confidence and therefore self-love.

    Like I emphasized to the students at this year’s Yin Yoga Integration teacher training — practice daily, the Kaizen Way. In other words, take small, incremental steps to create big, lasting change.

    Rather than set unrealistic expectations you won’t meet that make you feel like you don’t even want to try, be gentle with yourself.

    Set the intention to practice for 5 minutes instead of 20 or even 15, and you’ll actually end up on your mat rather than scrolling on Instagram. Because overwhelming goals over-activate your nervous system and set you up for failure. But small, incremental steps feel tangible and therefore become achievable.



  2. Build Your Community

    While it’s important to take time alone when developing a spiritual practice, it’s just as important not to isolate yourself. Stay connected. Find people who share your interests and build your tribe. Not only will you feel more motivated to stay the course with your path, but you’ll also find more meaning in the process.

    We thrive in community.

    The French sociologist Emile Durkheim in 1897 conducted one of the earliest studies on the importance of the role that community social forces play in the health of the individual (Durkheim, 1951). Durkheim’s research led him to conclude that the major factor affecting suicide rates was the degree of social integration of groups.

    Beyond that, community creates a sense of belonging which has been shown to improve health and well-being, and to elevate intellectual achievement and immune function. Research shows that even a single instance of exclusion can undermine well-being, IQ test performance and self-control.

    We don’t just need each other to feel a sense of belonging, but we also need each other to thrive and feel a sense of connection.

Many of the students from the Yin Yoga Integration Teacher Training Class of 2019 continue to help build our growing community.

Many of the students from the Yin Yoga Integration Teacher Training Class of 2019 continue to help build our growing community.

My primary motivation for starting a yoga studio when I was just 22 years old was to build a community around what I loved most. I wanted a platform to bring my love of yoga to as many people as possible.

Years later in our wellness center, we’re blessed with an incredible community. Neither Salvador nor I take for granted the value of being surrounded by so many like-minded people — both in person and virtually — on a journey to wellness.

No matter what you do for personal development, it’s essential to find people who share your interests and can support your growth. These relationships can develop through in-person contact and even online communities, trainings and groups. Many of the communities are built already — you just have to seek them out to find a greater sense of belonging.

After two decades of yoga practice, I suppose the lessons I’ve learned are not so much about practice, but rather about the deeper significance of life itself.

And the lessons are quite simple — take care of yourself first, be consistent (and gentle) with whatever you commit to, and connect with your community. We need to take care of ourselves and each other because our potential to rise is greater when we’re there to support one another.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com. 

5 Ways Yin Yoga Can Transform Your Health & Life

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

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You may have already heard my story about how practicing Yoga changed my life as a stressed out overachiever at Cal (if you haven't read the story, you can find it here). But you may not know that beginning the practice of Yin Yoga awakened my interest in Chinese Medicine, and led me toward the path that I'm on now.

As I prepare to teach the second (and probably last) live round of my one-of-a-kind Yin Yoga Integration Teacher Training this Fall, I hope to demystify the practice of Yin Yoga so you can better understand how it can transform the way you feel in your body and move through your life—regardless of your practice level or age.

Yin Yoga isn’t the same as gentle Yoga, nor is it necessarily restorative. Rather, Yin Yoga is a deep and sometimes uncomfortable practice.

Understood through the lens of Chinese Medicine, this practice can access the deeper connective tissue of your body to help you release trapped emotions and free you physically to allow for greater freedom of movement.

What is Yin Yoga?

Yin Yoga is a passive practice primarily comprised of seated and supine postures typically held for 3 to 5 minutes. Practicing in this way allows the stretch to go beyond the muscles to the deeper layers of fascia.

Over the years, Yin Yoga has become a practice I come home to when things are difficult, when I’m exhausted and even when I feel great. It’s a comfort for me to sit in the long-held postures, breathe, take in the moment, and let go of the chatter in my mind.

And because your body sits passively to experience the deeper stretch, your mind naturally settles with time, supporting you to let go of the distractions of the day without forcing anything.

Yin Yoga is the passive balance to a daily active, or Yang, lifestyle that’s typical for so many of us.

And since this practice releases the connective tissue and most importantly the illiopsoas (the muscle group in the pelvic region that’s comprised of the illiacus and psoas muscles) where emotional stress and trauma are stored, as your body releases, your mind becomes more free and you can move through your life with far greater ease.

5 Ways Yin Yoga Can Improve Your Health & Life

Butterfly pose in the Yin style.

Here are five important health benefits that can be cultivated through regular Yin Yoga practice:

  1. Reduced Stress, Anxiety and Depression

    In a randomized controlled trial, researchers examined whether participating in a five-week yoga intervention reduces biomarker Adrenomedullin (ADM) and increases psychological health in middle-aged adults who self-report as moderately to highly stressed. ADM is a blood pressure-lowering peptide expressed in cardiovascular tissues including the vascular wall and heart. Plasma levels of ADM are elevated in patients with hypertension, heart failure or arteriosclerosis, as compared with control subjects.

    Compared to the control group, the researchers observed significantly greater pre-post reductions in plasma ADM levels, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems.

    The study concluded that five-week Yin yoga-based interventions appeared to reduce both the physiological and psychological risk factors known to be associated with non communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.

    The study also suggested incorporating Yin yoga as an easy and low-cost method to limit the negative health effects associated with high stress.[1]

  2. Improved Digestion & Sleep

    The very experience of Yin Yoga is calming and can reduce your stress levels since the poses are held for extended periods, averaging 3-8 minutes each. This calming effect regulates your nervous system and helps to relax your ‘fight or flight’ response.

    Whereas most styles of movement practice emphasize muscular strengthening and stretching, Yin Yoga focuses on stretching the connective tissue that’s more closely associated with the parasympathetic nervous system.

    As a result, you walk away from a Yin Yoga practice feeling calmer, stronger and can often notice improvements in your sleep and digestion—the aspects ruled by your parasympathetic nervous system—right away. (For more on the connection between digestion and sleep, you can read this article ).

    And when you sleep and digest better, you move with greater clarity and focus throughout your life.

  3. Greater Freedom of Movement

    Yin Yoga postures focus primarily on releasing and lengthening the hips, pelvis and lower spine. These areas hold a lot of latency—unresolved physical and emotional trauma that can over time inhibit your range of motion.

    Most books describe the practice of Yin Yoga in relation to the Primary Meridians, which are the main channels that are addressed and treated in Traditional Chinese Medicine. However, from the point of view of Classical Chinese Medicine, movement practice would be insufficient to access or treat the Primary Meridians.

    The classics of Chinese Medicine describe complement channels, which include the Sinew, Luo, Divergent and Eight Extraordinary Channels. Of these, the Sinew Channels control the movement of the Wei, or defensive Qi, and our movement.

    The sinews conduct Wei Qi and are the first to respond to exogenous pathogenic factors, or EPFs, that enter the body from the external environment. As these pathogenic factors internalize, they inhibit movement and therefore the Sinew Channels must be addressed in order to liberate your movement.

    Emotions can also be addressed through the Sinew Channels but the primary benefit of freeing the Sinew Channels is to develop freedom of movement and therefore greater flexibility in both the body and mind.

    So the emphasis in learning about the Sinew Channels in relationship to Yin Yoga practice is to be able to free these channels so you can find greater freedom of movement in all aspects of your life.

  4. Stronger Bones

    Distraction (often called traction) is one of the focuses in Yin Yoga and is the application of a long-held stress that tends to pull bones apart. A study published in Isfahan, Iran found that distraction stimulates both the growth of bones and their associated ligaments.[2]

  5. Greater Mental Clarity & Focus

    Practicing Yin Yoga can be challenging because the poses are held for minutes, releasing layers of tension and latent emotions that are held deep within the body’s fascia.

    The primary tool that helps ease the challenge is breath awareness, which anchors you into the present moment.

    Through breath awareness, you’re guided to ‘play your edge’, or to move to a point that challenges you physically while still taking deep, conscious breaths.

    Consistent practice in this way builds mental focus and clarity and will help you move through each day with both a stronger body and calmer mind.

If you’re interested in delving more deeply into this practice, you can apply to participate in my one-of-a-kind Yin Yoga Integration Teacher Training or attend any of my live retreats.

References
1. Daiva Daukantaitė, Una Tellhed, Rachel E. Maddux, Thomas Svensson, and Olle Melander. Five-week yin yoga-based interventions decreased plasma adrenomedullin and increased psychological health in stressed adults: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2018; 13(7): e0200518. Published online 2018 Jul 18. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200518

2. Subodh Shankar Natu, Iqbal Ali, Sarwar Alam, Kolli Yada Giri, Anshita Agarwal, and Vrishali Ajit Kulkarni. The biology of distraction osteogenesis for correction of mandibular and craniomaxillofacial defects: A review. Dent Res J (Isfahan). 2014 Jan-Feb; 11(1): 16–26.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

6 Insights to Cultivate a Healthy Winter Season

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. and Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

Near the top of Mount Titlis in the Swiss Alps.

Near the top of Mount Titlis in the Swiss Alps.

We recently returned from a beautiful trip to Switzerland where we felt like we were able to slow down and enjoy the feeling of Winter and the holiday season. Watching snow fall and walking through the Christmas markets transported us into a true Winter Wonderland. 

Being in the cold also reminded us why wintertime is the most appropriate time to become more Yin. This naturally Yin, cold time of the year encourages rest and contemplation, both of which help us consolidate our energy and bring closure to our past.

Winter is the season related to the Kidney system. The Kidneys hold the essential energy of the body, known as Jing, which is related to our DNA and the inner self. We're born with a finite amount of this Jing, so living a healthy, long life requires the conservation of Jing through adequate rest and self-cultivation. 

Winter is the ideal time to cultivate yourself through rest and relaxation in order to consolidate and conserve your energy.

The Kidneys store your Life Gate Fire, called Ming Men; the strongest source of Yang Qi that brings power to your body and motivation to your mind. This energy creates the Zhi, or Willpower, that drives ambition and your will to live.

Finding balance is about the balance between being Yin, at rest, and being Yang, active.

Being too Yin causes stagnation in the body and being too Yang overheats and burns out the body.

On a physical level, the Kidney system includes the kidneys, the adrenal glands, the reproductive organs, the brain, the ears and hearing, and the bones or skeletal structure. 

Since the sex organs are an aspect of the Kidneys, excessive sexual activity has the most direct and exhaustive impact on the Kidney's Qi and releasing sexual fluids also exhausts the Jing, which is your most valuable commodity in life. Through the loss of Yin fluids, the body cannot stay insulated and maintain its heat so the body gets cold and over time the tissues dry up and wrinkle. Thus the decline of Kidney Yin and Yang relates to accelerated aging.

Cultivation practices are essential to consolidate the Kidney's Yin and Yang energies to slow down the aging process.

Self-cultivation practices involve daily exercises that increase flexibility and move Qi such as Qi Gong, Yoga and Tai Chi. In addition, emptying the mind through daily Meditation practice is the most powerful and important practice to allow the body's deepest energies to circulate. 

The Winter Solstice marks a change of seasons through the longest night of the year. 

While New Year's resolutions are powerful, Winter is not the time to bring new ideas and plans to fruition.

The seasonal energy of Winter is about going within ourselves and consolidating our energy so we have the power to sprout our intentions during the following, Yang season of Spring.

6 Insights to Help You Have a Healthy Winter Season

1) Go to bed early and sleep, sleep, sleep. Resting and deep, uninterrupted sleep help consolidate your Yin energy to support regeneration at this time of year. For those who have difficulty sleeping well, Chinese herbal medicine and Essential Oils are often very effective to cool and relax your Liver and nourish your Heart blood to support a calm mind for restful sleep.

2) Nurture your Earth digestive energy (Spleen and Stomach Qi) with cooked foods, including lots of soup and stews. This is important during every seasonal transition. Avoid cold, raw food and drinks which reduce your digestive energy and lower your body's core temperature.

Here's a healing Rice Congee recipe: Bring 7 cups water or chicken stock to a boil and then slowly simmer 1 cup long-grain white rice. Cook for about an hour stirring every 15-20 minutes. Add water if necessary to keep it soupy. Add bone broth, ginger slices, green scallion onions and any type of meat or eggs as desired. Eating a cup of congee at end of each meal is very potent medicine to strengthen a weak digestive system. 

Salvador practicing Qi Gong on a crisp morning in Oberohringen, Switzerland

Salvador practicing Qi Gong on a crisp morning in Oberohringen, Switzerland

3) Keep your body's core temperature warm to protect the Life Gate Fire of the Kidneys. If you’re feeling cold, increase your body's metabolism by eating more warming meats such as lamb, beef, pork, buffalo and wild game like venison, elk and moose.  It's also important to keep your feet, head and belly warm to preserve your Kidney Qi. 

4) Exercise to boost your metabolism and circulation but don't exhaust yourself or sweat too much. Sweating excessively dries up your Yin fluids. Practice more Qi Gong, Yoga and Tai Chi to move and strengthen your Qi. Click here to join us for our special New Year's Eve Yoga-Qi Gong class. You can also learn more and register for the one-of-a-kind Yin Yoga Immersion with Dr. Moafi in the new year by clicking here.

5) Meditate daily and focus on what's good in your life. What we focus on expands, so stay positive by keeping a daily journal of gratitude to help highlight all the good things in your life each day. In addition, 10-15 minutes of daily meditation helps to begin the process of emptying the mind. This simple 10 minute meditation will help get you started. 

6) Bring completion to things in your life. This is a great time to let go of a bad relationship or job that keeps you feeling stuck and unfulfilled so you can harvest and create space for those new plans to sprout forth in the coming Spring. Winter is the time for bringing closure when there are loose ends tying up your energy.

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Thank you for helping make our year so special. Wishing you and your loved ones a nourishing Winter and holiday season!

With love,

Setareh & Salvador

Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac. is the Founder & Co-Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic run by he and his wife, Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine. Salvador is a leading U.S. practitioner of Japanese Meridian Therapy, a rare form of non-insertion Acupuncture using Gold & Silver needles. More information at www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com. 

Practices for Late Summer & Healthy Seasonal Transitions

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

Dr. Setareh Moafi offers simple step-by-step guidance to do Dragon Pose. This Yin Yoga posture is important to open and release the Stomach Meridian and improve digestion. Benefits of the posture and its relationship to the Earth element and Stomach channel in Chinese Medicine are explained.

The Earth element rules the late Summer as well as all seasonal transitions — all important times to strengthen your Earth and its corresponding Spleen and Stomach organs.

The Earth element relates to the digestive system and includes the Spleen, Pancreas and Stomach functions. Restoring health to your digestive system is fundamental to restoring health to all aspects of your life.

The digestive system creates Qi to support a strong immune function and fluids to support the hormones and healthy endocrine function.

Digestion is about transformation; transformation of food into energy and substance to build the body. Having a strong Earth energy also supports transformation in our lives as well so we can create the life we want to live. And perhaps most importantly, creating a strong Earth energy in our lives helps support having healthy relationships especially within our family.

Weakness in the Earth organs can lead to sweet cravings which then cause the body to accumulate dampness. Dampness is a fungal terrain, often resulting from a diet heavy in carbohydrates, fried foods, dairy and sugar (even in the form of fruits).  

A fungal terrain can also develop from using various drugs such as antibiotics, sulfa drugs, chemotherapy, birth control pills, corticosteroids, antacids and acid blocking medications.

Dampness is reflected in feeling stuck or lacking clarity.  Dampness is also associated with psychological imbalances such as Obsessive Compulsiveness Disorder and hoarding.

Imbalance in your Earth can also lead to excess accumulation of heat in your Stomach causing acid reflux, indigestion, excessive appetite and even anxiety as the Stomach dumps the overflow of heat into the Heart. 

The Earth element thrives on a simple diet based on unprocessed foods, a calm mind, and a regular daily rhythm with meals, exercise and rest.  

The following tips will help strengthen the Earth energy to help bring clarity in your life as well as to clear the heat and dampness that can lead to burnout and a sluggish body and mind.

6 Tips for a Healthy Earth:
1) Eat meals at regular times and without distractions. The digestive system thrives on eating with a relaxed state of mind. Try also to not skip meals and eat snacks if low blood sugar is an issue.
2) Cut back on sugar, including fruit. Even 'healthy' Summer fruit have a high sugar content that can create dampness and lead to immune suppression and Fall colds and flus. 
3) Eat more root vegetables. Root veggies such as sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots and rutabaga help anchor your body's energy and calm your mind. 
4) Take enzymes and probiotics daily. Enzymes taken with meals will help break down food and prevent stagnation and heat accumulation in the Stomach. Along with a balanced probiotic supplement, enzymes are essential for your gut health, which is the core of your immune function and brain health. Not sure what to take? Call us at 408-244-8565 or stop in and pick up a bottle of our favorite probiotics and enzymes. 
5) Exercise to strengthen your Earth. Calming exercises such as Yoga and Qi Gong are especially important to integrate into your routine. Here’s an archive of Yoga classes to practice from the comfort of your home. You can also do the short late Summer Yin Yoga practice with Dr. Setareh Moafi in the video at the top of this article :)
6) Go to bed a little earlier - before 11pm is optimal. It's also helpful to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day.

The transition toward the cooler Autumn season through this late Summer period allows us to harness our energy and create a calmer, more regular rhythm for optimal health during the upcoming Yin seasons of Fall and Winter. 

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.