This is such an interesting time of year. There’s a palpable slowing down in some ways, like a long, slow out-breath, as the days gently start to shorten. Schools and colleges are on holiday, traffic levels around town are less, and in my household, the alarm gets set a little later as there’s no school run to schedule. So even though people are still at work, it feels different to me.
This shift is very much part of the move from summer to late summer in Chinese medicine. We’re just moving into late summer now, which is 
less the rush of growth and flowering of June, and more the move to fruiting and harvesting. Not full throttle yet, but definitely on the way – in my vegetable garden, the tomatoes are growing apace but are nowhere near ripening. My beautiful climbing French beans, a lovely creamy colour, are currently ready to eat at a manageable rate – also my curious stripy courgettes – but I know it won’t be long before there’s a glut which will need processing – or giving away with that easy generosity which comes from knowing you have more than enough. The hard work of preparing the ground, sowing seeds, tending tiny seedlings, protecting from the frost – that’s all over for this year. The focus is now on quietly gathering things in, which I find an almost meditative activity, an exercise in being “in the moment”.
And in my treatment room, the shift shows itself when people start to talk about what they are getting out of their lives, what is feeding and nourishing them and what is not. Gone is the rush of excited planning that comes with the Spring. The busy-ness of summer can leave us quite exhausted. We know autumn’s coming … but not yet … and on an emotional level there’s a pull to lay in some stores from which to draw in leaner times. That might mean spending time visiting far flung friends while the weather’s good for driving, enhancing and refreshing connections. It can mean the rest and recuperation that come from a good holiday in new surroundings. It’s a well-earned break from study, knowing the results will come and you’re on to the next phase in your life journey.
My freezer is full of blackcurrants, just harvested – and some of them are destined to be eaten on Christmas Day because we’re not a Christmas pudding loving family, but my husband makes a mean baked cheesecake. So as I’ve been picking them in the last couple of weeks, I’m laying down the foundations for future experiences.
So a treatment any time between the end of July and late September brings this quality with it – one of acknowledging what one has and taking in the nourishment from that. Or of enhancing one’s ability to absorb the goodness from your life. Harvesting, using and storing your surpluses, to pass on to others or to keep you in good shape in lean times. An energy-boosting tonic if you’re feeling tired or jaded. What’s not to want?
Book an appointment with Rosanna, in Northampton or Daventry, for the late summer – & lay in some supplies! Call 07970 295177.
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