Bruce Lee a famous baby dragon. His Chinese name literally translates to Li Little Dragon.

Happy Chinese New Year-The Year of the Dragon

Will this year be fierce, full of surprises, magnificent or menacing? Will it delight, bewilder or intimidate you-just like a dragon? It’s all in your eyes!

The Chinese are obsessed with the dragon and highly revered in their culture. It is the only figure in the Chinese zodiac, that is a fantasy creature. One legend about the twelve-year zodiac/New Year cycle holds that Buddha summoned the world’s animals to him, and the first twelve that heeded the call were given the honor of having a year dedicated to their species; the order of the zodiac signs corresponds to how quickly each respective creature arrived. In our Western culture dragons have come to connote evil, synonymous almost with the serpent in terms of their capacity for malice. Not so in Chinese mythology. There, the dragon is associated with vibrant health, luck, regal bearing and personal achievement, as well as increased opportunity, optimism, imperial power and intelligence. It swims into the ocean and flies above the clouds to spread its rain-making power to ensure a prosperous Year of the Dragon on earth.

Meaning of the legend:

The Chinese people from the beginning of time had shown a remarkable ability to understand the intricate working of nature. The relationship between rain and oceanic wind pattern. They know that water vapor were originated from the sea and endowed the dragon with rain making ability. Chinese dragon is benevolent in their spirit and benefit the people—contrasting to the western myth of a cold lecherous lizard-like dragon who captures virgin and hog treasure perhaps it is a religious backlash in the west toward the Older religious practice of the Serpent Power, as in Kundalini of the Hindu Yoga. It also reflected the difference attitude between East and West toward sexual energy and impulses—the dragon symbolizes fertility and life, just like the snake in the biblical story of Eden.

Chinese Medicine & Your Health:

This is the time to sweep away past resentments and bad luck, and to manifest good fortune and wellbeing for the year to come. Traditional Chinese Medicine with it’s beauty and simplicity  can help us do the same for our bodies, by not only addressing injury and disease, but also preparing and protecting our bodies for long-term wellbeing.

Changes brought by each new season correlate with the Chinese Five Element theory. Each Element is important for specific body organs, which can become especially vulnerable with each new season. According the Chinese Five Element Theory, Winter is related to the  element of water. In this season this element is the most dominant. Winter’s power is deep in *yin. It is a time to conserve energy and resources and not be wasteful with your active, outward *yang energy. You need special care in the form of nutrition, warmth and rest. The bladder and kidneys, which deal with the body’s water, are the organs associated with winter and it’s element, both of which process the most *yin element, Water.

To evaluate the health of the kidneys, examining the overall color, clarity and tone of the skin is helpful. Besides the kidneys and bladder the skin is our largest organ of elimination. When the kidneys are clearing toxins poorly or have too much to handle, the skin may have to work harder to help clear these wastes. This is when skin rashes and breakouts can occur. To strengthen the water energy and keep these organs and body in balance it’s important to keep warm. A great way to  do this is with the proper winter diet.

Nutrition:

• If one is on a high raw or 100% raw food diet, add spices such as garlic,ginger to juices and cinnamon to foods. Gently warm vegetable or miso soups and eat plenty of well-blended food, as blended meals are easier to digest. Fresh cranberries make a nice addition to juices or purees this time of year while protecting the bladder and kidneys from infection.
• Eat more root vegetables during the winter such as parsnips, carrots, turnips, beets to fortify your immune system.These winter vegetables are naturally at their peak in this season. Not only do they help keep your body warm, but they are also rich in anti-oxidants.
• Cooked Whole Grains make an excellent staple in the winter diet. These complex carbs burn well in the body as fuel and are good for the intestines and for elimination. Azuki beans and black beans are beneficial for the kidneys. Millet is also good choice for balancing water energy this time of year.

• Ocean Food such as, ocean (salt water) fish, low in fats with high amounts of protein, minerals and vitamins, Ocean seaweeds like kelp, dulse, nori and hijiki are high protein vegetables, high in Vitamin E & A. Rich in calcium, potassium, iron, iodine, and other minerals. The nourish the endocrine system, especially the thyroid and adrenal glands.
• Drinking plenty of liquids is key to blood and lymphatic circulation. It is also essential for cleansing the body through the kidneys and bladder.
• Adding Herbs during the winter can be very cleansing for the body and blood as well as strengthening specific systems.  Examples: Burdock root good for the lungs and mucous linings, marshmallow root soothing irritations or inflammations in the kidney and bladder. Ginger Root another good heater to help with circulation and increase the Fire Element. Flaxseed & Nettle to name a few more.

Wellness:

• Acupuncture: Winter is a wonderful time of year to get acupuncture, especially if you notice any of symptoms or imbalance  in the skin and body. I highly recommend my acupuncturist- Paulette Pettorino at www.spiritcenteracupuncture.com
• Exercise : Get plenty of rest but exercising  is still very important, perhaps trying Yoga or Tai Chi. Creating new habits will replace older ones. These disciplines will help you gain balance, strength, flexibility and a wonderful vitality.
• Facial and Massage: Lymphatic Drainage and the use of essential oils can be helpful to support you during the winter.

Winter is a cold and contractive time, but with my help and recommendations you can bring light and balance back into the long dark season. After the excess of the holiday season, we relish a little down time to cleanse and support, nurture and nourish the kidneys this winter season. As we enter what is believed to be the most auspicious year in the twelve-year Chinese zodiac cycle, I look forward to it with joy and optimism, as I continue my path to personal and professional success. Hopefully, the soaring and awe-inspiring dragon and it’s rainmaking ability can disperse the shower of power unto you in the Year of the Dragon.

Winter: in-Balance

keep warm, stay quiet, sleep well, be at home, look within, preserving-giving

Winter: imbalance

overactive,late nights and parties,lack of rest and sleep, dissipation, frustration, hoarding

Love & Light,

Claudia

***Yin yang is widely known as the two opposites that complete the whole. Yin is the shady place (North) (Feminine energy) while yang is the sunny place (South) (Male energy). Each relies on the other. The theory of yin yang helps define the inner workings of nature. It gives us a concise explanation of why there is night and day, light and dark, good and evil, right and wrong, male and female, etc. In other words, it creates a framework so chaos has order. Without this concept, life would seem sporadic and it would be difficult to see the patterns and logic behind the functions of life.

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