Tips for an Autumn Boost

Autumn is well and truly here, there's no denying it! And at this time of year I find myself sharing a lot of top tips with clients around how to help boost the immune system and to protect ourselves from the change of season and inevitable sniffles that seem to appear in abundance! 

In this post I want to share with you some tips to help with protecting your system from the changes in temperature, and the season changes we are currently experiencing

My favourite recommendation at this time of year is a garment which offers real support for those colder days and nights is the Hara-maki. This is a traditional Japanese wrap which can be worn beneath or on top of your usual clothing around the mid-riff, and is more commonly known as a kidney warmer.

If you suffer from cold hands and feet, or poor circulation, and begin to feel the chills this time of year, its recommended to wear a Haramaki. Its so snuggly and comforting, and adding that extra layer of warmth to your core helps generate more heat, and improves your circulation. I also recommend it for anyone who cycles, to add an extra layer to that gap which can creep open between tops and bottoms when cycling. Protecting the kidneys from the cold is really really important for all of us in the winter, and the Haramaki does this beautifully. It also can help aid digestion! 
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The Haramaki also provides great support for women who are menstruating, or pregnant, and anyone who suffers from a weak or painful lower back. try wearing one for a week and feel the difference! (picture courtesy of Haramaki-love)

I sometimes stock them to sell from koroko haramaki who sell lovely double layered thermal ones, which have become essential items for so many of my friends, family and clients through the colder months. You can also search on etsy for fabulous funky handmade ones, or even try making one yourself!! 

This time of year it's also really important to wrap up warm and protect your neck from cold winds. always wear or have a big scarf to hand, especially on days which look clear and blue but can turn icy cold. In Chinese medicine, it is believed that illness and pathogens can enter our system blown by the wind down your neck and spine; the chill weakens our natural protective layers and we become very quickly susceptible to chills and colds. By always wearing or carrying a scarf we can avoid those sudden cold blasts catching us unawares.

When we go from warm, dry, centrally heated environments into the damp and cold and back in again, the rapid changes in temperature can also affect our immune boosting systems. In Shiatsu we can offer a special treatment to help boost your "triple heater" meridian which helps regulate our circulation and temperature and has special protective duties in that area. You can also stimulate your Triple Heater Meridian by rubbing your arms and the tops of your legs vigorously, where you would rub them when you get cold. this helps stimulate the energy flow and strengthens it's protective properties. 

So stay warm and wrapped up and let me know how you get on! 

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