Happy New Year, ya little monkey

15 February 2016, 12:00AM

Starting the new year off with wishful resolutions is a typical thing for a lot of people, but sticking to these plans is another thing – most people fall away from their new year hopes by this mid February and are back into the routine that keeps them in their (dis)comfort zone. 

What if I told you, you have another chance to start the year and that can be now! - it’s quite fitting that I’m about to introduce you to a life plan that works, is easy and that it is actually the new year  (again!)– yup – It’s Chinese New Year (the Year of the Monkey!) and we are working with Chinese medicine and what is known as the meridian wheel or clock. 

The Meridian wheel is split into 12 sections, yin and yang (Feminine/passive & Masculine/focussed) flow through the wheel one after the other each lasting around two hours (24 hours in a day) each couple of hours are dedicated to an organ of your body, where your life force energy is at that time. 

The clock is so detailed that it can tell you the best time to sleep, the best time to eat and the best times to make a the love! - and when I say “best” I mean the most beneficial for your health. 

This is a very simplified explanation of the wheel and I’d suggest visiting a Chinese medicine doctor if you have any health issues you’d like to resolve, but if you’re wanting to try to be a better version of yourself (it is New Year after all) – give this a go for 3 weeks, 21 days to make a habit, they say!)

So we’ll begin at 7am - 9am, this is yang time and the organ dedicated to these hours is STOMACH and yeah, it’s a time for eating. It’s important to have a nourishing healthy breakfast, I like to have a big bowl of porridge with coconut cream, ginger and finely cut dates, eat slowly, thoughtfully and in a quiet place – this meal is to set you up for the day – think fibre, fats and low g.i.

Next our energy moves into SPLEEN, 9am-11am This is action time, the time when you should have important meetings, deal with any relationship issues and concentrate on getting the hard stuff done.

HEART 11am – 1pm As a follow on from Spleen this is the time to talk from the heart, to get creative, write in your journal – this is the time I am writing what you’re reading right now, it all just flows at this hour and it’s a good time to send an “I love you” poem to your lover.

SMALL INTESTINE 1pm – 3pm LUNCH, lunch should be big too, it should have protein and vegetables,  if I’m on the go, I’ll smash a green smoothie of laupele and banana, but it’s best to sit down and eat slowly and thoughtfully at this time, not always easy for the gal on the go.

BLADDER 3pm – 5pm This is the time of day to do rudimentary tasks, like tidying up, preparing dinner, folding washing and light gardening (if it’s not too hot)

KIDNEY 5pm – 7pm  The perfect time to be making love, eating dinner and having a glass of red wine, it’s the time to laugh and play with loved ones... conversation around gratitude will benefit you greatly in these hours.

PERICARDIUM 7pm – 9pm the Pericardium is the membrane which protects your heart and this is a time to be at home, winding down with dinner – Dinner should be light – salads and protein.

Spend the next hour or so after dinner reading a book, watching a film, playing chess or chatting with your loved ones.

TRIPLE BURNER 9pm – 11pm This a mysterious invisible organ in Chinese medicine called San Jiao, and it’s time for bed. The rest of the organs will be processing your energy and replenishing your mind for the coming day...

These other organs are GALLBLADDER, LIVER, LUNG and LARGE INTESTINE, if you happen to wake between 5 and 7 am (like I do) this is the time to meditate and do yoga. Sticking to the ideal of the meridian clock can take a little time to adjust to, but once in the rhythm you’ll find yourself feeling clearer from brain to bowel... everything flows. 

I was first introduced to the meridian clock in a holistic kinesiology course I did a few years back, then I was given a book by Jost Sauer called The Perfect Day Plan, this book is probably the easiest to understand as he explains everything clearer than most Chinese Medicine books do. He also suggests a day of debauchery, where you screw the day plan and keep any hours and eat anything you like, I remember doing this when I first began and feeling instantly fine once back into the routine. These days I’m a little less strict with following the hours, but find I’m most often doing these things naturally at the right “energy time” anyway.

So it’s new year, year of the monkey!, it’s a year to be playful and resourceful, a year to try new things and to look at the world in wonderment. 

I’m feeling very blessed to have just opened a yoga studio in Apia, just above ACE HARDWARE, classes are yet to be announced, but this will be the hub where I offer private classes for one on one students and private groups. We’ll also be hosting those fermented food workshops many of you have been asking about and I may begin my hypnotherapy sessions from there too. It’s all very exciting starting a new year twice... this is where you really get to put the plan into action. 

See you next week. 

Shanti Shanti Shanti.

15 February 2016, 12:00AM

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