Early Summer, the time of the Heart
, For the month of June, Im all about the Heart. Chi Flow with Jo will focus on Qi Gong, Acupressure and Food Medicine for a Healthy Heart. At the end of the month there’s even an In-person Healthy Heart Retreat day in Dublin, the first for over 2 years!!
In Chinese medicine, the time of year for the organ system of the Heart is high summer, Flowers are opening and bees are buzzing. There’s plenty of activity. The flavour is bitter, the sense organ is the tongue, the emotion is joy and flipped it becomes bitterness and resentment. It’s time of day is 11am-1pm when we are at our most active. The colour is red and the element is fire.
There are many types of fire; a dangerous out of control forest fire which consumes all in its path. The hypnotic comfort of an open hearth or the spiritual connotation of the single flame of a candle. But they have however a common property and that is transformation. This is the energy of the heart and its cultivation of gentle containment is what we hope to give you a taste of over this coming month.
A flame is never still; it is constantly using oxygen and changing the object that it is burning. This constant action is yang.
Out of control, yang can be destructive but when contained within boundaries, firelight illuminates and brings clarity. Its energy is safe and warming. It is a place where traditionally, we gather and connect with others for sustenance and community.
The heart, the internal flame within the body, is protected by all the other organs. It is described as “the emperor of the body” to which all the other organs are in service. So how do we nurture it and make sure that the flame burns brightly, shinning out through the eyes and complexion and yet doesn’t rage out of control, overheating the body, constantly on the move, causing inflammation, anxiety, panic, high blood pressure, excessive sweating, insomnia, shortness of breath. Metaphorically, we build the heart a home, we give it a safe container to be housed in. The blood is the Hearts home.
Great food for bringing vibrancy to heart blood would include bitter green leaves such as chicory, watercress, dandelion leaves and rocket.
Red foods benefit the heart. It is the antioxidant anthocyanins, that give foods their red and deep purple colour, which together with bioactive polyphenols, help detoxify the blood ensuring easy distribution.
Good circulation and easy flow of blood are essential at times of high stress to prevent a rise in blood pressure. Good blood flow makes sure all your organs, tissues and muscles are oxygenated reducing inflammation and heat, especially for the Heart circulatory system.
So increase your intake of red peppers, beetroot, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, Chinese red dates, goji berries, watermelon, rosehips and pomegranates.
In the Middle East, pomegranates have long been associated with fertility probably because of their abundance of seeds. They have a bitter-sweet flavour and with their red juicy berries, fall under the realm of heart and heart protector in Chinese Medicine. Try sprinkling them on a bitter green salad, using the leaves above. They provide a juicy burst of flavour when mixed with crumbled feta on a greek salad for fantastic summer food medicine. Find more recipes in my books https://joannefaulkner.ie/food-medicine-cookbooks/
Physically it is the hearts function in Chinese medicine is to give vibrancy and life to blood. Emotionally and spiritually, it is in the blood that gives the flame of our spirit, the “shen” as it is described in C
hinese Medicine. The imagery of the Holy spirit is often depicted as a flame around the world.
The Heart system is said to be where our consciousness resides. Which is why we can find it hard to settle, difficult to sleep, feel anxious and panic if the “Shen”, the spirit has no home, no place to settle.
By making sure the blood is healthy, that it is full of nutrients and that it flows evenly throughout the body means that we can experience more joy, harmony and peace. To enable this we need the elements of healthy eating, healthy movement and healthy thinking.
Sun Simiao, in “The one Thousand Ducat Prescription Book” quoted in the “Five elements and Ten Stems” states – “In your heart there is love, don’t love too deeply. In your Heart there is hate, don’t hate too deeply, because too much of any of these will attack the Shen” *1
Our spirit or “Shen” is a “unique treasure … present in us all”*2. It must be protected like a flame, not fanned to an inferno by emotions or allowed to dwindle due to poor care and attention.
By making sure the blood is healthy, that it is full of nutrients and that it flows evenly throughout the body means that we can experience more joy, harmony and peace. To enable this we need the elements of healthy eating, healthy movement and healthy thinking.
The moving meditation of Qi Gong is a great tool for allowing distance and perspective on people, places and things. All of which can bring emotions such as happiness love and joy as well as grief, pain, anger, as well as . We need some distance from all of these emotions if we are not to be swept away from our own sweet spirit that dwells within us.
If we make external factors of people, places or things to be the cause of BOTH our happiness or sadness then they have power over us. However if we have perspective and don’t take things personally, literally by taking them to heart, then every person, place or thing can hold within it the possibility for our heart to expand with love and compassion.
Strengthening the heart physically, emotionally and spiritually means we can we drop the armour of protection and become at ease with ourselves, grounded in reality, in touch with the amazing potential of life.
Join us for the Day Retreat – DISCOVER YOU, DISCOVER LOVE
Where we will fall in love with your food, your body and reconnect your spirit
Held in the Chapel of Ease, Irishtown, Dublin this will be a complete experience of Chinese Medicine including:
- ☯️ Qi Gong Energy Exercise Session – increasing blood flow, flexibility
- ☯️ Food Medicine Demo & Tasting for a healthy heart
- ☯️ Self Shiatsu Instruction for major points on the body for anxiety, insomnia
- ☯️ Meditation, Mantra & Sound Bath to calm and restore your soul
Bone Health and Balance with
Thérèse Cosgrove
As the year folds into its quietest season, the energy of Bone Health rises to the surface.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter and the kidneys are linked to our bones, balance, and nervous system.
This is the perfect time to nourish our structure and inner stillness — and that’s exactly what this month’s Energy Update explores with Thérèse Cosgrove, homeopath, nutritional therapist, and Feldenkrais practitioner.
Listening to the Body through Movement
Thérèse describes Feldenkrais as a way of using small, subtle movements to awaken the nervous system’s awareness. Through this awareness, we uncover patterns of tension and rediscover new, more efficient ways of moving.
“Rather than me telling you how to move,” she says, “your nervous system is intelligent enough to find the best way itself.”
These gentle explorations improve skeletal alignment, balance, and joint integrity, helping us move with ease and confidence — vital for bone health, especially in menopause, post-menopause, and chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s.
Even the pauses between movements matter:
“That’s when the nervous system learns and integrates — the same way we rest between breaths.”
When the brain stops bracing and begins organising the skeleton more efficiently, three bone-loving things happen:
Better load through bone: Bones remodel when they’re loaded. Efficient alignment means forces travel through the skeleton (not just muscles), stimulating bone.
Joint integrity & balance: Micro-adjustments reduce “overwork” in hips, knees, spine and shoulder girdle, improving confidence and decreasing fear of falling.
Down-regulated pain: When the nervous system feels safe, pain signals calm and movement becomes possible again — the virtuous cycle for recovery.
Feldenkrais is exploration, not achievement. Curiosity and playfulness are the fastest way to teach your bones and brain new options.
Yin, Stillness, and the Bone Season
As Joanne points out, the yin energy of winter invites quietness and grounding.
Just as the earth rests before spring, we too can pause, aligning our bones, slowing our breath, and reconnecting to what truly supports us.
Yet, in the rush toward Christmas, that stillness is often lost. Feldenkrais offers a way back into the body, a return to inner listening and calm.
Use the space between Christmas and New Year to be still of mind and quiet movements of body.
The Inner Chemistry of Strength
In her homeopathic and nutritional work, Thérèse looks at bone density not just as a matter of calcium, but of hormonal balance, mineral status, and heavy-metal detoxification.
Using gentle testing and homeopathic supports, she tailors treatment to each person:
“We might look at supporting estrogen, the parathyroid, or trace minerals like boron, all essential for strong, flexible bones.”
Joanne draws the parallel in Chinese Medicine: seaweeds in small amounts can help clear heavy metals and nourish the kidneys — though, as she reminds us, not everyone should take them.
What matters most is listening to your own body and finding what nourishes your unique system.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter belongs to the Kidney system, which governs bones, marrow, ears (balance/vestibular), and the nervous system. Practical Kidney-nourishing ideas:
Flavours & foods: the salty flavour in moderation supports Kidney, think miso, mineral broths, black sesame, adzuki/black beans, and small amounts of seaweeds if appropriate.
Caveat: Seaweeds are iodine-rich; avoid or use cautiously if you have thyroid issues or are on certain meds.
Gentle, consistent practice: slow standing, breath-led spirals, and ankle-calf work “pump” fluids and stabilise balance, perfect winter medicine.
Stillness as medicine: quiet, warm, early nights rebuild Yin (think lubrication and reserves), the foundation for hormone balance post-menopause.
A Morning of Yin and Gratitude
When asked how she begins her day, Thérèse shares a simple ritual that reflects the essence of Chi Flow:
Hydrate with structured, living water to awaken the body. “Structured water”: what we mean (and what to do about it) Thérèse will expand on this in her Mid-Monthly Health Talk, but here’s the practical, controversy-free middle ground: Structured Water inside the body doesn’t behave like plain tap water. Near proteins, fascia, and cell membranes it forms ordered layers that help signaling and flow.
Step outside into morning light, facing east to reset circadian rhythm and hormones. Move gently, perhaps Chi Flow with Jo, Feldenkrais, or a mindful walk. Gentle vibration & movement (walking, bouncing, fascia spirals) appear to improve fluid distribution in connective tissue, exactly what we do in Chi Flow.
“These practices really helped me through difficult times,” she says. “My morning Chi Flow with Jo was one of the things that carried me.”
For Parkinson’s & chronic conditions
Hydration and gentle nervous-system work are especially helpful when autonomic regulation or muscle stiffness makes dehydration and bracing more likely. Short, frequent “micro-moves,” mineral-aware hydration, and morning light can noticeably improve steadiness and energy without fatigue.
WATCH THE PODCAST
In the full podcast, learn more about sound healing and how it affects our hormonal balance below:
👉 Join Chi Flow with Jo to access:
- Daily live morning classes (with replays)
- Seasonal recipes & self-acupressure
- This month’s Mid-Monthly Health Talk with Thérèse Cosgrove — free for members
Start here: Join Chi Flow with Jo — Build strength, balance, and deep yin this winter.
💗 Ready to Join?
Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE
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Join the Chi Flow with Jo community for live sessions, practice, and support on your journey to an emotionally healthy heart and attend Caroline’s live talk and sound bath for FREE.
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Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.
Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.
The information provided should not be considered medical advice.
