editorial calendar


2014 JANUARY


health & wellness


plus: health coaches FEBRUARY


rethinking heart health plus: stress relief


MARCH food & garden


plus: gluten-free foods APRIL


green living


plus: healthy home MAY


women’s wellness plus: bodywork


JUNE inspired living


plus: men’s wellness JULY


food watch


plus: natural medicine cabinet AUGUST


transformative education plus: children’s health


SEPTEMBER


conscious caretaking plus: yoga


OCTOBER


sustainable communities plus: chiropractic and acupuncture


NOVEMBER


personal empowerment plus: beauty


DECEMBER


awakening humanity plus: holiday themes


F


or California acupuncturist Dan- iela Freda, counseling patients that grapple with low energy during winter is routine. “They’re often con- cerned something is wrong, since our society expects us to feel the same way year-round,” says Freda, who maintains a private practice in San Francisco. “But in fact,” she adds, “everything is right.” According to a study published in


Psychiatry Research, only 4 to 6 per- cent of Americans suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), characterized by a predictable seasonal pattern of major depressive or bipolar disorder. For the vast majority of the population, a slight seasonal variance in mood and behavior is normal, confirms Kathryn Roecklein, Ph.D., a clinical psycholo- gist and prominent SAD researcher at Pennsylvania’s University of Pittsburg. Practitioners of Traditional Chi-


nese Medicine (TCM), like Freda, view decreased energy in nature’s winter- time as a reflection of the season’s energy. In this philosophy, rising (yang) and falling (yin) energies cycle as the seasons turn. Winter is governed by quiet, slow, introspective and creative yin energy. As winter yields to spring, the bright, fast, expansive and extro- verted yang energy gains momentum to peak in summer. “Nature expresses universal ener-


gies in a big way,” says research psychol- 28 Chattanooga TNNaturalAwakenings.com


ogist and mind-body medicine expert Joseph Cardillo, Ph.D., author of The Five Seasons. Who can ignore a blos- soming spring or an abundant autumn? “Those same energetic cycles,” says Car- dillo, “are mirrored in the microcosmic human body and human experience.”


Chill Out


Although the December 21 winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, temperatures in most of the U.S. continue to fall through February. Cardillo advises embracing winter’s chill because it diverts our attention from daily activities so that we pause to consider what’s important. “The effect is similar to splashing cold water on our face,” he remarks. As the cold draws animals into hibernation and plants into dormancy, it also beckons us to enjoy extra sleep, notes Freda, as we follow the sun’s path: Earlier to bed; later to rise. She encourages her clients to incorporate restorative activities into daily routines. “Intentionally set aside time to connect with the breath and quiet the mind,” she counsels. Try gentle yoga or t’ai chi, listen to relaxing music, curl up with a cozy book or take nature walks, flush with fresh sensory experiences. Cardillo explains that slowing down


naturally creates space for the con- templative and creative qualities of yin


by Lane Vail


healingways ‘Tis the Season


to Be Wise A Prime Time to Rejuvenate and Birth Creativity


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