January 29, 2025 • 22 mins
In this Bonus podcast episode, I uncover the secrets of feminine wellness through the transformative energy of the Year of the Wood Snake. Ever wondered how traditional Chinese medicine can revolutionize your daily routine and enhance your vitality? I invite you on this journey to explore Yang Shen, a practice dedicated to nourishing life and adopting preventative care. Embrace the wisdom, intuition, and healing energy symbolized by the Wood Snake, and learn how balancing life's components, just like the flexible yet strong bamboo, can prevent illness and enrich your existence. We'll discuss the perils of rigidity and the power of adaptability, offering insights into how you can conserve your energy and focus on what truly matters.
We'll also delve into the unique qualities of Wood Snake Energy and its profound connection to the liver and gallbladder. Imbalances in this energy can lead to insomnia, anxiety, and poor decision-making, but fear not—practices like Qigong and mindful morning routines can be your allies in maintaining a healthy energy flow. Discover the empowering significance of setting healthy boundaries and accessing intuitive wisdom.
Inspired to unleash your feminine energy and reclaim your vibrant essence? Check out the other episodes of Chat Off The Mat.
Connect with me and let me know what you plan on incorporating into your life in the Year of the Wood Snake. Shed the old and Embrace the New!
Email me at rose@rosewippich.com.
Drop me a note, let me know what you think of this episode and what other topics you would like me to cover on the podcast. Together let's embrace this journey and walk this path to a balanced and vibrant life!
⭐️WINNER OF TOP 50 OVER 50 PODCASTER AWARDS!⭐️
Rose Wippich is a transformational guide who weaves together ancient wisdom with modern wellness practices. As a certified Qigong and Yoga instructor, Reiki Master Teacher, and passionate Energy Alchemist, Rose empowers individuals to embrace their innate healing potential and cultivate vibrant well-being.
Connect with Rose!
Rose's Website
IG: Rose Wippich
Youtube: Rose Wippich Wellness
Email: rose@rosewippich.com
Please review & rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ my podcast via Apple Review or Podchaser. Thank you! ❤️
If you're interested in starting a podcast Buzzsprout is a great platform. Here is a referral link: BUZZSPROUT!
Offering Tree Website Creation Tool. Receive a discount off of your initial plan using this affiliate link: Offering Tree
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Rose (00:00):
Hey there, sacred sisters and wellness warriors, welcome
back to Chat Off The Mat.
I'm your host, Rose Wiippich,and today we're diving into
something that speaks deeply toour feminine wisdom, and that's
the year of the wood snake, orthe yin wood snake.
And let me tell you, this yearhas something special in store
(00:20):
for those of us walking the pathof feminine power and wellness.
You know how we often talkabout nurturing others.
Right, that's our thing, that'sour jam.
We take care of everybody elsearound us.
Well, this Wood Snake Year iscalling us to turn that
nurturing energy inward throughthe beautiful practice of yang
(00:41):
shen, or nurturing life.
It's like the universe isgiving us permission to
prioritize our own well-being,and doesn't that feel
revolutionary?
Let's talk a little bit aboutyangshan.
Well, it's a Chinese philosophythat means nourishing life.
It's a practice in traditionalChinese medicine that focuses on
(01:01):
preventative health care.
You know, doing things ahead oftime so that we don't get sick
later, right, that's a greatconcept, right?
So that's what yangshan isabout.
So, nourishing life.
And yang means nourish ornurture.
Shang means life or vitality.
Also, chi, that's energy.
So it's all related.
(01:23):
Balancing the body is important,balancing our energy.
What comes in, what goes out.
You know too much of this.
Not enough of that.
We need to balance all thecomponents of our life, also
following the natural order,right?
What is the rhythm of theseason, what is your personal
rhythm?
How you wake up in the morning,how you go to sleep at night,
(01:46):
or when or where?
So these are important thingsto follow as well.
So it's based on the idea thatprevention is better than cure,
right?
So it's a way to maintain youroptimal health before disease
arises, and it also supportslongevity and vitality.
So we want to live longer, butwe want to live more vital, we
(02:08):
want to have more energy, wewant to be ready to take on new
things and live a great life.
So, yeah, that's what it's allabout.
Let's start by understanding whythis year is particularly
powerful for us as women.
So, in Chinese medicine, thesnake represents wisdom,
(02:30):
intuition and healing Allqualities that we, as women,
naturally embody.
Right?
We all have wisdom, we aredefinitely intuitively guided
and we want to heal, we want tohelp people, but we have to also
turn that intuition inward,that wisdom inward, and that
healing towards ourselves.
Now let me break down this woodelement, because it's crucial
(02:54):
for understanding our femininecycles and our rhythms.
So in Chinese medicine, woodisn't just about trees and
bamboos, though they're perfectexamples of feminine flexibility
and strength.
Think about bamboo for a moment.
It bends without breaking.
It grows steadily upward, whilemaintaining deep roots, and
(03:18):
creates a sacred space withinits hollow center.
And that's exactly the kind ofenergy we're being invited to
embody this year.
But what happens when we're toorigid in our resolve?
Right, we're more like a tree,where it's stiff and rigid and
we aren't bending, when we'renot flexible and only see things
one way?
(03:39):
Well, we become narrow-minded.
We don't see the big pictureActually, we may not even see
the picture at all and then weturn down, help the people that
want to help us because we thinkwe can do it all, and that can
be problematic.
And one way in which I see thatenergy us using that energy is
(04:05):
when we don't reach out for help.
So when we think we can do itall, like I've got this, I'm
going to just keep adding thingsto my to-do list.
My planner is full, I can't addanything else on.
But yes, I will do that for you.
What happens, something has togive, and what usually gives?
Well, something in yourimmediate environment, right?
(04:28):
Maybe you can't do somethingfor yourself or for your kids.
Maybe you start feeling, oh myGod, this is too much.
You get a panic attack, you getoverwhelmed and everything
shuts down.
Oh, wait a minute.
I'm talking about what happenswhen that happens to me.
Yeah, and I've learned that.
I didn't know that before, butI realized when I start getting
(04:51):
overwhelmed it's like okay, rose, step back what you got going
on, what do you have that is waytoo much and what can you take
away?
So we have to be careful aboutthat too.
Even though there is the woodenergy this year, we need to use
it wisely so that our energy isconserved.
So taking on too muchdefinitely a lot of wood energy.
(05:12):
So we got to prune it back, gotto be mindful, we got to be
discerning on what we choose tobring on that plate.
And, especially as we get older, you know we don't have the
energy sometimes that we didwhen we were younger to do as
much.
But that's okay, we're wisernow.
We don't have the energysometimes that we did when we
were younger to do as much, butthat's okay, we're wiser now.
We don't have to do a zillionthings.
We can pause, we can take a nap, we can chill, we can go for a
(05:32):
walk, we can do something fun.
We don't have to work, work,work and do, do, do.
We can say no when we reallymean no, no-transcript.
(06:05):
Well, if you know anything aboutbamboo, bamboo grows.
A lot of people plant bamboobecause it grows and creates a
border.
So think about that border youwant to create as well, but you
can still kind of shimmy rightthrough that border.
So prioritize, do what you feelyou need to do.
If you can't do everythingtoday, bring it to the next day.
(06:28):
If you can't do it the next day, maybe it's not worth it.
So we need to prioritize whatin our life is important.
And once again, you know timeis such a wonderful and
beautiful resource and it'sfleeting.
It goes by fast.
So we want to be mindful ofwhat we bring into our lives.
(06:49):
Now I want to talk about thewood element and how it connects
to our meridian system.
If you know me, I love themeridian system.
It's the energy channelsflowing through our bodies to
and from the organs.
So energy channels Think aboutthe rivers flowing and moving
(07:13):
and what happens if somethinggets stuck, that energy, that
water or the element doesn'tflow, and when that energy
doesn't flow, things shut down.
Things happen.
We talked about preventativecare, yang shen.
We have to be aware when thingsare just not flowing in our
lives correctly, or when we'retaking on too much, we know that
(07:35):
something's going to get stuckSomewhere along the way.
Something will get stuck.
So what organs the wood elementgoverns?
Or the liver and thegallbladder?
And in acupuncture, which fallsunder that whole Chinese
medicine, liver and gallbladdermeridians are primarily used to
(08:00):
diagnose and treat things likepalpitations, anemia, insomnia,
heat, symptoms that lead todizziness, disorders associated
with premenstrual syndrome, preperi and menopause, anxiety and
depression, and I'm sure so manyothers.
Oh, and eye health.
(08:20):
The liver and the gallbladder,right, they're associated with
eye health.
So seeing, clearly, seeing thebig picture.
So we want to encourage thehealthy flow of energy in our
bodies and we do that bylifestyle what we eat, sleep,
good sleep patterns, exercise,moving the qi throughout our
(08:41):
bodies.
Qigong is a great practice forthat.
Of course, I'm an advocate forQigong.
Everyone should try it.
If you've never tried it before, you should try it, because it
is a game changer, it iswonderful.
But in addition to the physicalailments that can arise when we
have stagnant wood energy.
There's also poor planning.
All right, so okay, I have myplanner here and my planner is
(09:05):
so full and I can't do anythingelse that day, right?
So that's poor planning becauseyou know I'm not giving myself
any time to maybe even eat ortake a walk or do anything.
So make sure that your plansare well thought out, that you
have the right resources.
I have a wonderful planner thatI use all the time.
(09:27):
I've been using the PassionPlanner for 10 years and, yes,
you can consider this a plug forit and the link.
I will put the link in the shownotes.
But it is structured in such away that it helps me to really
plan my days and my weeks, mytime and my life.
So it's not just a dailyplanner, it's really a lifestyle
(09:53):
planner, so it really helps me.
So other things that areassociated with wood energy not
moving is the self-control oranger, when we have that feeling
of frustration and we can't getthings done or something's not
happening right.
That's associated with theenergy stagnation of the wood
(10:15):
element.
So we talked about the woodelement.
Let's talk about the snake.
So that snake energy that'scoming into the picture this
year.
That's coming into the picturethis year.
It's perfect for releasingstagnant qi in these meridians.
When we move the body thinkabout even swimming or moving
(10:38):
side to side, doing the qigongor doing yoga it's loosening up
all the connective tissue in thebody which is associated with
the wood element, because whenthere's stagnation in the wood
element there's also stiffnessin the connective tissue and the
connective tissues in andaround the joints Stiff joints.
(11:01):
Got too much stuff going on.
Got to loosen it up, got to letit go.
Carrying too much on myshoulders, sitting too much
stuff going on I got to loosenit up.
Got to let it go.
Carrying too much on myshoulders, sitting too much all
day, doing too many things onthe computer I've got to move
the body, to move that energy.
You think about that kundalinienergy rising within us from the
(11:21):
base of our spines all the wayup to the crown, swirling and
undulating and moving.
It's moving that energy within.
Such a beautiful visualizationof watching or visualizing that
energy rising and feeling it inthe body.
And we could all feel that ifwe just pause and sit still for
(11:46):
a moment and go within and youcan sense your body moving in
that spiraling fashion.
So think about your chi, yourenergy, your body, how it feels.
When that energy is moving,when we feel good inside right,
when we feel good inside, whenwe feel good physically,
(12:08):
emotionally and mentally, it'slike we can conquer the world.
We can plan well, we have abetter judgment, we feel good,
we feel happy, we feel that weaccomplish things.
These are all the things wewant to move towards.
(12:32):
So one of the things or one ofthe practical aspects of Yang
Shen is that, or practices, isthat morning routines are really
important, right, morningroutines are really important,
right.
So when you get up, stretchingis a really lovely way to start
the day.
I know most of us will get upand we'll just start doing
(12:57):
whatever tasks or chores that weneed to do, but pausing and
stretching will allow thatconnective tissue to open up a
little more.
Stepping outside, if you can,can in a nice bright light,
maybe.
Letting some of that light intoyour eyes for eye health, is
lovely.
Doing some gentle breathingpractices as well is a beautiful
(13:21):
way to allow for that energyflow to come into the lungs,
because during the night we maybe breathing more shallow.
We also are allowing sometoxins into our nose and into
our lungs, right.
If you don't open your windowsduring the night when you sleep,
that's stagnant energy frombreathing, and if there's people
(13:42):
around that breathe with theirmouth opens, that's a lot of
toxins into the air that you'realso taking in.
So I like to sleep with mywindow open, even a crack in the
middle of winter, and it feelsso good and I feel better when I
get up.
For those of us walking the pathof feminine leadership and
growth, the Wood Snake Energyoffers special support for
(14:02):
accessing our deep, intuitivewisdom pausing, going within,
noticing what comes up for us,intuitively, making decisions
from that center.
So when we are guidedintuitively, we make better
decisions those that support us,leading with both strength and
flexibility, being empowered todo what we need to do, but also
(14:26):
being flexible enough andknowing when we need to consider
other options.
Creating healthy boundaries.
You know, saying no when wereally want to say no, not
always saying yes.
Nurturing ourselves whilesupporting others we can do that
(14:47):
.
We don't have to always nurtureothers.
We nurture ourselves, we canstill nurture others and we can
also ask for others to nurtureus as well.
So think about your morningpractice, think about your
evening practice and think abouta midday practice Stretching,
pausing, take a break, get up,walk around, blink, do some
(15:11):
blinking to create moisture inthe eyes.
You know, even close your eyes,rub your hands together, create
some heat and bring them overyour eyes and allow that heat
from the palms of your hands togo into your eyes.
Another nice thing is to bringyour hands behind the occipital
(15:31):
region.
Just gently massage that withyour fingertips.
That's the gallbladder meridianas well.
It releases some of thepressure in the head and the
neck.
All right, so let's take amoment now.
Let's do a little wood snakeenergy meditation.
If you're driving, you can pausethis, listen to it another time
, but if you're not, if you'relaying down, maybe take a pause
(15:54):
and then take a deep breath inNice, long, deep breath in
filling up the lungs, filling upthe body, and exhale out nice
and slow and long.
And then on your next inhale in, feel the connection of the
earth beneath you, solid andsupportive.
Imagine that you have rootsgrowing from your body into the
(16:19):
earth and from those rootsyou're drawing up energy from
the earth.
Mother Earth is there to holdyou, support you, guide you.
Let her support you Keepgrowing those roots deep into
the earth.
Then, as you breathe in again,feel green light, emerald green
(16:41):
light entering through thoseroots.
Light, emerald green lightentering through those roots.
Let it spiral up through yourbody like a snake, climbing a
tree.
With each breath, this healinglight moves higher, cleansing
and renewing each part of you.
(17:04):
Feel the energy moving throughyour legs, your hips, your belly
, your heart, your throat, yourcrown, and then imagine you're
being surrounded by a circle, aprotective circle of wise
serpents, ancient guardians offeminine wisdom.
They offer you their gifts ofintuition, of healing, guidance,
(17:31):
transformation.
Breathe in their wisdom, exhaleany doubts.
Breathe in their wisdom andexhale any doubts.
Feel yourself become moregrounded, more fluid, like
(17:54):
bamboo in the breeze.
When you're ready, bring gentlemovement back into your body,
or maybe blink your eyes a fewtimes, open your eyes a few
times.
Open your eyes and carry thatwisdom with you.
(18:14):
Let's talk a little bit aboutemotional wisdom, because this
is where the wood snake earreally supports us as women.
The combination of wood elementand snake energy creates this
beautiful container forprocessing emotions without
getting overwhelmed, fortransforming old patterns that
no longer serve us.
We got to shed that skin.
Snakes shed their skin all thetime.
(18:36):
So let go of what no longerserves you by shedding it.
Let it go.
Connect with our womb wisdom,that wisdom deep inside of us,
the wisdom from our ancestors.
Connect with that, hear it,feel it and know it.
(18:57):
Strengthen your intuitive gifts.
Create space in your day tojust ask for messages from deep
within and building sustainableself-care practices.
(19:18):
You know we toss that wordaround, or that phrase around, a
lot.
That's self-care.
But self-care to me issomething different than
self-care for you.
So I won't sit here and tellyou what self-care is, although
I gave you some tips already onhow to take care of yourself or
some things you can do.
But what about other self-carepractices?
What do you like to do?
Do you like to just dance?
(19:40):
Oh wow, dancing is probably oneof the best things you could do
for the year of the snake Dance.
Oh wow, dancing is probably oneof the best things you could do
for the year of the snake Bellydancing.
I've always wanted to do bellydancing.
Maybe this year I'll try it,why not?
So what are self-care practicesand what are new things that
you want to try?
What are old things that youtry to?
(20:03):
Maybe they don't really jivewith you anymore.
Eh, it's okay, you tried it.
You don't like them, or maybethere's something that you
dabbled in and you're like.
You know I haven't tried thatin a while and I really wanted
to do that.
Go for it, bring it back intoyour life and I would really
(20:29):
love for you to share with mewhat it is.
You can always reach out andlet me know.
I'd love to hear what yourself-care practices are.
So, as we approach the year ofthe snake the wood snake
(20:50):
remember that it's offering usan invitation to step more fully
into our feminine power.
It's not about pushing, forcing.
It's about flowing, growing andtransforming with grace.
So, before we wrap it up, Ihave a little mantra we could
say to honor this wood snake,this wood snake year I honor my
(21:16):
rhythms, I trust my wisdom.
I nurture my growth.
I honor my rhythms.
I trust my wisdom, I nurture mygrowth.
I honor my rhythms.
I trust my wisdom, I nurture mygrowth.
It's beautiful and powerful,just like you.
That's all for today, mybeautiful soul sisters, you can
(21:40):
check out more resources of mineby visiting my website and also
my YouTube channel, wherethere's some yoga and Qigong
videos as well.
And remember, transformationdoesn't have to be dramatic.
Sometimes the most powerfulchanges come from those small,
consistent acts ofself-nurturing we practice every
(22:04):
day.
So until next time, keepnurturing your sacred feminine
energy.
Don't forget the wisdom of thesnake has always been associated
with feminine power, so it'stime to reclaim that power.
Thank you for joining me on ChatOff The Mat.
If you're ready to transformyour energy and step into your
(22:24):
fullest potential, I'd love towork with you.
As an energy alchemist, I helpwomen release blocked energy and
reclaim their vibrant essence.
Visit rosewipichcom to exploreworking together and discover
free resources for your journey.
Love today's episode.
Subscribe wherever you get yourpodcasts, leave a rating and
share your biggest takeaway withme on Instagram at Rose
(22:48):
Whippich.
Remember wellness warriors.
Your energy is precious.
Nurture it wisely.
Hey there, sacred sisters and wellness warriors, welcome
back to Chat Off The Mat.
I'm your host, Rose Wiippich,and today we're diving into
something that speaks deeply toour feminine wisdom, and that's
the year of the wood snake, orthe yin wood snake.
And let me tell you, this yearhas something special in store
(00:20):
for those of us walking the pathof feminine power and wellness.
You know how we often talkabout nurturing others.
Right, that's our thing, that'sour jam.
We take care of everybody elsearound us.
Well, this Wood Snake Year iscalling us to turn that
nurturing energy inward throughthe beautiful practice of yang
(00:41):
shen, or nurturing life.
It's like the universe isgiving us permission to
prioritize our own well-being,and doesn't that feel
revolutionary?
Let's talk a little bit aboutyangshan.
Well, it's a Chinese philosophythat means nourishing life.
It's a practice in traditionalChinese medicine that focuses on
(01:01):
preventative health care.
You know, doing things ahead oftime so that we don't get sick
later, right, that's a greatconcept, right?
So that's what yangshan isabout.
So, nourishing life.
And yang means nourish ornurture.
Shang means life or vitality.
Also, chi, that's energy.
So it's all related.
(01:23):
Balancing the body is important,balancing our energy.
What comes in, what goes out.
You know too much of this.
Not enough of that.
We need to balance all thecomponents of our life, also
following the natural order,right?
What is the rhythm of theseason, what is your personal
rhythm?
How you wake up in the morning,how you go to sleep at night,
(01:46):
or when or where?
So these are important thingsto follow as well.
So it's based on the idea thatprevention is better than cure,
right?
So it's a way to maintain youroptimal health before disease
arises, and it also supportslongevity and vitality.
So we want to live longer, butwe want to live more vital, we
(02:08):
want to have more energy, wewant to be ready to take on new
things and live a great life.
So, yeah, that's what it's allabout.
Let's start by understanding whythis year is particularly
powerful for us as women.
So, in Chinese medicine, thesnake represents wisdom,
(02:30):
intuition and healing Allqualities that we, as women,
naturally embody.
Right?
We all have wisdom, we aredefinitely intuitively guided
and we want to heal, we want tohelp people, but we have to also
turn that intuition inward,that wisdom inward, and that
healing towards ourselves.
Now let me break down this woodelement, because it's crucial
(02:54):
for understanding our femininecycles and our rhythms.
So in Chinese medicine, woodisn't just about trees and
bamboos, though they're perfectexamples of feminine flexibility
and strength.
Think about bamboo for a moment.
It bends without breaking.
It grows steadily upward, whilemaintaining deep roots, and
(03:18):
creates a sacred space withinits hollow center.
And that's exactly the kind ofenergy we're being invited to
embody this year.
But what happens when we're toorigid in our resolve?
Right, we're more like a tree,where it's stiff and rigid and
we aren't bending, when we'renot flexible and only see things
one way?
(03:39):
Well, we become narrow-minded.
We don't see the big pictureActually, we may not even see
the picture at all and then weturn down, help the people that
want to help us because we thinkwe can do it all, and that can
be problematic.
And one way in which I see thatenergy us using that energy is
(04:05):
when we don't reach out for help.
So when we think we can do itall, like I've got this, I'm
going to just keep adding thingsto my to-do list.
My planner is full, I can't addanything else on.
But yes, I will do that for you.
What happens, something has togive, and what usually gives?
Well, something in yourimmediate environment, right?
(04:28):
Maybe you can't do somethingfor yourself or for your kids.
Maybe you start feeling, oh myGod, this is too much.
You get a panic attack, you getoverwhelmed and everything
shuts down.
Oh, wait a minute.
I'm talking about what happenswhen that happens to me.
Yeah, and I've learned that.
I didn't know that before, butI realized when I start getting
(04:51):
overwhelmed it's like okay, rose, step back what you got going
on, what do you have that is waytoo much and what can you take
away?
So we have to be careful aboutthat too.
Even though there is the woodenergy this year, we need to use
it wisely so that our energy isconserved.
So taking on too muchdefinitely a lot of wood energy.
(05:12):
So we got to prune it back, gotto be mindful, we got to be
discerning on what we choose tobring on that plate.
And, especially as we get older, you know we don't have the
energy sometimes that we didwhen we were younger to do as
much.
But that's okay, we're wisernow.
We don't have the energysometimes that we did when we
were younger to do as much, butthat's okay, we're wiser now.
We don't have to do a zillionthings.
We can pause, we can take a nap, we can chill, we can go for a
(05:32):
walk, we can do something fun.
We don't have to work, work,work and do, do, do.
We can say no when we reallymean no, no-transcript.
(06:05):
Well, if you know anything aboutbamboo, bamboo grows.
A lot of people plant bamboobecause it grows and creates a
border.
So think about that border youwant to create as well, but you
can still kind of shimmy rightthrough that border.
So prioritize, do what you feelyou need to do.
If you can't do everythingtoday, bring it to the next day.
(06:28):
If you can't do it the next day, maybe it's not worth it.
So we need to prioritize whatin our life is important.
And once again, you know timeis such a wonderful and
beautiful resource and it'sfleeting.
It goes by fast.
So we want to be mindful ofwhat we bring into our lives.
(06:49):
Now I want to talk about thewood element and how it connects
to our meridian system.
If you know me, I love themeridian system.
It's the energy channelsflowing through our bodies to
and from the organs.
So energy channels Think aboutthe rivers flowing and moving
(07:13):
and what happens if somethinggets stuck, that energy, that
water or the element doesn'tflow, and when that energy
doesn't flow, things shut down.
Things happen.
We talked about preventativecare, yang shen.
We have to be aware when thingsare just not flowing in our
lives correctly, or when we'retaking on too much, we know that
(07:35):
something's going to get stuckSomewhere along the way.
Something will get stuck.
So what organs the wood elementgoverns?
Or the liver and thegallbladder?
And in acupuncture, which fallsunder that whole Chinese
medicine, liver and gallbladdermeridians are primarily used to
(08:00):
diagnose and treat things likepalpitations, anemia, insomnia,
heat, symptoms that lead todizziness, disorders associated
with premenstrual syndrome, preperi and menopause, anxiety and
depression, and I'm sure so manyothers.
Oh, and eye health.
(08:20):
The liver and the gallbladder,right, they're associated with
eye health.
So seeing, clearly, seeing thebig picture.
So we want to encourage thehealthy flow of energy in our
bodies and we do that bylifestyle what we eat, sleep,
good sleep patterns, exercise,moving the qi throughout our
(08:41):
bodies.
Qigong is a great practice forthat.
Of course, I'm an advocate forQigong.
Everyone should try it.
If you've never tried it before, you should try it, because it
is a game changer, it iswonderful.
But in addition to the physicalailments that can arise when we
have stagnant wood energy.
There's also poor planning.
All right, so okay, I have myplanner here and my planner is
(09:05):
so full and I can't do anythingelse that day, right?
So that's poor planning becauseyou know I'm not giving myself
any time to maybe even eat ortake a walk or do anything.
So make sure that your plansare well thought out, that you
have the right resources.
I have a wonderful planner thatI use all the time.
(09:27):
I've been using the PassionPlanner for 10 years and, yes,
you can consider this a plug forit and the link.
I will put the link in the shownotes.
But it is structured in such away that it helps me to really
plan my days and my weeks, mytime and my life.
So it's not just a dailyplanner, it's really a lifestyle
(09:53):
planner, so it really helps me.
So other things that areassociated with wood energy not
moving is the self-control oranger, when we have that feeling
of frustration and we can't getthings done or something's not
happening right.
That's associated with theenergy stagnation of the wood
(10:15):
element.
So we talked about the woodelement.
Let's talk about the snake.
So that snake energy that'scoming into the picture this
year.
That's coming into the picturethis year.
It's perfect for releasingstagnant qi in these meridians.
When we move the body thinkabout even swimming or moving
(10:38):
side to side, doing the qigongor doing yoga it's loosening up
all the connective tissue in thebody which is associated with
the wood element, because whenthere's stagnation in the wood
element there's also stiffnessin the connective tissue and the
connective tissues in andaround the joints Stiff joints.
(11:01):
Got too much stuff going on.
Got to loosen it up, got to letit go.
Carrying too much on myshoulders, sitting too much
stuff going on I got to loosenit up.
Got to let it go.
Carrying too much on myshoulders, sitting too much all
day, doing too many things onthe computer I've got to move
the body, to move that energy.
You think about that kundalinienergy rising within us from the
(11:21):
base of our spines all the wayup to the crown, swirling and
undulating and moving.
It's moving that energy within.
Such a beautiful visualizationof watching or visualizing that
energy rising and feeling it inthe body.
And we could all feel that ifwe just pause and sit still for
(11:46):
a moment and go within and youcan sense your body moving in
that spiraling fashion.
So think about your chi, yourenergy, your body, how it feels.
When that energy is moving,when we feel good inside right,
when we feel good inside, whenwe feel good physically,
(12:08):
emotionally and mentally, it'slike we can conquer the world.
We can plan well, we have abetter judgment, we feel good,
we feel happy, we feel that weaccomplish things.
These are all the things wewant to move towards.
(12:32):
So one of the things or one ofthe practical aspects of Yang
Shen is that, or practices, isthat morning routines are really
important, right, morningroutines are really important,
right.
So when you get up, stretchingis a really lovely way to start
the day.
I know most of us will get upand we'll just start doing
(12:57):
whatever tasks or chores that weneed to do, but pausing and
stretching will allow thatconnective tissue to open up a
little more.
Stepping outside, if you can,can in a nice bright light,
maybe.
Letting some of that light intoyour eyes for eye health, is
lovely.
Doing some gentle breathingpractices as well is a beautiful
(13:21):
way to allow for that energyflow to come into the lungs,
because during the night we maybe breathing more shallow.
We also are allowing sometoxins into our nose and into
our lungs, right.
If you don't open your windowsduring the night when you sleep,
that's stagnant energy frombreathing, and if there's people
(13:42):
around that breathe with theirmouth opens, that's a lot of
toxins into the air that you'realso taking in.
So I like to sleep with mywindow open, even a crack in the
middle of winter, and it feelsso good and I feel better when I
get up.
For those of us walking the pathof feminine leadership and
growth, the Wood Snake Energyoffers special support for
(14:02):
accessing our deep, intuitivewisdom pausing, going within,
noticing what comes up for us,intuitively, making decisions
from that center.
So when we are guidedintuitively, we make better
decisions those that support us,leading with both strength and
flexibility, being empowered todo what we need to do, but also
(14:26):
being flexible enough andknowing when we need to consider
other options.
Creating healthy boundaries.
You know, saying no when wereally want to say no, not
always saying yes.
Nurturing ourselves whilesupporting others we can do that
(14:47):
.
We don't have to always nurtureothers.
We nurture ourselves, we canstill nurture others and we can
also ask for others to nurtureus as well.
So think about your morningpractice, think about your
evening practice and think abouta midday practice Stretching,
pausing, take a break, get up,walk around, blink, do some
(15:11):
blinking to create moisture inthe eyes.
You know, even close your eyes,rub your hands together, create
some heat and bring them overyour eyes and allow that heat
from the palms of your hands togo into your eyes.
Another nice thing is to bringyour hands behind the occipital
(15:31):
region.
Just gently massage that withyour fingertips.
That's the gallbladder meridianas well.
It releases some of thepressure in the head and the
neck.
All right, so let's take amoment now.
Let's do a little wood snakeenergy meditation.
If you're driving, you can pausethis, listen to it another time
, but if you're not, if you'relaying down, maybe take a pause
(15:54):
and then take a deep breath inNice, long, deep breath in
filling up the lungs, filling upthe body, and exhale out nice
and slow and long.
And then on your next inhale in, feel the connection of the
earth beneath you, solid andsupportive.
Imagine that you have rootsgrowing from your body into the
(16:19):
earth and from those rootsyou're drawing up energy from
the earth.
Mother Earth is there to holdyou, support you, guide you.
Let her support you Keepgrowing those roots deep into
the earth.
Then, as you breathe in again,feel green light, emerald green
(16:41):
light entering through thoseroots.
Light, emerald green lightentering through those roots.
Let it spiral up through yourbody like a snake, climbing a
tree.
With each breath, this healinglight moves higher, cleansing
and renewing each part of you.
(17:04):
Feel the energy moving throughyour legs, your hips, your belly
, your heart, your throat, yourcrown, and then imagine you're
being surrounded by a circle, aprotective circle of wise
serpents, ancient guardians offeminine wisdom.
They offer you their gifts ofintuition, of healing, guidance,
(17:31):
transformation.
Breathe in their wisdom, exhaleany doubts.
Breathe in their wisdom andexhale any doubts.
Feel yourself become moregrounded, more fluid, like
(17:54):
bamboo in the breeze.
When you're ready, bring gentlemovement back into your body,
or maybe blink your eyes a fewtimes, open your eyes a few
times.
Open your eyes and carry thatwisdom with you.
(18:14):
Let's talk a little bit aboutemotional wisdom, because this
is where the wood snake earreally supports us as women.
The combination of wood elementand snake energy creates this
beautiful container forprocessing emotions without
getting overwhelmed, fortransforming old patterns that
no longer serve us.
We got to shed that skin.
Snakes shed their skin all thetime.
(18:36):
So let go of what no longerserves you by shedding it.
Let it go.
Connect with our womb wisdom,that wisdom deep inside of us,
the wisdom from our ancestors.
Connect with that, hear it,feel it and know it.
(18:57):
Strengthen your intuitive gifts.
Create space in your day tojust ask for messages from deep
within and building sustainableself-care practices.
(19:18):
You know we toss that wordaround, or that phrase around, a
lot.
That's self-care.
But self-care to me issomething different than
self-care for you.
So I won't sit here and tellyou what self-care is, although
I gave you some tips already onhow to take care of yourself or
some things you can do.
But what about other self-carepractices?
What do you like to do?
Do you like to just dance?
(19:40):
Oh wow, dancing is probably oneof the best things you could do
for the year of the snake Dance.
Oh wow, dancing is probably oneof the best things you could do
for the year of the snake Bellydancing.
I've always wanted to do bellydancing.
Maybe this year I'll try it,why not?
So what are self-care practicesand what are new things that
you want to try?
What are old things that youtry to?
(20:03):
Maybe they don't really jivewith you anymore.
Eh, it's okay, you tried it.
You don't like them, or maybethere's something that you
dabbled in and you're like.
You know I haven't tried thatin a while and I really wanted
to do that.
Go for it, bring it back intoyour life and I would really
(20:29):
love for you to share with mewhat it is.
You can always reach out andlet me know.
I'd love to hear what yourself-care practices are.
So, as we approach the year ofthe snake the wood snake
(20:50):
remember that it's offering usan invitation to step more fully
into our feminine power.
It's not about pushing, forcing.
It's about flowing, growing andtransforming with grace.
So, before we wrap it up, Ihave a little mantra we could
say to honor this wood snake,this wood snake year I honor my
(21:16):
rhythms, I trust my wisdom.
I nurture my growth.
I honor my rhythms.
I trust my wisdom, I nurture mygrowth.
I honor my rhythms.
I trust my wisdom, I nurture mygrowth.
It's beautiful and powerful,just like you.
That's all for today, mybeautiful soul sisters, you can
(21:40):
check out more resources of mineby visiting my website and also
my YouTube channel, wherethere's some yoga and Qigong
videos as well.
And remember, transformationdoesn't have to be dramatic.
Sometimes the most powerfulchanges come from those small,
consistent acts ofself-nurturing we practice every
(22:04):
day.
So until next time, keepnurturing your sacred feminine
energy.
Don't forget the wisdom of thesnake has always been associated
with feminine power, so it'stime to reclaim that power.
Thank you for joining me on ChatOff The Mat.
If you're ready to transformyour energy and step into your
(22:24):
fullest potential, I'd love towork with you.
As an energy alchemist, I helpwomen release blocked energy and
reclaim their vibrant essence.
Visit rosewipichcom to exploreworking together and discover
free resources for your journey.
Love today's episode.
Subscribe wherever you get yourpodcasts, leave a rating and
share your biggest takeaway withme on Instagram at Rose
(22:48):
Whippich.
Remember wellness warriors.
Your energy is precious.
Nurture it wisely.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.