Year of the Wood Snake: Flexibility, Balance and Divine Feminine Power

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!

Chapters

• 0:00 Feminine Wellness and Wood Energy
• 7:25 Nurturing Wood Snake Energy Wisdom
• 22:19 Unleashing Feminine Energy Alchemy

Transcript

Rose: 0:00

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 to our feminine wisdom, and that's the year of the wood snake, or the yin wood snake. And let me tell you, this year has something special in store for those of us walking the path of feminine power and wellness. You know how we often talk about nurturing others. Right, that's our thing, that's our jam. We take care of everybody else around us. Well, this Wood Snake Year is calling us to turn that nurturing energy inward through the beautiful practice of yang shen, or nurturing life. It's like the universe is giving us permission to prioritize our own well-being, and doesn't that feel revolutionary? Let's talk a little bit about yangshan. Well, it's a Chinese philosophy that means nourishing life. It's a practice in traditional Chinese medicine that focuses on preventative health care. You know, doing things ahead of time so that we don't get sick later, right, that's a great concept, right? So that's what yangshan is about. So, nourishing life. And yang means nourish or nurture. Shang means life or vitality. Also, chi, that's energy. So it's all related.

Rose: 1:23

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 the components of our life, also following the natural order, right? What is the rhythm of the season, what is your personal rhythm? How you wake up in the morning, how you go to sleep at night, or when or where? So these are important things to follow as well. So it's based on the idea that prevention is better than cure, right? So it's a way to maintain your optimal health before disease arises, and it also supports longevity and vitality. So we want to live longer, but we want to live more vital, we want to have more energy, we want to be ready to take on new things and live a great life. So, yeah, that's what it's all about.

Rose: 2:21

Let's start by understanding why this year is particularly powerful for us as women. So, in Chinese medicine, the snake represents wisdom, intuition and healing All qualities that we, as women, naturally embody. Right? We all have wisdom, we are definitely intuitively guided and we want to heal, we want to help people, but we have to also turn that intuition inward, that wisdom inward, and that healing towards ourselves. Now let me break down this wood element, because it's crucial for understanding our feminine cycles and our rhythms. So in Chinese medicine, wood isn't just about trees and bamboos, though they're perfect examples of feminine flexibility and strength. Think about bamboo for a moment. It bends without breaking. It grows steadily upward, while maintaining deep roots, and creates a sacred space within its hollow center. And that's exactly the kind of energy we're being invited to embody this year.

Rose: 3:28

But what happens when we're too rigid in our resolve? Right, we're more like a tree, where it's stiff and rigid and we aren't bending, when we're not flexible and only see things one way? Well, we become narrow-minded. We don't see the big picture Actually, we may not even see the picture at all and then we turn down, help the people that want to help us because we think we can do it all, and that can be problematic. And one way in which I see that energy us using that energy is when we don't reach out for help. So when we think we can do it all, like I've got this, I'm going to just keep adding things to my to-do list. My planner is full, I can't add anything else on. But yes, I will do that for you.

Rose: 4:20

What happens, something has to give, and what usually gives? Well, something in your immediate environment, right? Maybe you can't do something for yourself or for your kids. Maybe you start feeling, oh my God, this is too much. You get a panic attack, you get overwhelmed and everything shuts down. Oh, wait a minute. I'm talking about what happens when that happens to me. Yeah, and I've learned that. I didn't know that before, but I realized when I start getting overwhelmed it's like okay, rose, step back what you got going on, what do you have that is way too much and what can you take away? So we have to be careful about that too.

Rose: 5:06

Even though there is the wood energy this year, we need to use it wisely so that our energy is conserved. So taking on too much definitely a lot of wood energy. So we got to prune it back, got to be mindful, we got to be discerning on what we choose to bring on that plate. And, especially as we get older, you know we don't have the energy sometimes that we did when we were younger to do as much. But that's okay, we're wiser now. We don't have the energy sometimes that we did when we were younger to do as much, but that's okay, we're wiser now. We don't have to do a zillion things. We can pause, we can take a nap, we can chill, we can go for a walk, we can do something fun. We don't have to work, work, work and do, do, do. We can say no when we really mean no, no-transcript.

Rose: 6:05

Well, if you know anything about bamboo, bamboo grows. A lot of people plant bamboo because it grows and creates a border. So think about that border you want to create as well, but you can still kind of shimmy right through that border. So prioritize, do what you feel you need to do. If you can't do everything today, bring it to the next day. If you can't do it the next day, maybe it's not worth it. So we need to prioritize what in our life is important. And once again, you know time is such a wonderful and beautiful resource and it's fleeting. It goes by fast. So we want to be mindful of what we bring into our lives.

Rose: 6:49

Now I want to talk about the wood element and how it connects to our meridian system. If you know me, I love the meridian system. It's the energy channels flowing through our bodies to and from the organs. So energy channels Think about the rivers flowing and moving and what happens if something gets stuck, that energy, that water or the element doesn't flow, and when that energy doesn't flow, things shut down. Things happen.

Rose: 7:25

We talked about preventative care, yang shen. We have to be aware when things are just not flowing in our lives correctly, or when we're taking on too much, we know that something's going to get stuck Somewhere along the way. Something will get stuck. So what organs the wood element governs? Or the liver and the gallbladder? And in acupuncture, which falls under that whole Chinese medicine, liver and gallbladder meridians are primarily used to diagnose and treat things like palpitations, anemia, insomnia, heat, symptoms that lead to dizziness, disorders associated with premenstrual syndrome, pre peri and menopause, anxiety and depression, and I'm sure so many others. Oh, and eye health. The liver and the gallbladder, right, they're associated with eye health. So seeing, clearly, seeing the big picture. So we want to encourage the healthy flow of energy in our bodies and we do that by lifestyle what we eat, sleep, good sleep patterns, exercise, moving the qi throughout our bodies.

Rose: 8:41

Qigong is a great practice for that. Of course, I'm an advocate for Qigong. Everyone should try it. If you've never tried it before, you should try it, because it is a game changer, it is wonderful.

Rose: 8:51

But in addition to the physical ailments that can arise when we have stagnant wood energy. There's also poor planning. All right, so okay, I have my planner here and my planner is so full and I can't do anything else that day, right? So that's poor planning because you know I'm not giving myself any time to maybe even eat or take a walk or do anything. So make sure that your plans are well thought out, that you have the right resources. I have a wonderful planner that I use all the time. I've been using the Passion Planner for 10 years and, yes, you can consider this a plug for it and the link. I will put the link in the show notes. But it is structured in such a way that it helps me to really plan my days and my weeks, my time and my life. So it's not just a daily planner, it's really a lifestyle planner, so it really helps me.

Rose: 9:56

So other things that are associated with wood energy not moving is the self-control or anger, when we have that feeling of frustration and we can't get things done or something's not happening right. That's associated with the energy stagnation of the wood element. So we talked about the wood element. Let's talk about the snake. So that snake energy that's coming into the picture this year. That's coming into the picture this year. It's perfect for releasing stagnant qi in these meridians.

Rose: 10:33

When we move the body think about even swimming or moving side to side, doing the qigong or doing yoga it's loosening up all the connective tissue in the body which is associated with the wood element, because when there's stagnation in the wood element there's also stiffness in the connective tissue and the connective tissues in and around the joints Stiff joints. Got too much stuff going on. Got to loosen it up, got to let it go. Carrying too much on my shoulders, sitting too much stuff going on I got to loosen it up. Got to let it go. Carrying too much on my shoulders, sitting too much all day, doing too many things on the computer I've got to move the body, to move that energy.

Rose: 11:17

You think about that kundalini energy rising within us from the base of our spines all the way up to the crown, swirling and undulating and moving. It's moving that energy within. Such a beautiful visualization of watching or visualizing that energy rising and feeling it in the body. And we could all feel that if we just pause and sit still for a moment and go within and you can sense your body moving in that spiraling fashion. So think about your chi, your energy, your body, how it feels. When that energy is moving, when we feel good inside right, when we feel good inside, when we feel good physically, emotionally and mentally, it's like we can conquer the world. We can plan well, we have a better judgment, we feel good, we feel happy, we feel that we accomplish things. These are all the things we want to move towards.

Rose: 12:32

So one of the things or one of the practical aspects of Yang Shen is that, or practices, is that morning routines are really important, right, morning routines are really important, right. So when you get up, stretching is a really lovely way to start the day. I know most of us will get up and we'll just start doing whatever tasks or chores that we need to do, but pausing and stretching will allow that connective tissue to open up a little more. Stepping outside, if you can, can in a nice bright light, maybe. Letting some of that light into your eyes for eye health, is lovely. Doing some gentle breathing practices as well is a beautiful way to allow for that energy flow to come into the lungs, because during the night we may be breathing more shallow. We also are allowing some toxins into our nose and into our lungs, right. If you don't open your windows during the night when you sleep, that's stagnant energy from breathing, and if there's people around that breathe with their mouth opens, that's a lot of toxins into the air that you're also taking in. So I like to sleep with my window open, even a crack in the middle of winter, and it feels so good and I feel better when I get up.

Rose: 13:55

For those of us walking the path of feminine leadership and growth, the Wood Snake Energy offers special support for accessing our deep, intuitive wisdom pausing, going within, noticing what comes up for us, intuitively, making decisions from that center. So when we are guided intuitively, we make better decisions those that support us, leading with both strength and flexibility, being empowered to do what we need to do, but also being flexible enough and knowing when we need to consider other options. Creating healthy boundaries. You know, saying no when we really want to say no, not always saying yes. Nurturing ourselves while supporting others we can do that. We don't have to always nurture others. We nurture ourselves, we can still nurture others and we can also ask for others to nurture us as well. So think about your morning practice, think about your evening practice and think about a midday practice Stretching, pausing, take a break, get up, walk around, blink, do some blinking to create moisture in the eyes.

Rose: 15:14

You know, even close your eyes, rub your hands together, create some heat and bring them over your eyes and allow that heat from the palms of your hands to go into your eyes. Another nice thing is to bring your hands behind the occipital region. Just gently massage that with your fingertips. That's the gallbladder meridian as well. It releases some of the pressure in the head and the neck. All right, so let's take a moment now. Let's do a little wood snake energy meditation.

Rose: 15:46

If you're driving, you can pause this, listen to it another time, but if you're not, if you're laying down, maybe take a pause and then take a deep breath in Nice, long, deep breath in filling up the lungs, filling up the 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 and supportive. Imagine that you have roots growing from your body into the earth and from those roots you're drawing up energy from the earth. Mother Earth is there to hold you, support you, guide you. Let her support you Keep growing those roots deep into the earth. Then, as you breathe in again, feel green light, emerald green light entering through those roots. Light, emerald green light entering through those roots. Let it spiral up through your body like a snake, climbing a tree. With each breath, this healing light moves higher, cleansing and renewing each part of you.

Rose: 17:04

Feel the energy moving through your legs, your hips, your belly, your heart, your throat, your crown, and then imagine you're being surrounded by a circle, a protective circle of wise serpents, ancient guardians of feminine wisdom. They offer you their gifts of intuition, of healing, guidance, transformation. Breathe in their wisdom, exhale any doubts. Breathe in their wisdom and exhale any doubts. Feel yourself become more grounded, more fluid, like bamboo in the breeze. When you're ready, bring gentle movement back into your body, or maybe blink your eyes a few times, open your eyes a few times. Open your eyes and carry that wisdom with you.

Rose: 18:14

Let's talk a little bit about emotional wisdom, because this is where the wood snake ear really supports us as women. The combination of wood element and snake energy creates this beautiful container for processing emotions without getting overwhelmed, for transforming old patterns that no longer serve us. We got to shed that skin. Snakes shed their skin all the time. So let go of what no longer serves 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. Strengthen your intuitive gifts. Create space in your day to just ask for messages from deep within and building sustainable self-care practices.

Rose: 19:18

You know we toss that word around, or that phrase around, a lot. That's self-care. But self-care to me is something different than self-care for you. So I won't sit here and tell you what self-care is, although I gave you some tips already on how to take care of yourself or some things you can do. But what about other self-care practices? What do you like to do? Do you like to just dance? Oh wow, dancing is probably one of the best things you could do for the year of the snake Dance. Oh wow, dancing is probably one of the best things you could do for the year of the snake Belly dancing.

Rose: 19:51

I've always wanted to do belly dancing. Maybe this year I'll try it, why not? So what are self-care practices and what are new things that you want to try? What are old things that you try to? Maybe they don't really jive with you anymore. Eh, it's okay, you tried it. You don't like them, or maybe there's something that you dabbled in and you're like. You know I haven't tried that in a while and I really wanted to do that. Go for it, bring it back into your life and I would really love for you to share with me what it is. You can always reach out and let me know. I'd love to hear what your self-care practices are.

Rose: 20:49

So, as we approach the year of the snake the wood snake remember that it's offering us an invitation to step more fully into our feminine power. It's not about pushing, forcing. It's about flowing, growing and transforming with grace. So, before we wrap it up, I have a little mantra we could say to honor this wood snake, this wood snake year I honor my rhythms, I trust my wisdom. I nurture my growth. I honor my rhythms. I trust my wisdom, I nurture my growth. I honor my rhythms. I trust my wisdom, I nurture my growth. It's beautiful and powerful, just like you. That's all for today, my beautiful soul sisters, you can check out more resources of mine by visiting my website and also my YouTube channel, where there's some yoga and Qigong videos as well. And remember, transformation doesn't have to be dramatic. Sometimes the most powerful changes come from those small, consistent acts of self-nurturing we practice every day. So until next time, keep nurturing your sacred feminine energy. Don't forget the wisdom of the snake has always been associated with feminine power, so it's time to reclaim that power.

Rose: 22:19

Thank you for joining me on Chat Off The Mat. If you're ready to transform your energy and step into your fullest potential, I'd love to work with you. As an energy alchemist, I help women release blocked energy and reclaim their vibrant essence. Visit rosewipichcom to explore working together and discover free resources for your journey. Love today's episode. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a rating and share your biggest takeaway with me on Instagram at Rose Whippich. Remember wellness warriors. Your energy is precious. Nurture it wisely.