Do you ever find it difficult to let go of old thought patterns or emotions? In Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, the Metal Element plays an essential role in helping you stay healthy and balanced. When the Metal Element is strong within you, you’re able to gracefully process life’s experiences and let go of energy that doesn’t serve you. These qualities are important for both physical and emotional well-being.
In this blog, we explore the various gifts that Metal offers. We also discuss how Qi Gong can help harness the Metal Element’s qualities to experience more peace and harmony within your own life.
Like each of the Five Elements, Metal connects to specific organs in the body. The organs of the Metal Element include the lungs, large intestine, and skin.
These Metal Element organs are all about letting go and detoxification. When you breathe, your lungs release carbon dioxide, along with old emotional energy and stress. The large intestine is involved in breaking down food to digest nutrients and release the parts that aren’t needed. And while sweating is commonly known for its ability to cool the body’s temperature, it also plays an important role in detoxification.
Because of their detoxifying nature, these Metal Element organs are known as the “organs of elimination.” Physically, this elimination process is important for ridding the body of germs and viruses that could cause illness. Energetically, the process of elimination allows you to let go of old emotional energy that could be holding you back.
Metal connects to the feelings of grief and sadness. While these feelings may not be pleasant to experience, they’re necessary nonetheless.
Grief and sadness are your body’s way of processing challenging life experiences, such as the loss of a loved one. Because grief is often painful, it can be easy to think that somehow the process isn’t healthy. However, if you’re able to see beyond the pain, you can usually find that your grief will give way to new opportunities that emerge.
On the other side of the grieving process, you can often find another Metal Element emotion—inspiration. After you move through the grieving process and release your pain, you can find an entirely new horizon of possibilities. For example, the end of one job might mean you have the opportunity to find a new path that feels more true to you.
Just as the Metal Element plays an important role in your body and emotions, it also impacts your personality. People who have a lot of Metal will exhibit its personality traits more strongly than those who have less.
The Metal Element is associated with the gift of clarity. Individuals who have a lot of Metal often have clear convictions about what they want in life. There’s no wavering when it comes to making decisions because they’re in touch with what they truly desire. This also allows them to take action and make things happen.
Not surprisingly, the qualities of clarity and action make Metal personalities great at leading as well as planning. It also enables them to set clear boundaries to protect themselves and others. If you try to push past the limits set by a Metal Element personality, they’ll give you a firm but respectful “No.” This can make Metal personalities wonderful advocates for justice.
While the Metal Element personality has many gifts, it can also encounter challenges. The same energy that makes Metal Element personalities great at planning and organizing can also lead to being overly perfectionistic. If something doesn’t line up with the Metal Element’s vision of how things “should be,” frustration can ensue. This makes them judgemental or harsh with their options, leading to friction in the workplace or other social situations. Also, because Metal Element personalities are often perfectionists, they can often fail to finish projects that they start. To avoid these pitfalls, Metal Element personalities must learn how to work skillfully with Metal energy so it’s directed constructively.
Each of the Elements are expressed through the different seasons, and Metal connects to fall. Just as Metal helps people process and let go of old energy in the body, it does the same in nature. After the outward expressiveness of summer, the world lets go of the past, goes inward, and prepares for winter.
During fall, Metal can be seen by the falling leaves that trees let go of. Just as grief can transform into inspiration, the leaves that fall become fertilizer for new seedlings. Without the purging process that takes place during fall, it wouldn’t be possible for new life to arise.
To release old energy and cultivate the gifts of inspiration and clearity, be sure to check out our on-demand Qi Gong for Fall workshop.
In Lee’s on-demand Qi Gong for Fall workshop, he teaches powerful Qi Gong practices designed to cultivate Metal and Lung Qi. The exercises Lee shares are great for boosting the immune system, fortifying your energy for winter, and letting go of stagnation in your body.
Because fall connects to the Metal Element and lungs, Lee teaches a combination of breathing practices, flowing movements, and standing postures to help you fully harness the season’s gifts within your mind and body.
Whether you’re seeking to process grief, boost your immune system, or experience greater clarity in your life, Qi Gong for Fall offers empowering practices to help you on your journey. Click on the banner below to experience the gifts of the Metal Element in your own life.
