The Rythm of Nature
As a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I find myself increasingly drawn to the rhythms of nature. This year, I’m especially excited to be planning my garden. For me, the garden is more than just a collection of plants; it’s a living, breathing reminder that healing, growth and transformation take time. In the midst of a demanding academic schedule, tending to the earth is one of the few places where I feel completely grounded and present.
Gardening has quickly become one of my favorite ways to step outside the hustle of daily life and reconnect with myself. It’s both an escape and a return. It is an opportunity to realign with the natural cycles we study in class and to observe yin and yang, the Five Elements and the balance of qi in real time.
Each season, I reevaluate what I want to grow based on how the last season went. This year, my approach has evolved into thinking more deeply about warming versus cooling properties, flavors and organ affinities. With this new knowledge, I’m better able to nourish myself and my family—not only with food that is seasonal and fresh but energetically balanced as well. I’m planting with intention, considering which herbs support digestion, calm the shen or build blood. I even find myself taking note of how certain plants thrive together, mirroring the interdependent relationships we study in Chinese medicine.
Cultivating Harmony
My hope is to cultivate a garden that embodies harmony and nourishment, one that supports our health and keeps us connected to the earth. Gardening reminds me that we’re always learning not just in the clinic or the classroom, but with every seed we plant. Whether I’m harvesting a handful of fresh herbs or simply noticing the shift in sunlight as spring deepens into summer, I feel more in tune with the natural world and more connected to the medicine I’m learning to practice.
