Yangsheng: The Art of Living in Season

Monthly online yangsheng class exploring the 24 solar nodes through Chinese medicine teachings, seasonal recipes, and gentle qi gong.

What does it mean to live in rhythm with the world?

A class with Anne Shelton Crute & Tara Bianca Rado.

Classical Chinese medicine describes the year not as a static calendar, but as a living sequence of qi transformations. The 24 solar nodes mark the subtle shifts in climate, light, and movement that shape our bodies, emotions, and spirit throughout the year.

Yangsheng—“nurturing life”—is the art of aligning ourselves with these changes. It is not about fixing symptoms or optimizing performance. It is about learning to live well within the unfolding patterns of Heaven and Earth. In many ways, this is the home and daily-life expression of what we do in the acupuncture clinic with needles.

This monthly class offers a steady, practical way to study and embody the seasonal qi through:

• Teachings on the solar nodes and their cosmological meaning

• Simple seasonal recipes and food practices

• Gentle qi gong and breathwork appropriate to the time of year

• Reflection on how to use our energy when it is not consumed by obligation or strain

Over time, the class becomes a kind of living almanac—a place to return each month to recalibrate, nourish the body, and remember the larger rhythms we belong to.

No prior experience is required. This class is open to patients, students, and anyone interested in Chinese medicine as a lived philosophy.

Format & Structure

Course begins after the Chinese New Year in March 2026
Meets monthly for 10 months each year, over a two-year cycle
Participation for the full two years is not required

Classes meet live on Zoom
Recordings are sent a few days later if you miss the live session
Zoom link is emailed before each class

Cost: $65 per month. Payable via Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal

Proposed 2026 Spring Dates: to be confirmed soon

All classes at 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific

• March 1

• April 5

• May 17

About the Teachers

Anne Shelton Crute, LAc, DAOM

Anne is the founder of Ritual Health Acupuncture & Herbalism in Berkeley, California, a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and a Chinese Polestar astrologer. She is a published author and educator, with a chapter in A Ring Without End: Reflections on Classical Chinese Medicine Mind/Body Mapping, and serves as an editor on several Chinese medicine and astrology texts, including her teacher Liu Ming’s forthcoming book on Chinese Polestar astrology. Anne has been in clinical practice for more than fifteen years and has trained through private apprenticeships in Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Tibetan herbalism, and astrology in the U.S., Japan, and India. Her work focuses on chronic illness, nervous system regulation, life transitions, and reconnecting patients with their innate sense of spirit.

Tara Bianca Rado, LAc

Tara is the founder and lead acupuncturist of Durham Integrative Health and Acupuncture Center, a nonprofit sliding-scale clinic in Durham, North Carolina. She began studying traditional healing arts in the mid-1990s through Asian bodywork, qi gong, meditation, and community-based Western and native herbalism, and worked for nearly two decades as a massage therapist specializing in shiatsu and tui na. She later completed formal training in Traditional Chinese Medicine, earning her master’s degree from the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in Medical Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. Tara’s clinical work integrates acupuncture, herbal medicine, and bodywork, with a focus on accessibility, partnership, and cultivating resilience, connection, and joy in the healing process. She continues to deepen her studies in Classical acupuncture and Daoist healing, and also practices Chinese Polestar astrology.

The Jade Circle's Inaugural Celebration Featuring Sujatha Maheshwari

This week, Ritual Health celebrated the launch of our new community network, The Jade Circle, with an intimate gathering at our acupuncture clinic in North Berkeley. We welcomed old friends and new, colleagues and community for an evening of conversation, celebration, and reflection.

Dr. Anne Shelton Crute presented on the Qi of the season, describing the transition from Autumn to Winter as our external environment mirrors the energy of our internal state. We were delighted to welcome our special guest, local classical flutist Sujatha Maheshwari, for a beautiful performance.

Stay tuned for upcoming events and offerings with The Jade Circle community. As always, we are looking forward warmly to seeing you at your next visit to Ritual Health Acupuncture and Herbalism Clinic, at our Berkeley office in the Gourmet Ghetto off of North Shattuck Avenue, our Albany office off of Solano Avenue, or our Mill Valley office in Marin. Until then, many blessings and be well!

Tibetan Medicine Health Considerations for Autumn

By Adam Okerblom, DAOM

Seasonal Health Support for Autumn: Balancing the Fire Element

According to the lunar calendar-based systems, such as Chinese and Tibetan Medicine, we are currently well into the autumn season. As the seasons shift, so too does the energy of our bodies. Each season brings its own elemental characteristics, its own corresponding opportunities, as well as challenges for our health. That is why we always pay close attention to the shifting Qi or energy of each season. In our clinical practice, we adjust our therapeutic and herbal prescriptions to meet the needs of each person, in each season. We can all do the same thing at home, with our dietary and daily lifestyle considerations.

In traditional Tibetan Medicine, autumn is when the sun’s heat becomes more intense, stirring up the natural fire element within us, known as Tripa Nyepa (མཁྲིས་པ་ཉེས་པ།). When this fiery energy rises, we may experience headaches, irritability, indigestion, eye dryness, or a general feeling of malaise. The liver and lungs, in particular, are prone to irritation and stagnation at this time.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can see this fire-like seasonal quality in action: hotter days, dry landscapes, and winds that strip moisture from both the air and our bodies.

Nourish with Cooling Foods

One of the best ways to stay balanced in autumn is through our diet:

• Avoid spicy dishes, alcohol, fried foods, and heavy, oily meals.

• Embrace cooling, hydrating, naturally sweet foods. Light porridges, fresh soups, and cooked vegetables are especially nourishing.

• Enjoy herbal teas such as green tea, mint, chrysanthemum, or rose, which help to cool and moisturize our system.

• While processed sugar should generally be limited, Tibetan Medicine notes that a small amount of natural rock sugar can actually soothe dryness and heat at this time of year.

Gentle Movement & Restorative Practices

Autumn is not the time for extreme workouts. Instead, enjoy:

• Walks in nature—parks, forests, or the beach

• Gentle cycling or swimming

• Restorative yoga and breathwork

These activities support circulation and energy without aggravating the fire element.

Soothe the Senses

To protect your eyes and calm the nervous system:

• Limit screen time, especially in the evenings.

• Use aromatherapy with cooling, sweet scents such as sandalwood or camphor.

• Wear light, soft clothing in calming shades of white, green, or blue.

Final Thoughts

Autumn’s fiery energy can feel both invigorating and overwhelming. By adjusting your diet, lifestyle, and daily practices, you can balance this heightened fire element, protecting your liver, lungs, and overall sense of well-being. Think: less strain, more gentle nourishment, and plenty of cooling influences to keep you grounded as the season unfolds.

This Summer, Discover "Song," Our Sheng Puerh Tea

Our clinic’s signature sheng puerh with a beautiful statue carved by our friends in Assi Ghat

By Dr. Adam Okerblom

At Ritual Health, drinking tea is part of our lifestyle and our clinical practice. As most of our patients and friends can attest, we are particularly enthusiastic about our special line of puerh teas. We often invite our clinic guests and patients to join us for a taste of puerh in the afternoon after their acupuncture treatments.

This summer, Dr. Anne and I are connecting with one of our signature teas, our 2024 sheng puerh, called “Song”. This sheng puerh is perfectly suited for the Qi of summertime. Its light, fresh flavor, harmonizing the warm, dry weather of mid-summer (even here in the Bay Area!).

This tea is named “Song” after the symphonic sounds of the summer season, hence the cricket pictured on the front, which was rendered by our friend and artist Annie Rosenberg. “Song” is also a pun, a play on the name of one of the most influential dynasties in Chinese history in which neoconfucian ideas shaped political and private life and refined how Chinese medicine was practiced.

Song: Spring 2024 Sheng Puerh

Our “Song” sheng puerh comes from the famous, ancestral tea region of the Jingmai Mountain, ManJing Village in China. This young sheng puerh offers bright, vegetal notes with grassy, floral, and sometimes fruity characteristics, accompanied by a pronounced astringency that quickly gives way to a lingering sweetness.

Song puerh is young and a bit wild. Its flavors are strong and potent, like new sprouts in the early springtime. It is invigorating as well as soothing, with potent therapeutic actions.

As this tea ages over years and even decades, it will develop extraordinary complexity, richness, and depth. Aged sheng puerh can offer earthy, woody, and honey-sweet elements that deepen with maturity.

About Sheng Puerh

Sheng puerh, also known as raw or "green" puerh, has a cool, nourishing Qi quality. According to the principles of Chinese Medicine dietetics, sheng puerh helps to harmonize, moisten dryness, and tonify the Qi.

Sheng puerh is a living tea, thriving with diverse probiotics. It is harvested and produced only twice a year—in spring and autumn—when the tea leaves have the perfect quality and potency. It is processed using withering, roasting, and pressing techniques. The tea is alive with beneficial microorganisms that continue to transform the flavor profile over time. This transformation occurs through a fascinating natural fermentation process that creates beneficial probiotics and enzymes, making sheng puerh a living beverage that develops depth of character over time.

Research-Backed Health Benefits of Puerh Tea

Modern research links puerh tea with an impressive array of health benefits. Below are a few more reasons to make enjoying sheng puerh a regular part of our self-care regimen:

Cardiovascular Health and Cholesterol Management:

Research demonstrates that sheng puerh tea can significantly improve cholesterol profiles, reducing LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL cholesterol. A comprehensive study published in Nature showed that compounds in puerh tea work by modulating gut bacteria and bile acid metabolism, leading to improved lipid profiles and reduced cardiovascular risk.

Weight Management and Metabolic Support:

Multiple clinical studies have shown that regular consumption of puerh tea can support healthy weight management. The tea's unique combination of polyphenols and beneficial bacteria helps boost metabolism, improve fat oxidation, and prevent the absorption of dietary fats. In one study, participants consuming puerh tea extract experienced a 3% reduction in total body fat compared to the placebo group.

Digestive Health and Gut Microbiome:

The natural fermentation process creates a rich source of probiotics that support digestive health and promote a balanced gut microbiome. These beneficial bacteria not only aid digestion but also contribute to improved immune function and overall wellness.

Antioxidant Protection:

Sheng puerh is exceptionally rich in antioxidants, including polyphenols, catechins, and vitamin C, which help combat free radicals and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The antioxidant content is particularly high in young sheng puerh, providing powerful cellular protection.

Stress Reduction and Mental Clarity:

Despite containing caffeine, sheng puerh also contains L-theanine and GABA, compounds that promote relaxation and mental clarity without the jitters associated with coffee. This unique combination provides sustained energy and focus while supporting stress management.

Conclusion

The ancient Buddhists throughout Asia viewed drinking tea not merely as a culinary indulgence, but rather as an opportunity for self-reflection. When a student displayed behaviors associated with distraction or overthinking, the master would say, “Go drink tea!” They recognized the potential for a cup of tea to inspire self-awareness and a meditative calm state.

This summer, consider trying it! As always, we would love to see you in person at our clinic. Until then, we are toasting your health and wishing you a summer of fun, vitality, and…Song!

Time-Based Medicine: Midsummer ☀️

Where Are We Now? Midsummer!

We’re currently in the Summer Solstice qi node in a Yin Wood Snake Year, just past true summer solstice. In terms of Chinese timekeeping, this is the most yang time of the year—and this year, that peak of light is happening inside the long, coiled body of the yin wood snake.

Snake is yin fire in nature, which means: what is concealed begins to stir… and when it emerges, it can do so with striking force. So this season—summer fire within the fire-natured year—is especially significant.

We’re in the part of the year when the main themes of 2025 reveal themselves. Why? We’re well past wood season (Spring) in a wood element year, and we are starting to make meaning of that chunk of time. Now, midway through fire season which is snake’s native element, we’re experiencing a time of unveiling, skin-shedding. Dormant dynamics burst into view. What’s been unconscious rises up into awareness. Summer is the time of the heart, snake’s organ.

This is the wood snake’s paradox: gentle, cautious, even meek on the surface… but that doesn’t mean nothing is happens in a snake year. Quite the opposite. Things move in quiet, sometimes destabilizing ways, sometimes with sudden changes seeming to come out of nowhere, but they are timed with seasonal and lunar rhythms. For instance:

• Lunar New Year launched in a Tiger month—wild, fast, overwhelming. That first lunation had so much motion, upset, urgency. In the political realm we saw an overwhelming number of presidential declarations, many of which dissolved right away. Those that didn’t have a force to be felt much later.

• Last month was Horse—we saw new, explosive global action, like the military moves in Iran.

• This month is Goat—a time for opportunities for group engagement and collaboration. Ok, congress came together and got something big done this week (whether we agree with it or not). We see the movement of the collective. Use now to access your group.

If you missed my Lunar New Year talk, you might want to watch it now. It’s still relevant—and perhaps even more illuminating now that some of the year’s storylines are ripening. (This is the link to watch.)

What This Means for You

Now that we’re deep in the Fire season, and the yin wood snake is coiled around our calendar, what’s been hiding may strike. This time of year reveals what’s been dormant. We may find a sudden urge to resolve old heartaches—or inflame them further if we’re not careful. But this is also a powerful time for clarity, connection, and courage.

Snake time brings revelation. Big feels from the depths of the heart. The heart lets us hear the its whisper. Whisper? Maybe it comes as a shout or a cry. Were we unskilled in listening before? Moving too fast?

We don’t have to understand things for them to be meaningful. How do we experience value and meaning in circumstances beyond our control? These are what we designate space for, honor, and name. In so doing, we maintain our dignity, our sovereignty. We can let go of having it all figured out (whew!) to engage this process. Just open the space: that’s it.

I know: it feels raw. For me, too. In this fire season, we can go to the heart—the organ of fire season and also the organ of the snake. Be with what arises personally. Maybe something that felt minor suddenly matters. Maybe a hidden desire or wound shows itself. Maybe what you thought was stable... isn't. This is not a mistake. It’s snake season.

So what do we do?

We go through. 🐍

We let it emerge. We don’t force understanding. We sit with it, even if it’s uncomfortable. Snake is still. Snake watches. Snake metabolizes experience with slow, transformative fire. If it is time to strike: you’ll know. 

When we don’t know what to do?

We rest. That’s wisdom too.

Purple Star Club: You’re Invited:

We have a new WhatsApp community called Purple Star Club. Join by emailing Anne directly and we will send you the link. (We used to have it here, but we just got hacked and realize we have to protect it better!)

I’ve created this space as a little constellation—a place where we can gather to look at what’s unfolding in the world through the lens of Chinese Polestar Astrology, seasonal qi nodes, and other old tools that still work. 

It is where we can talk about stuff like this post.

We’ll share memes, questions, insights, and observations about what’s happening out there in the public square—and what’s happening inside ourselves. This space is for serious engagement and playful exploration. Come as you are. 🐍🪩📿

Feel free to introduce yourself, share reflections, ask questions—or just enjoy the ride. If you see a meme, article, or dream that feels right on time, bring it to the circle. Let’s learn and laugh together as we trace time's coils. 🔭💫

Welcome in.

—Anne
Ritual Health 🐝
📍Berkeley · Albany · Mill Valley

A Ring Without End Book Release Party and Teachings in NYC!

May-June 2025 were an exciting at Ritual Health! Dr. Anne taught the doctoral students at Yo San University in Los Angeles and at a Chinese medicine seminars in New York City on the topic from her new book collaboration, A Ring Without End: Reflections on Classical Chinese Medicine Mind/Body Mapping with Z’ev Rosenberg, Stephen Cowan, and Daniel Schrier.

The four of them celebrated with the larger Chinese Medicine community at the book release party in NYC’s Chinatown at Kamwo Herbs, a 4th generation herb supply company. It was so nourishing for both Anne and Adam to be with the wider community and both of them are juiced up and happy to be back at clinic in the SF Bay area! 

Here, you can watch a clip of Dr. Anne's speech at the book launch party. You can purchase a copy of A Ring Without End at our Berkeley office, or by email inquiry.

Dr. Anne Teaches "Time-Based Medicine" in New York

Dr. Anne offered teachings from her recent contribution to the book, A Ring Without End, to a group of acupuncturists and Chinese Medicine herbalists in New York City. Her chapter, “The Celestial Dance: Integrating Time and Astronomy in Chinese Medicine,” discusses the historical precedent for factoring in time in medical practice, with uses ranging from Tong Shu almanac all the way to Zi Wei Dou Shu, Chinese Polestar Astrology, which she offers as part of her clinical practice. She taught alongside Anne and Adam’s esteemed teachers and co-authors, Z'ev Rosenberg and Dr. Stephen Cowan. It was great to be invited back to New York, and to workshop these fascinating teachings of ancient Chinese Medicine. 

A Ring Without End Release Party at Kamwo in New York City

The book launch party was a success! We attended the A Ring Without End book release celebration, held at the famous Kamwo Herbal Pharmacy in New York's iconic Chinatown. Did you know that Kamwo is a 4th-generation Chinese herbal apothecary? 

We spent some time with old friends and new connections. Dr. Anne spoke about her inspiration to pursue Chinese Medicine. We had a great time, and it was truly an honor to participate in this event!