Charlotte Breadmore Acupuncture

Golden hour 🌾

The seasonal gear change I personally find most indulgent is here. It’s been a long, (very) hot summer of lovely times with friends and family, but also the usual juggle of school holidays, work, and staying connected to everyone: exactly what Fire season asks of us 🔥. By August, I could feel myself craving a bit of stillness.

As summer’s energy starts to soften, we move into Earth which is less about expansion of energy and more about grounding and routine. It’s the season for coming back to rhythm, for letting the pace slow enough to actually digest everything the summer stirred up. The long-awaited rain cools and replenishes the earth as well as our nervous systems, and we should start to feel less scorched and scattered.

I’m so here for it, and looking forward to seeing everyone again.

For appointments at Beckenham and Forest Hill use the link in my bio or via my website 🔝

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JOY. It’s the emotion of summer, of the Fire element. It’s the spark of real connection, the pleasure of intimacy, the aliveness that makes life feel worth living.

In Chinese medicine the seasons don’t just exist outside us, they live within us too. Summer belongs to Fire and joy is its gift and a vital sign of balance. The heart needs joy like the earth needs nurturing.

The catch? Fire is a terrible house guest. Give it too much and it burns the place down. Too much joy, the kind that never rests, that lives at full brightness and chases the next thrill, leaves us scattered and exhausted. We call it burning out for a reason.

And then there’s its quieter opposite. You might hear it in a laugh that doesn’t quite have the strength to rise, or feel it as a dimming, a withdrawal, where the things that usually light you up simply don’t. Where connection feels out of reach and intimacy feels like effort.

🔥Take a rest when you need.
🔥Choose connection over stimulation.
🔥Notice what genuinely lights you up.
🔥Keep feeding your flame.

~
JOY. It’s the emotion of summer, of the Fire element. It’s the spark of real connection, the pleasure of intimacy, the aliveness that makes life feel worth living.

In Chinese medicine the seasons don’t just exist outside us, they live within us too. Summer belongs to Fire and joy is its gift and a vital sign of balance. The heart needs joy like the earth needs nurturing.

The catch? Fire is a terrible house guest. Give it too much and it burns the place down. Too much joy, the kind that never rests, that lives at full brightness and chases the next thrill, leaves us scattered and exhausted. We call it burning out for a reason.

And then there’s its quieter opposite. You might hear it in a laugh that doesn’t quite have the strength to rise, or feel it as a dimming, a withdrawal, where the things that usually light you up simply don’t. Where connection feels out of reach and intimacy feels like effort.

🔥Take a rest when you need.
🔥Choose connection over stimulation.
🔥 Notice what genuinely lights you up.
🔥Keep feeding your flame.

~ SPRING
March seemed to pass in a blur this year, everything opening up all at once, leaving little space to pause and take it in. The shift from winter into spring can feel a bit jarring, but there’s something beautiful waiting on the other side: a sense of movement, of renewal, maybe even a quiet change in how we see things.

Yesterday, with the sun shining, we had a bit of time, just the two of us, to get outside, tend to a few things, and take in the early signs of spring, feeling grateful for the pause.

Saddle up, and bring the Fire 🔥🐎

Happy Lunar New year!

📷 Avi Theret - Splash

#2026

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Some of January as it comes to an end and we edge that teeny bit closer to spring. It’s been one of the slowest for us, a deep and restorative lean into the depths of winter and much needed - weekends like one big Sunday. It makes me happy to slowly welcome patients back into clinic and hear you’ve been doing the same 🙏🏻💙

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Happy New Year ❄️

January is here and the pace has dropped as we’re deep into the Water element. If you’re not ready to charge ahead, set goals or reinvent yourself, you’re not behind. This isn’t the time to push or prove. Nature is lying flat beneath the snow, quietly gathering itself.

Take the hint. If you feel like doing the same, you’re exactly where you should be.

Lie low, keep warm and conserve what’s precious. Maybe add a little self-practice, nourishing food, or just a long exhale (we don’t officially start the year of the horse until February anyway 😉)

In Five Element theory, the Winter Solstice belongs to Water: storage, ancestry, endurance.

A time not to force movement, but to trust what’s gathering beneath the surface.

💙✨