We all live seasonally almost despite ourselves. We get out and about more in the warmer summer days, throw barbeques for friends. We stay home more in winter, feel more lethargic, go to bed earlier. In spring we often start to make plans for the coming months and clean out a cupboard or under the stairs.

Our constant access to light, to entertainment, to distraction pull us away from the changes going on around us in nature but our bodies naturally want to attune themselves to the arc of the year and there are enormous benefits if we do.

The ancient Chinese, in common with many other cultures across the globe, placed a central emphasis on what they termed the Five Elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood and their corresponding seasons of Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring.

Each of us are seen as being composed of these five forces and this emerged from a deep and close observation of nature and the seasons during the arc of a year. By living in a way that is more attuned to nature and our surroundings we can also become more attuned to ourselves.

By eating more seasonally we are not only eating more locally but we are also getting the maximum nutrition from the food we consume. By allowing ourselves adapt our habits to the time of year we give ourselves the chance to pause and regenerate (Winter), to make plans and expand (Spring), to engage, flirt and socialise (Summer), to celebrate and take stock (Late Summer) and to let go and see what is of most importance (Autumn).

But most of all it is incredibly revitalising and fun! Take a browse through each season and find out more, including tips for living throughout the year and some tasty seasonal recipes.