Autumn is the time to restore order, clarity and harmony to your life. Let go of summer - it'll be back next year! Trying to fight the fading light and cooler days will only create stress and anxiety - and is a battle you're going to lose. If, instead, you embrace the darker evenings, and get cosy and enjoy staying in more, you'll be far better prepared for the real cold and dark of winter when it arrives. Enjoy wrapping up warm; buy yourself warm jumpers and hats and scarves; go for crisp walks among the falling leaves; seek out log fires in pubs and restaurants. This may seem obvious, but it's amazing how many people resist the change in seasons and hark after the summer sunshine and long-lost holidays.

If you go with the flow, you'll remain more robust. Metal has a tendency to be rigid, so it needs to be encouraged to be flexible. Flexibility comes in different forms. Sorting out your affairs, knuckling down to work, going through finances and paperwork, and clearing clutter are all good Metal activities. The Metal element thrives on clarity and directness. So it's also a good time to look at bad habits or areas of chaos in your life, and see what you can do to restore order and cut back on what's unnecessary or what's not working for you. If you've had a summer of frivolous spending and extravagant gestures, now is the time to rein in and take stock. You need to clear the ground, after the harvest, in preparation for resting through winter. Then the seeds of the next cycle will be strong and resilient.

The Metal element is related to the lungs and large intestine, in Chinese medicine. Breathing exercises are very effective at this time of year. And that's why long walks in fresh air are so good - they really clear the lungs out after the summer smog. And they help make you more resilient to colds and coughs. The large intestine (colon) symbolises letting go, especially of any waste and toxins accumulated in the body. The more regular your bowels, the better your large intestine function.

Qi Gong exercise to strengthen the lungs
While sitting or lying down, imagine your lungs filling up, from the back of the ribs to the front, with an expanding white mist. Try to fill all the nooks and crannies, the front, back and sides of your ribs. As you do this meditation, you will naturally breathe in deeply. Try not to create too much tension with the in-breath, though; tense muscles get in the way of the soft, cleansing effect of the white mist. When your lungs are full, and your in-breath has come to a natural halt, envisage all the dark, murky muck in your lungs being slowly drawn out through two exhaust pipes in the back of your ribs, either side of your spine. Keep letting this darker mist out until the lungs feel empty again.

Pause, if you can, before taking another in-breath. In fact, wherever possible, we should pause between in-breath and out-breath, for this is the moment at which time stops still, and the ageing process is halted. This is a part of inner alchemy, in ancient Taoist practice. (Long-term practice can have incredible effects!) When you've practised this for a while, and feel confident with it, you can introduce the lung sound to your practice. Draw in from the back of the lungs again, filling both lungs, and as you breathe out and release again, make a soft "ssssssssss" sound, until your breath runs out and your voice fades away. The softer and more internal and resonant the sound, the better. This will help to clear your lungs even more.

Detoxifying the large intestine
As in western medicine, the large intestine (colon) in Chinese medicine terms is related to detoxifying the body. Just as the lungs continually filter the air that we breath, replenishing the oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide, the large intestine is clearing the solid waste from the body, filtering out the last nutrients from our digested food before it expels the rest. Taking in nutritious food is the first step in restoring your large intestine to full health. Then you need to be able to expel the digested waste efficiently.

If you tend to suffer from constipation or loose stools, your large intestine is struggling. If you have constipation, try getting up before 7am. From 5am to 7am is the large intestine's most active time, so this is the ideal time to try to empty your bowels. If this still doesn't work, try stretching your first finger and thumb out on both hands, and pointing them towards the ground when you're next on the loo. This may sound daft, but it's actually stretching and activating the large intestine channel, which runs down the first finger, so can help get sluggish bowels going! The large intestine also needs plenty of water to help flush the body's toxins through.

If, instead, you suffer from loose stools, look at cutting down on dairy products, sugars and alcohol. These are "damp-forming" in Chinese medicine, and often contribute to "damp" symptoms such as this. Loose stools can also result if you're really tired and need more rest and regular meals. The digestion needs time to assimilate and relax!

Strengthening the lungs and large intestine in these ways will help you to start sorting out what's not useful or rewarding in your life, and give you the strength to let go of inappropriate habits - or even relationships that drain you. A healthy Metal element in the body means you can cut out what doesn't work in your life without endlessly dwelling on it, or feeling grief for its loss.

The Metal element and emotions
As mentioned above, the Metal element is linked to letting go, loss and grief, in Chinese medicine terms. If you have an imbalance in this area, you may find it hard to deal with these feelings. You may either have the desire to cut yourself off emotionally from people in order not to get hurt, or to become rigid and hard when with people. Finding a third way, loosening your emotions and finding ways to be more flexible, will help to restore your inner equilibrium. Metal is also related to respect and values. To strengthen your Metal element emotionally, start focusing more on what you really value, and what gives you satisfaction in your life. See more of friends who really respect you and value your friendship, rather than those who are dismissive or rude and undermining. Do you get enough respect from your bosses at work? Do you know your own worth, or are you constantly seeking external validation? Contemplating these questions, and observing how you behave in different environments, and what's important to you, will help you to unlock some of your old negative patterns, and ultimately to dissolve them.