Winter is usually the coldest and most Yin time of the year. The days are shorter, colder, darker, and usually damp. Note: the winter season sound is chui. The Chinese name for winter is dōng and the symbol is below.
Brushstrokes for Chinese Character for Winter
Every living thing slows down and tries to conserve energy. This is the time for stillness, inner reflection, increased awareness, and hibernation. According to Tao of Sustainability author, Gregory Ripley, winter is called “the season of shutting down”. It’s resting time when we recuperate.
The hardest thing for us may be to understand and learn how to live in harmony with the changing seasons.It’s not until Winter Solstice (December 21), that dominant Yin energy will reach it peak and slowly transform to Yang energy.
Frankly, I am not fond of winter. As you might guess, I look forward to the Winter Solstice because it’s the beginning of when the light slowly returns and daylight grows longer. Yay!
I may not agree with this, however, I will quote John Steinbeck: “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
I am not alone. Many of us, particularly in the northern hemispheres, have strong feelings about winter. Many lean towards fear and dislike! This is not a new phenomena: ancient people had much to fear from winter (survival, warmth, food, etc.), which makes sense that the natural emotions of winter are fear, depression, or fright.
According to Taoism, emotions are stored in the organs and tissues of our body and not the mind. It is believed that an imbalanced kidney or deficient kidney Qi holds fear, depression, and paranoia. Unfortunately, fear and fright are stored in the kidneys, which is why we to work to transform these emotions into trust and tranquility. Balanced kidneys hold wisdom, awareness, and courage.
Winter is a time to conserve your energy and to focus on transforming fear, depression, or fright into will, creativity, trust and tranquility. Practice self acceptance, listen to your body, and be patient with yourself. Patience and acceptance that you need to move at a slower pace will restore your vitality.
Winter is also a time to meditate and to practice Qigong and Tai Chi in order to stay in touch and harmony with our “nature world”. Chinese medicine considers the kidneys as the energy storehouse. The focus of Winter Qigong practice will be the “water organs” - the kidneys and urinary bladder. The adrenal glands are also often included (depending on the author). The water element also affects your spinal cord, brain, bone marrow, and bodily fluids.
Let’s take a quick look at where the kidney meridian starts and ends. It begins just under the little toe, traveling up the inside edge of the foot and leg to the base of the spine. Here the kidney meridian connects with the kidney and wraps around the bladder. It then exits at the public bone and rises up the front of the body to the collarbone. Quite the trip!
Some winter survival tips and recommendations:
Maintaining and building a strong immune system is vital.
Focusing on your back and legs will help to keep your kidney energy from being depleted in winter.
The bladder channel runs down the back and there are many energy points in the back connecting to the kidneys, so keep the back warm. A cold back can hurt not only the kidneys but the energy of the lungs and liver as well.
Cold legs can drain your vitality energy and lead to later health problems, especially for people who have or have experienced heart problems.
Keeping your ankles and feet warm can help to prevent colds and the loss of your vital kidney energy.
Soaking your feet can help improve your sleep. This is especially helpful for those with kidney, liver or heart problems. Interestingly, it is also said to help with memory problems.
Always keep your back, feet, neck, and ears covered and warm whenever you go out in the cold.
We need to protect ourselves from the elements, maintain our internal warmth, eat more cooked “seasonal” foods, and take in only warm or hot liquids. By eating cooked seasonal foods and drink hot teas and broths, we bolster our immunity in winter.
If you can work it in your schedule: sleep longer, do take naps, massages, etc.
Let’s talk about winter Qigong:
It’s important to realize that during the winter season it is vital to relax and discover stillness within you. Most practitioners recommend those Qigong practices that are more inward rather than using a lot of physical effort. Not only are you keeping in sync with nature, you are also preparing for the changes that will take place in the months ahead.
I will give you a few examples of winter Qigong (this is not exhaustive search). Remember, there is no “true” and “only” winter Qigong. There is a wide variety “out there”. However, as you would expect (and is easy to see on YouTube or the Internet), some practitioners prefer Qigong movements that are more invigorating and some are a mixture. Some videos are free and others have costs. It is beyond the scope of this blog to provide a wide variety of examples not to judge what is “good” or “bad” winter Qigong. This is a personal decision! What works for one person may not work for another!
One last word (sentence actually): winter is not an excuse for becoming a “couch potato”. Keep moving!
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