Chinese Medicine & Winter
In Chinese Medicine, healing is about finding balance and it closely follows the type of energy present in each season in nature. It is a natural law that if each of us can shift how we live our lives to more closely match what’s going on outside in the natural environment, then we will actually have more internal balance and ultimately better health.
With that, there are five distinct seasons in Chinese Medicine and we call these the five elements. These five elements serve as descriptors for the flow or cycle of the seasons and define a continuum of different types of energies in life and within each of us — from moments of activity, interaction, and doing, like summertime; to times of stillness, rest, and contemplation, more like winter; and all of the differences in between.
If we shift the way we live our days to match nature, more balance and health will arise. But if we don’t, inevitably, we will start to feel run down, get sick with a cold, or worse, over time, something more debilitating can occur.
As with all seasons, there are clues for how to modify our habits for health. The Neijing Suwen, an ancient text that guides Chinese Medicine, speaks to how we can live in line with winter. As translated by Claude Larre, in “The Way of Heaven, Neijing Suwen Chapters 1 and 2” it states:
“The 3 months of winter
Are called closing and storing.
Water freezes, Earth cracks.
No more influence from the yang.
One goes to bed early; one gets up late
Everything must be done according to
the light of the sun,
Exerting the will
As if buried, as if hidden
And taking care only of oneself,
As if fixed on oneself, in possession of oneself.
One must avoid the cold
And seek the heat;
Not let anything escape
Through the layers of the skin,
For fear of losing all of the qi”*
What does this mean exactly? Well, simply, it means to slow down, start to turn inward, restore, rest, stay warm, find quiet time, and reserve our energy for only those things that are absolutely required. Winter is not a time to fritter away our personal reserves or energy aimlessly, therefore, consider how you spend your time in winter. Do you spend it wisely? Do you find enough quietude and rest? Are you as busy in the winter as you are in the spring or summer? How do you modify how you live in winter?
In Chinese Medicine we equate the winter season with the element of water. As mentioned earlier, there are five elements. When I say water, what descriptors come to mind? Here are a few: wet – deep – fluid – formless – heavy – clear – murky – stagnant – frozen. Do any of these words describe you? We know we can’t live without water. We need enough of it to sustain life. So, think of this element & time of year as a time to gather up enough reserves to be able to rise and grow in the season of spring.
Be Like Winter
There are many ways to change personal habits to honor the winter season and support your health. Below are just a few ideas to consider.**
For your body:
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- Go to bed early & rise late
- Rest plenty
- Eat warm foods (soups, root vegetables, whole grains, beans, minimal meat proteins)
- Stay hydrated; drink room temperature water & warm tea
- Wear layers
- Keep neck and back covered
- Exercise moderately (practice Tai Chi, Yoga)
- Get regular acupuncture to support balance and immunity
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For your mind:
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- Spend more time at home
- Find ways to still your mind and allow for attention to one thing
- Minimize your schedule, slowing your overall pace of living
- Create quiet in your home – turn off the TV or radio. Declare an electronic free hour or day
- Curl up with a good book
- Listen & observe
For your spirit
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- Enjoy the warmth of a fire and a few close friends
- Spend time at home with those close to you
- Allow time for reflection and quiet in each day
- Get in touch with your spiritual practices
- Meditate
- Remember ancestors and the wisdom they shared
- Allow yourself to observe nature and experience wonder
- Be still
Should you decide to incorporate any of the practices above, see them as an offering, a gift of self care and deep connection to the natural world. The categories above have been divided, but in reality – our body, our mind, and our spirit are all connected, therefore whatever you choose to do, it will serve ALL of YOU.
How Attuning to Winter will Help
In spring, you will have more energy to “rise” and meet the vibrancy and energetic nature of awakening to the new beginning this season offers. You’ll be like a plant whose bulb has had plenty of time to germinate deep within the ground throughout winter, receive plenty of water so that it can start to grow high towards the sun.
Learning More
To learn more about how winter energy flows within you personally, come in for acupuncture and work with your acupuncturist to understand this more fully. Support your own personal balance and internal flow.
Here’s to embracing the gifts of winter – rest, rejuvenate, and be!
*The Way of Heaven: Neijing Suwen Chapters 1 and 2, by Claude Larre, Monkey Press, 1994, pp. 118–121.
**List of tips created in partnership by myself & Diane Juray, L.Ac.
