Staying Well with the Seasons - Winter Health - Part II

As mentioned in Winter Health Part I, protecting primordial chi is one of the key ways to preserve vitality and promote longevity. Since primordial chi is housed in the kidneys, living in harmony with, or mimicking, the natural world’s rhythm of winter is an important secret to staying healthy in both the long and short term.

Winter’s association with the Water Element offers an indication of the power of the season. Think of the strength of Niagara Falls, a tsunami, or an avalanche. Less dramatically, the abundance of the seas, the depths of a well. Water is life. Without it, we can survive only a few days, plants can’t grow and desperation can quickly set in.

Plainly said, winter is about resting and replenishing. In the same way that a crop field needs time in between plantings to renew, we need downtime to regroup and gather our chi (energy) so that when springtime arrives, you will have enough umph! to burst forward with the ideas you have been cultivating during the long, cold winter nights.

Plenty of time should be focused on your inner life through sleeping, dreaming, journaling, reading and imagining possibilities for the future. While some activity is appropriate, life should be a little quieter, exercise more gentle, socializing less far-reaching. It is about containing and being still so the depths of our inner voice may be heard. Take note, this is not ‘doing nothing’; rather, gathering the necessary energy so that the ‘seeds’ of the dreams we plant in our psyche, are able to come to life in the springtime. Be more like a lake frozen over, than a gushing water fall.

Capturing this window of opportunity for replenishing your energy is especially important if you have symptoms related to the water element: lower back or knee pain, feeling ‘tired but wired’, problems with urination, water retention, thinning hair or premature graying, low energy, or if you need stimulants to get/keep you going.

Each time you reach for a stimulant, be it coffee or Red Bull, you are overriding the body’s message letting you know that it is tired. Instead, get more sleep – go to bed earlier and get up later, do some deep breathing and gentle stretching. Eat plenty of warm, nutritious foods. Give up cold and raw foods from fall through spring.

Foods, such as ice cream, salads, and iced drinks, which take a lot chi to convert into useable energy, should be set aside for now. Instead, try baked apples or stewed pears with yogurt, steamed veggies, hot herbal tea, soups, stews and include more, small portions of animal protein into your diet. Meat, especially lamb, warms from within.

Gentleness, moderation, and a willingness to slow down will help replenish your body, mind and spirit. Don’t just do something, stand there!

 If you are feeling 'off', nip it in the bud by coming in right away for an acupuncture session, If you are feeling good, schedule your seasonal tune-up to help stay strong and healthy.