Winter Blog
Winter: yes, it’s dark, it’s cold, and many people flat out hate! the thought of it, but what if “the thought of it” is the crux of the problem? What if focusing on the darkness, the cold, and the feeling of being trapped in the house because of the weather is a belief system, one in which you are stuck…
What if you developed a belief system that puts winter in a better light (pun intended) and this can even include people with Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD. Rather than focusing on the darkness, the cold and the stuck-in-the-house version of winter, what if we approached winter as a time to rebuild and nourish ourselves? What if we focused instead on using this time indoors to nourish our bodies and souls, to rest and to express our creativity.
I’m talking about having intentionality. If our gut feelings about winter are dread and negativity, maybe it’s time to build a new paradigm around what winter can actually be!
Think Hygge – the Danish concept of creating coziness and comfort. Or, more specifically, think about winter as I do in my realm of practice and in terms of Chinese Medicine.
- According to the cycles of Chinese Medicine Winter is the phase of Yin;
- The element is water, the color is deep blue or black and the organ is the kidney.
- Winter is the time to replenish, build and nourish your Yin while still supporting your Yang – which is the upcoming phase and season of Spring.
Let’s have a brief reminder of Yin and Yang. Yin is the sinking, slower, darker, lush, substantive aspect of things. While Yang is the more rising, warm, bright and active aspect of things. For instance, Winter is more Yin while Summer is more Yang. Balancing Yin and Yang is always the goal because one engenders the other in perpetuity.
While our tendencies may have us wanting to stay active in the Winter (Yang), in nature it is the time to embrace the Yin properties of the season like darkness, stillness, creativity and nourishment.
Great examples of Yin activities are whatever brings you joy, such as hobbies you can do indoors and activities that engage your mind and your soul, like…
- Painting
- Knitting
- Puzzles
- Writing
- Meditating
- Reading
- Cooking
- Yoga
- Saunas
- Singing
- Dancing
These are just some examples and if none of these feel right for you please don’t give up on this concept. It’s whatever brings you joy! What are the things you wish you had time for in the warmer months but never do because you don’t want to be indoors? Now is the time!
Winter is really a gift. It GIVES you the time to be indoors, to be creative, rest, heal and rejuvenate.
So, let’s break it down…
Four seasons:
- Winter- full Yin
- Spring- Yin into Yang
- Summer- full Yang
- Autumn – Yang into Yin
Chinese Medicine adds a fifth semi-season that we refer to as, “late summer”, from the third week in August until the Autumn equinox on September 22nd. The harvest season.
The Elements:
- Water (Winter)
- Wood (Spring)
- Fire (Summer)
- Earth (late Summer) and metal (Autumn)
And, the corresponding Zang Organs are Kidney, Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung respectively.
So again winter is: Yin, water, kidneys. You want to nourish these properties during the winter. One great illustration of the importance of nourishing these aspects is to talk about the water element. Think of it this way, everything needs water to grow and be healthy. The water element supports all life and it helps usher in the Spring when things start to grow. Plants (wood) grow better with clean, mineral rich water. Use this time in the winter to clean out, enrich and strengthen your body’s fluids (the water elements of your body) with moist, mineral rich foods.
Some examples of Yin foods are root vegetables, beans, healthy meats, and (good) fat rich nuts. And, because the color for winter is dark, in Chinese Medicine it is recommended that we eat dark foods which are rich in minerals and correspond with the colors of this cycle or season.
- Black beans & red beans
- Chestnuts
- Purple cabbage
- Forbidden rice (wild rice)
- Dark greens
- Deep orange veggies
Soup is great because it is moist while at the same time it also has the warming aspect of Yang that balances the external cold of the Winter. It is important to remember that it is a balance, Yin or Yang, one is always within the other, engendering each other.
Next the kidneys – rest is strengthening to the kidneys, so be sure to take this dark time of year to cozy up and get more sleep. Of course, the best way to have successful sleep is to get plenty of fresh air and exercise – this is how you incorporate the Yang into the Yin. By being active, incorporating movement and vigorous breath, you generate heat during the day which keeps the balance between Yin and Yang and can help you get a better night’s sleep which strengthens your kidney energy and thus your entire body!
I could go on and on extolling the wonders of the Winter, but suffice it to say Winter is a beautiful time of year, it just depends on how you approach it.
Blessings,
Patricia
