It all gets a little more quiet in Winter, doesn't it? Nature seems to be at rest, and it's a time to slow down, in order to top up. Chinese Medicine practitioners - and in fact most holistic practitioners! - encourage us to live in harmony with the seasons and find balance by doing so. But how exactly do we do that in Winter?
💧 Think of your body as a container, and at birth you have all the 'essence' and spark and life force you're going to have during your life. You'd want to protect it, right? Take care of it. Nurture it. Love it. Normal busy lives can see our essence or jing 'leak' out, and stress and disease will do the same, but key for us is that this Yin time of year (with it's dark, cold, slow and inward energy) is exactly the seasons to replenish it.
💧 From a TCM perspective, Winter provides the deep space to be still and refuel, as it's the end of all the seasons. It's time for meditation and slowing down, to allow us to become receptive and introspective. Slow yoga is perfect right now!
💧 Winter is associated with the Kidneys which hold our most basic building block - our essence that we talked about above, or in TCM terms, 'jing' - and we all know how alive and topped up we feel after a great, deep rest... so of course rest is super important to nourish our kidneys (we could well take note of animals that hibernate in Winter!).
💧 And last but not least, diet always plays a part! The good old bone broth that is a fave in Winter is actually one of the most powerful Jing tonics we could have! It's literally what the (TCM) doctor ordered! Tips for other warming foods: eat what grows at this time of year! Root veggies, dark leafy greens, apples and pears... just perfect!
A Winter Yin Yoga workshop is coming up shortly in the Inner West with me, so stay in the loop to know when it's live! Now, rug up, my loves xo