In the West, winter is "officially" here from the winter solstice on 21 or 22 December, and with it comes the cold, wind and humidity that cause the leaves to fall from the trees and put nature to rest. A very trying season for our bodies! Let's take a look at what the Chinese Medical Tradition, with its simple, tried and tested practices, has to offer us as a guide to help us get through winter in the best possible condition...
In Chinese medicine, winter is associated with Water, and Water is associated with the middle of the night.
During this season of rain and snow, nature turns in on itself. Winter represents the last part of a man's life, wisdom, old age and death. Its colour is black, its flavour is salty and its emotion is fear. Winter marks the end of the annual cycle. The earth is exhausted, like a mother who has given birth to her children, nurtured them, educated them, brought them to life, and now needs to rest. All of nature falls asleep... On the surface of the earth, the signs of life are reduced to a minimum. Life no longer concerns the outside, but the inside. Water is omnipresent in winter: it pours from the sky, runs off roofs, slides over pebbles and rocks, penetrates the earth and swells the course of rivers to the point where they sometimes overflow and invade the landscape. In winter, we should behave like nature, the vegetation and the animals, especially the tortoise. We should welcome the winter season with rest, introspection, meditation and letting go.
As with each element, a pair of organs, and more specifically their functions, carry the characteristics of the Water element.
These are the kidneys and the bladder. The kidneys are considered particularly vital, since all the energies of the other organs depend on them. The kidneys are our energy battery (hence the importance of having "strong kidneys"!). The kidneys nourish the bone marrow, bones, hair, brain and blood.
The kidneys conserve the vital essence received at birth, which is called prenatal vital essence. The potential of this vital essence only diminishes throughout life, but we can maintain it as well as possible and avoid wasting it!
The emotions corresponding to the Water element are courage and self-confidence. If we have enough energy, we'll be courageous, but if we lack it, we'll fall into fear, lack of initiative, terror and sleepiness.
Similarly, if we have self-confidence, we eliminate water from our tissues, whereas if we lack it, water will accumulate and create oedema, as well as a certain amount of spinal rigidity (the Bladder meridian runs along the back). The Water element is also the seat of determination and willpower: the will to get up every day, to move forward in life, to fulfil myself, to exist.
A few rules for getting through the winter:
Go to bed early and get up late...
In winter, nature is dormant.
Vegetation slows down and animals hibernate.
Like them, we also need to slow down our activity, to economise and to take care of ourselves so that we can face up to the harshness of winter without exhausting ourselves.
The cold, wind, drought and humidity, as well as the lack of light and the increase in pathogenic factors (colds, flu, etc.), gradually deplete our energy capital.
In the past, human activity was also regulated by the seasons. Farmers, for example, worked much harder in summer. They got up early and went to bed late, taking advantage of the long days to do all the work in the fields. In winter, because they had less work to do, they recovered by getting up later and going to bed earlier.
If we don't reduce our activity in winter, we gradually drain our batteries. In the body, it's the kidney that plays the role of battery. It is the source of all energy, storing it and redistributing it when the body needs it. So it's vital in winter to learn how to recharge our batteries so that in spring, when nature is reborn, we can take part in the general energy drive that gives us so much strength and creativity, instead of feeling tired, exhausted and depressed, and looking forward to the next holidays!
So let's accept Mother Nature's invitation to follow her example. Following nature's lead is already a step towards wisdom! And in fine weather, the bud of our heart will blossom once again.
So in winter, we go to bed early and get up late...
In winter, keep your feet warm and your head cool.
In winter, it's advisable to keep the extremities (feet and hands) warm, because blood circulation naturally concentrates on the vital organs when it's cold. To remedy this and make the circulation more 'homogenous', give yourself foot baths with plants, combined with a massage.
Keeping a cool head doesn't mean going out in the cold bare-headed. No, on the contrary, a hat is a must. The head is very 'Yang' and needs to be protected from excessively low temperatures. It's where we lose the most heat.
As is often the case, Chinese expressions can be read (or understood) on several levels. In winter, the harshness of the climate means that we need to economise and become more inward-looking. Both physically and emotionally. To do this, we need to avoid the hustle and bustle and avoid spreading ourselves too thin. Keep a cool head.
To boost our immune defences, Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends rinsing your face with cold water (cold head) every morning. This action stimulates and strengthens the energy of the lungs, helping us to combat all the little ailments of winter, such as colds and flu, and to keep a 'cool head' by avoiding fever.
Footbath with fresh ginger (sheng Jiang)
Here's a simple and effective way to promote blood circulation in the lower limbs and keep your feet warm. Or just for fun!
To be done in the evening just before bedtime.
Roughly grate 50g of fresh ginger or cut 10 nice slices, and boil them in 2 litres of water for 20 minutes over a low heat. Cover the saucepan.
Two minutes before the end of the cooking time, add a pinch of salt, but no more.
Pour the mixture into a basin and top up with warm water to increase the volume and adjust the temperature.
Bathe the feet for 10 to 15 minutes, the water should be hot but bearable. Add a little hot water from time to time to keep the bath at the right temperature.
Then wipe your feet thoroughly and massage them, or better still, have them massaged for 5 to 10 minutes.
Ginger is hot and warm in nature, warming and stimulating the circulation of energy.
Salt stimulates the Kidney's energy, but don't use too much, just a pinch.
Carry out a cure of 5 to 10 days while your feet recover a suitable temperature, then 1 to 3 times a week as a preventive measure for the rest of the winter.
This naturally relaxing practice is also highly effective in soothing and relaxing the body and mind.
Go to bed with an empty stomach and a light heart...
Yes, we go to bed early, but be careful not to go to bed on a full stomach.
At night, all our physiological functions slow down. Heart rate drops, body temperature falls, breathing becomes slower and more shallow. In short, all our organs go into a deep sleep, allowing us to recharge our batteries.
If digestion has not been completed by the time we go to bed, it will more or less come to a halt and food will stagnate longer in the stomach, which in the long run will greatly weaken our digestive functions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the stomach is the source of energy, blood and body fluids, so it's easy to see why this practice puts so much emphasis on preserving and strengthening its functions.
Be careful, going to bed with an empty stomach doesn't mean you shouldn't eat in the evening; you'll just have to adjust the time of your meal so that digestion is complete before bedtime.
To sleep deeply, it is also important to cleanse the palate of the 'Shen' (of the Spirit), otherwise the 'Shen' will become agitated and disturb its home (the Heart). To be clearer, we don't go to bed if we're emotionally disturbed (angry, too happy, anxious, too sad or too stressed). Otherwise the heartbeat won't slow down enough, and sleep becomes too shallow, or worse, insomnia sets in.
A few self-massages and a bit of meditation will do you a world of good. You should also consider energy balancing sessions to help stimulate physical energy and regulate emotional energy.
As you can see, we go to bed with an empty stomach and a light heart...
Holiday meals... the warmth inside.
Winter is also the time of year-end meals.
These festive meals, which are fatter, heartier and sweeter, don't have much dietary benefit for the body, but they do allow us to nourish the Shen (the spirit) and to get together as a family. As we saw earlier, the rigours of winter mean that we need to refocus and go inward.
So let's take advantage of these moments to 'cocoon' as a family and get together with friends to share some good times.
These little gestures, which warm the heart, also help us to maintain our inner warmth... Back to true values!
A few additional tips to help you have a good winter...
- Eat lightly, with foods that "hydrate": legumes, oilseeds, soups, vegetables.
- Walnuts are a good source of Omega-3 and magnesium, and help boost brain activity, calm nervousness and increase fertility (linked to the Kidneys).
- Avoid alcohol, refined sugars, saturated fats, cold meats and ready-made meals: these foods dry out the body's water.
- In winter, you can eat saltier food, as it's the flavour of the season! Just make sure you use the right salt: unrefined sea salt or pink Himalayan salt!
- Your plant allies: ginger, cloves, ginseng, cinnamon, sesame.