Living in Harmony with the Seasons: Winter

Suggestions for Living in Harmony with the Seaons: Winter

• Get more rest •
This is nature’s season for rest, repair, and regeneration—a phase important for our next cycle of growth. The Nei Ching, oldest-known document of Chinese medicine, advises: “[In Winter], people should retire early at night and rise late in the morning, and they should wait for the rising of the sun.”

• Schedule more time for your inner life •

Use the energy of the season to discover more about yourself through reflection, reading literature that “restores the spirit,” being more aware of your senses, paying attention to your dreams. The winter season is an especially good time to begin the practice of meditation.

• Choose more “warming” foods •

As the weather cools and the body needs to generate more warmth, include more cooked foods and complex carbohydrates in your meals. Try dishes made with whole grains, squashes, beans, peas, and root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and garlic.

• “Gather round the hearth” with people who mean the most to you •

Winter evenings are an especially good time to rejuvenate and deepen relationships with those closest to you. Keep gatherings simple and relaxed.

• Feed your adrenal glands •

The kidney is the organ associated with winter in Tradition Chinese Medicine. Points on the kidney meridian are nourishing to the body and spirit. Our favorite herbs to take around this time include: astragalus root, hawthorn berry, eleuthero root, schizandra berry, albizia bark, and rhodiola.

Winter is the perfect time to boost your overall vitality.  As we strengthen our internal reserves by living in harmony with the season, we can prepare ourselves for the energy and growth of the new year.