Simple Self-Care Practices for Winter Health With Chinese Medicine
I have been reflecting lately on how much I enjoy educating my patients about Chinese medicine and all aspects of health. I love teaching. My first job at 14 was teaching gymnastics to 3 and 4-year-olds. I have been teaching ever since. I was a Montessori teacher, Spanish teacher, and taught English in Venezuela before I became an acupuncturist. While I was a teacher in Arizona, I started studying internal martial arts, learning about Chinese medicine, and getting acupuncture. I knew after a couple of years it was time to devote my life to teaching and sharing these life-changing tools with other people. That said, I have decided I want to write more newsletters and teach qigong and tai chi classes again (dates to come soon 😊 ) educating my patients about Chinese medicine and all aspects of health. It's like the old saying, teach a person to fish, and they can eat forever. I want my patients to feel empowered in their bodies and minds and to be able to share the tools and wisdom of Chinese medicine with their families and friends. Chinese medicine is powerful, intuitive, and easy to share. Making subtle lifestyle and dietary changes can help and prevent a myriad of chronic issues. All right, let's get this party started. Since it's winter, let’s start there.
Aligning with the Water Element
In Chinese medicine, each season is associated with one of the Five Elements, and Winter is linked to the Water element. This element governs the kidneys and bladder, which play a crucial role in storing and eliminating waste. You can nourish your kidneys with foods like black beans, kidney beans, and walnuts. It's important to stay hydrated with warm water and herbal teas.
Breathe
The adrenals sit on top of the kidneys, and in Chinese medicine, we see them as one. Winter is a crucial time to rest the kidneys and the adrenals. Tending to our kidneys means tending to our parasympathetic nervous system. This means allowing ourselves to relax deeply and getting out of the sympathetic response of "fight or flight" and moving into our parasympathetic nervous system, allowing us to "rest and digest." It is hard to heal anything when we are in fight or flight. The more often our parasympathetic nervous system is activated, the faster we can heal and increase our resilience to what is happening around us. The simplest way to get there is through our breath. By taking deep belly breaths in and out of our nose, we can activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is how babies breathe; you can see their bellies rise up and down. Put your hand about 2 inches below your belly button, as you inhale see if you can push your hand out, and as you exhale let your belly relax. It might take some practice, but it's a practice worth doing. How we breathe can change everything.
Nourishing Yin and Yang
In Chinese medicine, balance between Yin and Yang is essential for optimal health. Winter is associated with the Yin Principle, characterized by stillness, cold, and darkness. To harmonize with this season, focus on nourishing Yin by incorporating foods like soups, stews, and cooked grains into your diet. Embrace the season's stillness by incorporating restorative practices such as meditation and gentle exercises like tai chi, qigong, yoga, or long walks in nature. This is a good time for deep reflection and setting intentions.
Warmth from Within
To combat external cold, it's crucial to cultivate warmth from within. Warm foods, such as ginger, garlic, and cinnamon, can help invigorate the body's internal heat. Enjoying hot beverages such as ginger tea can be particularly beneficial in promoting circulation and dispelling cold. If you do have something cold, you can sprinkle cinnamon on it first or add ginger. Additionally, layering clothing and keeping the lower back and neck covered helps protect the body's vital energy known as Qi.
Boosting the Immune System
Winter is notorious for flus and colds, making immune support a top priority. In Chinese medicine, the immune system is closely linked to the strength of Wei Qi, the body's protective energy. Incorporate immune-boosting herbs such as astragalus and medicinal mushrooms like reishi into your daily routine. Acupuncture and herbal remedies can also enhance Wei Qi, helping ward off illness and promoting overall resilience.
Embrace Seasonal Living
Winter encourages us to slow down and turn inward, aligning with the natural rhythm of the season. Instead of resisting the shorter days and longer nights, embrace this time for reflection and rejuvenation. Adjust your sleep patterns to ensure you get sufficient rest, as the body repairs and rejuvenates during sleep. Indoor activities like reading, meditation, and gentle stretching can complement the season's energy and promote overall well-being.
Practice Deep Listening to Your Body
Listening is the activity of the Kidneys, and I must admit this might be my favorite one to talk about and one that I find vital to our health. In Chinese medicine staying warm to improve circulation is vital. It is always important to ask ourselves, am I warm enough? Are my hands and feet warm? If they aren't warm, warm them up! Especially the feet, the kidney channel begins at the bottom of the feet, and if they are cold, the kidneys are getting cold sent into them, which can contribute to low back pain, low sex drive, anxiety, and many other issues. A great thing to do is to soak your feet in hot water and then put some warm socks on. Then notice how you feel and ask yourself; does my body feel any different? Through deep listening, we can learn an incredible amount about our body. It is a powerful tool for staying healthy and preventing chronic issues. Our bodies are amazing and mysterious, and when we listen deeply to them, big shifts will happen.
Planting Seeds
We are deep into winter. It has been almost a month since the winter solstice. More light is entering each day. The earth is showing us what we need to do. Chinese medicine is nature-based medicine. We are a part of nature. If the Earth is the macrocosm, then we humans are the microcosm. Observe nature. Go inward, rest more, and plant seeds. Plant the seeds for what you want to see come into fruition in the spring and for the rest of the year. Planting seeds doesn't have to be a physical activity. It can be a quiet time for deep reflection on what is working and what's not. This is the time for that deep listening. What is working and what is not? What do you need to let go of, and what needs to be added in? Winter is a time for deep nourishment and resources. How do you find nourishment? We don't need to know the answers to the questions. A long time ago, one of my first mentors in Chinese medicine said it’s the questions we ask that guide our lives. I still find this so helpful to remember. We don't have to know any answers right now. We can just ask the questions, remain open, and listen deeply. Also, this is a potent time to plant seeds as the Year of the Wood Dragon is upon us. The Chinese New Year is on February 10th. These next 2 weeks before the new year are the perfect time to clear things out and get ready for this big shift.
More to come about the Year of the Dragon in the next newsletter! For now, clearing out, planting seeds, and deep listening will prepare you for the Chinese New Year to come. Remember, small micro changes make for big shifts. It can be easy, simple, and profound.
If you feel inspired, here is the link to vote for me in the Good Times:
https://2024-best-of-santa-cruz-readers-poll--metrosv.contest.vote/
I learn so much from all of my patients, and I am extremely grateful for all of you.
In Gratitude and Health,
Adrianna
dradriannagonzalez.com
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P.S If you want to learn the Water element qi gong let me know the next time you come in and I will show you.
