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The interpretation of “winter” in the ancient book\n“The Seventy-two Pentad of The Lunar Calendar” is as following:\n“Winter, the end, and all things are concealed”. In climatology, the day of “Start of\nWinter” is not fixed as the beginning of winter in various places.\nInstead, seasons are divided according to the temperature. Winter is defined as\none pentad (5 days) when the average temperature is below 10o<\/sup>C (50o<\/sup>F).<\/p>\n\n\n\n TCM considers the winter season the top priority for health\npreservation in four seasons for three reasons: \nFirst, in the cold winter weather is easy to cause or aggravate\ndiseases, especially cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Second,\n“if you do not hide essence in winter, you will get sick in spring.”\nIf you do not pay attention to health preservation (Yang-sheng) in winter, you\nwill get sick easily in the coming year. \nThird, if you did not preserve essence well in the winter, it will\naffect the essence-qi-spirit in the entire next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Core of Winter Yang-sheng: Concealment or\nPreservation (<\/strong>\u85cf) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to TCM wellness practice, winter is the season for\npreservation or hidden (\u85cf).\nMore specifically there are three preservations to be practiced during the\nwinter: preserve yang, preserve jing (essence), and preserve shen\n(spirit). Let\u2019s briefly explain what\nthese preservations are about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A. Preserve Yang (<\/strong>\u85cf\u9633<\/strong>) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Winter is the season when “Yin rising while yang\ndisappear”. Preservation of Yang can achieve the basic balance between Yin\nand Yang within body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Protect the kidney\nYang<\/p>\n\n\n\n TCM believes that “the head is the meeting place of all\nYang”, that is to say, the head is the gathering place of all Yang, it\nshould not be exposed to the cold. So we\nshould pay attention to the head and wear a hat to protect the Yang qi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reduce Yang dissipation — People who are used to do morning\nexercise should go to bed early and get up late, start exercising after the sun\nis rising, and avoid getting up too early or exercising in fog. Physical\nexercise just to the degree of minor sweat, because big sweating is easy to expose\nto cold evil, and catch a bad cold. Winter clothing should be gradually\nthickened, so that the body to the drop temperature has a process of adaptation. As indoor and outdoor temperature difference,\nit should be appropriate to increase or decrease clothing, to avoid sudden cold\nand sudden heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. More Sunshine<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get more sunshine, especially the body back. TCM believes\nthat the abdomen is Yin, the back is Yang, more sun to the back can play the\nrole of enhancing Yang qi, and channeling meridian. The best time to get Yang\nfrom sunshine is between 11am and 1pm (Noon time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Protect the Foot\nYang<\/p>\n\n\n\n Human abdomen and feet are the most vulnerable to cold evil\nattack, as the saying goes, “cold come from the foot”. The foot is\nthe farthest from the heart, blood supply is slow and less, once cold, will\nreflexively cause respiratory mucosa capillary contractions, therefore, the\npatients of chronic bronchitis should strengthen the foot warmth in the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Diet Nourishment<\/p>\n\n\n\n After entering the winter, diet should mainly be light and\nwarm in nature. For example, mutton and hot-pot can increase the body’s heat or\nyang. There are many good recipes for winter (to be laid out later). For\ninstance, drink some lily pear soup every day to prevent dry mouth; or drink\nturnip water, it is especially good with white turnip, which can have good qi benefiting\nthe spleen, clear heat diuresis, prevent the effect of cold. The most seasonal fruit in winter is orange,\nwinter tonic orange can play the role of preventing cough and moistening lung, as\nwell as balancing the qi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There has always been a custom of winter tonic among Chinese\nculture. There are folk proverbs such as “Yang-sheng in a winter tonic,\nand there will be no pain next year” and “Winter tonic this year, and\nyou will have power to fight a tiger next springs”. During winter people’s digestion and\nabsorption function has been strengthened, so in the winter taking tonic supplements\nand food is easy to digest and absorb; At the same time, the metabolic rate is\nlow with less consumption, absorption of nutrients, energy can be stored in the\nbody, which can give full play to its benefit function. On the other hand, no\nmatter it is the food supplements or nutrition ointment, winter can be the time\nfor long-term storage with going moldy, easy to take supplements for\napplications that need to be long.<\/p>\n\n\n The climate is cold in the winter, people are deficient with\ncold signs. According to the TCM principle of “deficiency need being\nreplenished, cold need to be warmed,” we should eat more warm, hot,\nespecially warm-nourishing kidney-yang food for conditioning, so as to improve\nthe body’s cold tolerance. In winter, the yang-deficiency people should eat more\nbeef, mutton, chives, etc., partial to the Yin-deficiency people tonic to duck,\ngoose meat for good. Winter daily meals can add a small cup of wine, which can\nplay the role of relaxing muscles and helping blood circulation. You may eat some ginger for yang-lifting.\nMeanwhile, try to avoid eating sticky, hard, raw, cold food in the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Nourished with\nSupplements<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winter is the best time to take medicinal cream recipe (a\nTCM tradition). At this time, the nutrient absorption and utilization rate of\nhuman body intake is high, and it is easy to accumulate and play a role in\nhealth. It is the best opportunity for patients with body deficiency to enrich\nthe kidney and store essence. Therefore, there is a saying that “practice\nwinter tonic, fighting a tiger in the beginning of spring.” Under the guidance of the TCM doctor, the\nelderly can take tonic supplement such as done-gelatin, ginseng and velvet\nantler. They can also drink some medicinal wine to promote blood circulation.<\/p>\n\n\n B.\nPreserve Essence (<\/strong>\u85cf\u7cbe<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The function of kidney is to store the essence and absorb\nthe qi. “Yellow Empire\u2019s Internal Classic” says: the kidney is the\nmain body of the insect, and the source of sealing the kidney Qi. That is to\nsay, the kidney is the main body-essence, in the winter we need preserve and seal\nthe kidney essence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winter is the season of kidney-water. Kidney is mainly in\ncharge of preservation of essence, when kidney essence is full, criterion\ncerebrum become sufficient, body-action is agile, and ears and eyes are clever.\nAccordingly, raising kidney Qi basically depends on reduction of desire and protection\nof essence. It is said that there is a\nplace called three laughter, related to three elderly of longevity. Three old\npeople exchange their longevity experience, one said: walk one hundred steps\nafter a meal; another said: use walking replace car; the last one said: marry a\nugly wife. All three people laughed at that, then name the place three laughter.\nLongevity is related to abstinence, and preservation of essence (sperm) play a\nbig role. Human illness develop from\nlight to heavy, generally it starts with injury of qi and blood, then the\ninjury of kidney-essence. The so-called\nlong-term illness will hurt kidney, eventually become chronic. Alcoholism also\nhurt kidney essence, so borrow a sentence from storytelling, “wine is the\nintestinal poison, and sex is the steel knife hidden in the flowers.” The\nelderly and seriously-ill people must keep away from too much alcohol or sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Preservation of essence is to preserve (conceal) the true\nYin and true Yang within. For this\npurpose one can do some exercises nourishing kidney Yin, and tonifying kidney\nYang. One kidney-care method is to rub\nyong-quan (kidney 1) and rub waist diathermy with warm hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a person is easy to fear, it is actually a sign of insufficient\nkidney Yang. A person with sufficient kidney Yang will not be afraid of. If you do not fill up the kidney Yang,\nverbally say, you cannot stand up for yourself, because there is no material\nbasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This person with insufficient kidney yang needs to do the\nexercise of rubing waist diaphanous. The method is put both palms on the\nposition of lumbar kidney area, rub up and down, rub about 3-5 minutes. Then rub\nboth palms together again, fast rubbing until it is hot, use the warm palm cover\nin kidney area, experience heat to penetrate into waist, half a minute each\ntime, you can do a few times a day repeatedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people cannot concentrate themselves, although Yang qi\nis sufficient, very restless, what does this show? TCM called it “Yin deficiency<\/a>\nand Yang hyperactivity”. Always Yin deficiency with fire flourishing,\npeople will produce a kind of trouble, easy to be distracted, attention is not\nfocused, restlessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A man cannot do anything if he cannot keep his mind still.\nThis kind of person need do rub yong-quan, to nourish the Yin decrease internal\nheat. Once the kidney water is sufficient, the empty fire in the body will be\nnourished and calmed down. The method of rubbing Yong-quan is to rub the sole\nof the foot back and forth with the palm, pay attention to be gentle, slow,\nspeed is not too fast. Do this before\ngoing to bed, rub both sides of the foot for 15 minutes for the best outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The “Shacking seven bumps on the back to get rid of all\nsickness” in the Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong highlights the benefits of\nstanding on tiptoe. From the perspective\nof meridian circulation, the three Yin meridians of the foot (spleen, liver, and\nkidney meridian) all pass through the inside of the foot, and the tiptoe can\nplay the role of dredging the three Yin meridians of the foot, so as to improve\nthe kidney function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C. Preserve the Divine (Spirit <\/strong>\u85cf\u795e<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Preserve the Shen (divine or spirit) refers to the\nactivities related to mood, emotion and spirituality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Go to bed early and wake up late<\/p>\n\n\n\n In daily life of winter, one should go to bed early and get\nup late, as early sleep can nourish Yang qi, and late rising can nourish Yin\nQi. At the same time before going to bed one can do hot-water bubble feet, with\nmassage Yongquan point and San-Yin-jiao point to help sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Cheerful Mind<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winter begins the weather dark and gloomy, cold wind\nrustling. It is extremely easy to affect the person’s mood. Therefore, it is\nsuggested to do moderate exercise, such as Eight Pieces of Brocade, Tai Chi and\nYoga to achieve peace of mind. Also one\ncan do the traditional movement forms such as clasp teeth, stir a tongue, turn\neyeball. Tooth passes the kidney, tongue\npasses heart, eye passes liver, frequent exercises can slow down aging, and delay\nconcrescence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is necessary to remind you that exercise is best done\nafter sunrise or in the afternoon, people who have the habit of morning\nexercise should pay attention to the “three not” : not too early, not\nin snow, not in fog.<\/p>\n\n\n 3. Adjusting Mood<\/p>\n\n\n\n Low temperature in winter may cause mood prone to\ndepression, it is recommended to listen to more light-n-easy music, keep an\nopen-minded, do some fun activities, and maintain a cheerful mood. The liver\nstores blood, and is the host of catharsis. The cheerful mood will benefit\nliver collecting and nourishing the liver blood for catharsis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Winter\nWellness Practice Need Nourishing both Yang and Yin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the TCM theory of nourishing Yang in spring and\nsummer, and nourishing Yin in autumn and winter, Yin should be nourished in the\nwinter, because winter is the season with the strongest Yin qi with best\nquality, and winter is the time when Yin raises while yang disappears.\nTherefore, when the Yin is long in winter, the Yin should be replenished to the\nhuman body, especially for those of Yin deficiency. Do not miss the winter as\nit is the best opportunity to obtain Yin qi, to balance their Yin and Yang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, we should also pay attention to nourishing Yang in\nwinter. Because winter is the top priority of wellness preservation in four\nseasons, the quality of winter wellness practice is related to the health of\nthe coming year; and because the sun is the most precious in winter, the\nsunshine is short and weak, and the sun soon moves to the west. In addition,\nthe cold weather in winter tends to deplete the Yang qi of the human body.\nTherefore, attention must be paid to Yang cultivation in winter so as to better\nmaintain the balance of Yin and Yang of the human body. Especially for yang-deficient\npeople, more attention to nourishing Yang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to\nadjust and nourish Yin in winter<\/strong>\uff1f<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n From the perspective of natural Yin and Yang gasification,\nwinter is the season with the most Yin and qi in a year. Because in a year,\nspring and summer is the period when Yang grows and Yin disappears, that is to\nsay, spring and summer weather is dominated by “Yang grows”, so\nspring and summer should take advantage of the weather trend to raise Yang; And\nAutumn-winter is “Yin raises while yang disappear” of time, that is\nto say qiu Dong is long Yin qi of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, of course, people with Yin deficiency should take this\nopportunity to nourish Yin in order to adjust and restore the balance of Yin\nand Yang. Winter is the best time nature gives Yin qi, winter Yin qi is the\nmost concentrated, the best quality, of course, to take this opportunity to\nraise Yin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how to nourish Yin in winter? People with weak fire, in\nthe winter night love lift quilt, five upset heat, pharynx dry, insomnia, more\ndreams, tongue red, pulse, more belong to Yin deficiency. In winter, we should\nseize the opportunity to nourish Yin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where should we go to nourish Yin in winter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n To nourish Yin in winter, you must drink three glasses of\nwater per day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, eat some Yin food in winter, such as winter\ndates, snow pear and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to\nadjust and raise Yang in winter?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. More Sunshine<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sun is the main source of Yang qi, the sun is nature’s\nmost selfless gift. The best time to bask in the sun in winter is 10 ~ 11 am,\naround 13 PM. Yang-deficient people want to bask more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Eat more warm food<\/p>\n\n\n Kidneys need to be prepared to maintain their winter caloric\nexpenditure, it is important to eat warm food with extra energy so that a\ncertain amount of energy can be stored for the coming year, so kidney\nmaintenance is crucial. Diet should always pay attention to the recuperation of\nthe kidney, pay attention to the addition of calories, eat more animal food and\nlegumes, vitamins and inorganic salts. Beef, mutton, goose, duck, soybean,\nwalnut, chestnut, agaric, sesame, sweet potato, radish and so on are suitable\nfood in winter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. More sleep<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sleep is also a good way to nourish Yang qi and give rise to\n“healthy qi”. Some animals go into hibernation in winter, and humans\nhave to work and live, but a little more sleep can be done. Sleep more, help to\nrestore energy, physical strength, so as to achieve the goal of Yang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Meditation and\nQigong practice to nourish Yang<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many forms of Qigong, especially standing pole,\nthat are designed to raise Yang and nourish kidney. They are extremely powerful\nto practice in the winter. Starting on\nDecember 2020, our weekly online qigong for health program will focus on TCM\nwinter wellness practice, including a series of qigong forms, life-style issues\nand nutrition recommendations. We meet\nevery Sunday from 8:30 to 10:00am EST, and welcome those who are interested in\nwinter Wellness practice to join us at any time. Here is the link for online registration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/dr-chens-weekly-online-qigong-for-health-a-zoom-based-event-tickets-101852467472<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Keep warm in\nwinter<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important to keep the following three parts of body\nwarm all the time in winter so as to nourish Yang:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, the fundamental purpose of wellness practice and health\npreservation is not only to prolong life, but more importantly to improve the\nquality of life and enjoy more of our lives. In a sense, keeping in good health\nis to manage health, manage way of living, and manage life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For those who are interested in more knowledge and training\nin the wellness practice of winter, please join us every Sunday from 8:30 to\n10:00am EST, our weekly online Qigong for health will offer systematic training\nin TCM wellness practice, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first class is a free trial, then you pay only $8 to $10 per class. Please register online at:\u00a0 https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/dr-chens-weekly-online-qigong-for-health-a-zoom-based-event-tickets-101852467472 . <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/dr-chens-weekly-online-qigong-for-health-a-zoom-based-event-tickets-101852467472<\/a>\n\n\n\n For more information about our Winter wellness training, please contact Allwyn by email: alja78@aol.com for details. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Depositphotos_167115706_S.jpg\")
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