Welluvia’s Guide To Winter
The seasons of the year are an interplay between Yin and Yang, each one moving into dominance and then retreating again as the other shifts forward. In Winter, Yang energies go inwards, and Yin energies dominate. As the environment becomes colder around us, plants wither away along with other signs of life which forces us to look inwards.
Yin is a dark, cold and slow energy while Yang is a light, hot, quick and mentally expansive energy. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is crucial to enrich our Yin energies throughout the colder months and subdue the high-energy Yang. As mentioned in Welluvia's Autumn Guide, Traditional Chinese Medicine believes it is essential to synchronise our lifestyles and habits with the seasons so we can live balanced and healthy all year round.
Traditional Chinese Medicine & Winter
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter has key associations to be mindful of during the season.
Element - Water
Yin Organ- Kidneys
Yang Organ - Urinary Bladder
Emotion - Fear and depression
Climate - Cold
Flavour - Salty, bitter
Colour - Black
Sound - Moaning
A look at the Yin and Yang Organs of Winter
Within Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys store the Qi energy within our bodies. When our kidneys are depleted, it is easy for us to be affected by some of the more negative traits of winter and not be able to bounce back as quickly. This also runs the risk of allowing the body to become more susceptible to unhealthy amounts of fear and depression. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys have many vital functions within the body that ensure the body is not stagnant, and keeps the body, spirit and mind flexible without the chance for imbalance.
The Yang organ of winter is the urinary bladder. The urinary bladder is where the water in the body collects and is then eliminated. If our bladder isn't functioning correctly, it can become leaky, and the whole body is in danger of being fatigued and filled up with toxic waste. When this happens, we can find ourselves become depressed, easily fatigued or generally not feeling at peace. Paying attention to our diet, exercise and meditation in winter can help restore the urinary bladder to its healthy function.
Optimising Mind & Body in Winter
As fear is the emotion associated with the water element, the governing element of winter, it is a crucial time for us to maintain balance within our bodies, so our fear doesn't become out of control. Fear is a healthy bodily response that can help us remain attentive or help guide us with caution in certain situations. However, when water is out of balance, the same fear can become overbearing. For me, the winter months have always been the hardest part of the year. I used to notice myself having less energy and being less motivated, easily discouraged from projects or social engagements. I think something is compelling from that awareness and is the first step into making winter more manageable. This winter, I've made a point of discovering ways to counteract some of the more negative parts of winter and have compiled them into three main groups.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D from the sun has shown in countless studies and research to impact our mood and wellbeing directly. As the days get shorter and just generally more cold and miserable, our intake of Vitamin D drastically declines. I started taking a great Vitamin D supplement a bit more rigorously than I have the months prior, and have seen first-hand the difference it can make.
Acupuncture & Energy Healing
Learning about the associations our bodies have with the colder months, and more specifically with our kidneys, I was determined to make sure the Qi in my kidneys was balanced. This led me to decide to see an acupuncturist. For the past few weeks I have been seeing Claire Shen, a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor that was recommended to me by family. Over the past few weeks, I've seen such an extraordinary benefit from my appointments. The discussions we've had before and after sessions were sometimes equally as beneficial as the treatment itself. Weekly appointments with my acupuncturist have helped keep me balanced and make sure the energy in my kidney was free-flowing and not stagnant.
Light Therapy
Another negative aspect of winter on our wellbeing is the lack of light. When I was younger, I tried a few sessions of a specific light therapy at a clinic when the weather got colder and felt myself returning back to normal in the weeks following. Our brain's chemistry and body-clock are significantly affected by light, as light stimulates hormones and neurotransmitters. Exposure to bright light early in the day stimulates our body's production of serotonin (improving mood and happiness) and regulates melatonin in the evening (promoting sleep). As I haven't been able to get as much light exposure outdoors, I've been using the Veriluxe HappyLight at my desk while writing, and the benefits are felt immediately.
Food & Diet
As we spend time more indoors and take daily practices more slowly, winter is a great time to harness our time more effectively in the kitchen. Excessively cold foods introduce more Yin energy into our bodies and can easily overwhelm us. For this reason, it is vital to be eating foods of a warm or hot nature, so we do not stress our bodies and metabolism. Winter is an excellent time to make stews, soups and casserole dishes out of seasonal ingredients, and allowing the process to be slower and more thoughtful. To nourish our bodies and tone our kidneys, we should be incorporating foods such as kidney beans, potatoes, chestnuts, carrots, miso paste, winter greens, cabbage, mushroom, pears, other seasonal vegetables and spices such as cinnamon and cumin into our diets.
Recently I was gifted a Japanese donabe by two close friends, and have found the slow process of preparing meals over a few hours almost therapeutic. As the flavour of winter is salty, using good quality salt to add to your dishes is also another great option during these months.
Hydration
It is also essential to maintain hydration during winter as the season is known to draw moisture out of the body. I've been keeping track of my hydration levels with a super cute and cool device called Ulla. The smart device blinks whenever I haven't picked up my water in a while and knows when I'm around due to its vibration sensor. It also knows when it's night time to switch itself off!
Drinking teas and warm drinks are encouraged during winter, steering clear from cold beverages as much as possible. I've found myself enjoying teas more than usual lately. Organic tea with a variety of healing spices can do wonders during these months.
Sleep
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes we should adjust our sleeping cycles according to the seasons. It is crucial in winter to get as much rest as possible, and even include a bit more sleep than you usually would. It is also essential to follow the correct bodily sleep patterns of our bodies, not staying up late and trying to make up for it by sleeping in the morning, rather going to bed before 11 pm and rising with the sun in the morning. The goal of winter is to maximise rest and recuperation. Practices in meditation before sleep or after waking are an excellent chance to stay warm in bed without necessarily being asleep.
The Kidney Meridian
As the soles of our feet are the beginning to the kidney meridian, it is crucial to always to keep them warm. A suggestion given to me by Dr Shen was to soak my feet in hot water with Epsom salts every night before bed. This practice draws heat away from our head and bodies, and cools the body's core, inducing melatonin. On nights that I haven't had time to do the foot-bath, I have opted for a heat pack at the bottom of my bed along with a Japanese tourmaline foot patch on the soles of my feet which draws out impurities from the body while I sleep, a mini-detox.
Fitness & Activities
Winter is about resting and recharging; thus, vigorous exercise should be limited if not avoided. It is still essential to move our bodies so the Qi energy is moving freely; however, opt for more slow practices such as yoga or Tai Chi. When we train too intensely during the winter, we risk allowing Qi energy leaking out of the body through our pores.
During winter we have a chance to self-reflect and have more down-time. Things like journaling, reading books and Metta meditation are all good options to nourish our body and spirit, and not risk overstimulation when the body should be set to rest mode. Providing our bodies with this relaxing time sets us up for the energised and high-energy months to come.
Things To Note:
Nature is still, hibernating, and this silence around us forces us to gaze inwards and reconnect with our inner selves. It's a replenishing time for our bodies, as we discard the unnecessary habits and routines we practised in the warmer months, and a chance for the mind, body and spirit to start fresh. What we do in winter plants the seeds for our habits and wellbeing for the following year, aligning ourselves with winter will see us our healthiest during the season and for the rest of the year. Start grounding yourself and planning projects for the months to come, then when you're rested you'll have the chance to go out and do them in spring.
Wishing everyone a healthy and happy winter.
With wellness,
Aleksandar
Photography by Aleksandar Zarić for Welluvia
