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Are You Fighting Winter?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is the peak of yin energy. This type of energy is passive, feminine, accepting of what is, and inward looking. It is in complete contrast with the yang energy of summer, which is outwards looking, active, and focused on doing by changing ourselves and world around us.
The old Chinese character for the word 'winter' is an image of the sun stored in an upside down bottle. This makes sense because in the past, the winter used to be a time of scarcity of food and survival against the elements for many people. So winter is traditionally all about closing up and storage.
In the West, our technology makes it easy for us to lose our connection with the rhythm of the seasons. Many of us now have light and warmth at the flick of a switch and food at the supermarket all year round. We can easily assume that we should be 'on the go' and at peak performance all through the year.
However, we are connected to the energetic rhythms of our Earth more than we realise.
Animals understand the seasons instinctively - and humans are a type of animal. If we fight winter and try to maintain our 'yang' energy, we run the risk of depleting our reserves of energy which can lead to burn out, feeling down and illness.
So for those of you who are in winter at this time, I want to reassure you that it's okay to listen to that little voice inside that simply wants to cuddle up in a duvet with a hot water bottle and conserve energy.
This is what the Chinese refer to as nourishing your Qi (life essence) by mirroring nature's still and hibernating state.
Allow yourself to be less dynamic and more inwards looking at this time. So I encourage you to take care of yourself, sleep more, take naps, meditate, and keep warm.
Spring will be here soon enough and then the transition from inwards yin to outwards yang can start afresh.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Please feel free to comment and share with your friends and family.
Wishing you a cosy and energy nourishing week, and I'll look forward to catching up with you next time.
