Dos and Don’ts of Winter
Sigh of relief: We have made it through the official beginning of the holiday season in the US! Unfortunately, though, the local culture where I live emphasizes the opposite for this time of year from what the classical Chinese texts advise. So you may appreciate this seasonal reminder of the instructions spelled out in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, Suwen Chapter 2 (for a literal translation, see below). Those of you who are members of my mentorship on “Reading the Chinese Medicine Classics” can visit the library in our platform and watch the recordings of that three-hour meeting of the Peach Blossom Spring Translators Collective where we worked through that chapter.
For everybody else, here is a casual summary by yours truly, followed by the original text and a literal translation:
Don't mess with your Yáng! The winter solstice (冬至 dōngzhì or “apex of winter”) which takes place on December 21, is the most Yīn time of the year, represented by the hexagram坤 kūn (“The Receptive” in Wilhelm/Baynes, Pearson, etc., “Compliant” in Shaughnessy), which consists of all Yīn lines. Right now, in the last weeks before the solstice, we are losing our very last bit of last year’s Yáng before the sprouting of the new. We need all the Yáng we’ve got left to get us through this period, at least in the northern hemisphere, of course, and especially for those of you who live pretty far up north, like myself, when the sun is weak and frail and unable, in my case, to rise above the trees or break up the clouds for the few hours that it is actually above the horizon. Be careful to protect your Yáng and don’t squander it carelessly in whatever ways you may do that. If you don’t know what that means, ask your local Chinese medicine practitioner. Food, lifestyle, clothing, physical activity, you name it. Everything is Qì, inside and outside your body!
Sleep a lot! Specifically, this means going to bed early and sleeping in late. Who cares about the perfect holiday decorations, presents for Aunt Maggie, or your classical Chinese homework! Don't get up before the sun, don’t burn the candle on both ends, turn all screens off when the sun goes down, and definitely don’t stay up late watching horror movies! What helps me personally is to keep my house pretty cold, tuck a hot water bottle under the covers, and add a couple of heavy wool blankets to my bed, making it all cozy and inviting. Having a cat to cuddle with helps too. And in the morning a dog and goats who are such cold whimps that they are really grouchy if I try and get them moving too early. Animals are our greatest teachers…
Lay low! This is an interesting aspect of winter advice that is definitely up for personal interpretation. How do you translate the season’s mood of “shuttering and storage” into the proper emotional state? By all means, check out my literal translation below, compare it with other published versions, and make up your own. But for me, in this particular year, this means to turn my attention inward, to cultivate a mental state of peace and quiet contentment, to turn away from social media and the news and instead focus on my small life right here, which is often made even smaller when internet and electricity and ferry service get cut off due to winter storms. Of course, you may have to make an exception now and then for half an hour of “Midnight Diner” since that may nourish your tender little Yang and help you feel happy.
Get out the wool socks! Protect yourself against cold with wool hats, scarfs, mittens, and of course hot beverages and a wood stove if you are lucky enough to have one. Also (a good reminder for me personally) store that bicycle and don’t risk an invasion of wind or cold after you may have leaked precious Qi through the skin in physical exercise! And before you tell me not to go swim in the Puget Sound in a snow storm, rest assured that I only dip this time of year, do wear a wool hat to not let my hair turn into icycles, and really don’t feel like it risks Qi leakage because the cold does a great service in closing the pores. But yes, hot porridge and Hot Toddies to the rescue for sure….
All of these lifestyle adjustments aim to facilitate the seasonal activity of 藏 "storage/hiding out/going underground" and thereby mean that you are being nice to your kidney. Of course you can assist this whole process through your diet by eating black, salty, and other kidney-friendly foods, such as mussels, black sesame and rice porridge with walnuts (here is just one possible recipe), bone broths or black miso, and seaweed, and staying away from cold Yīn substances like raw cucumber and smoothies.
Take note and be forewarned now! Incidentally, this is the reason why I am writing and sharing this now instead of waiting for the winter solstice: If you ignore this seasonal advice, you shall pay the price in the spring because you “lack provisions to support sprouting.” Ah, I do know that one from personal experience! You probably see this in clinic all the time, given the culture most of us live and practice in. So now is the time to tell yourself and your family and your patients, doctor's orders, do the opposite of what our popular culture seems to push us to do these days! Slow down, stay warm, turn off the screens, and curl up under the covers. Feel free to forward this article to anybody who calls you “lazy” and demands that you push, push, push. The time for this will be here soon enough…..
