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| Salutations Mitesh,Â
We are thrilled to present you with our clinic's first-ever newsletter! We are eager to share our knowledge, tips, and personal journeys regarding optimal health and wellness. Our aim is to provide you with practical and trustworthy information that you can utilize to make lasting improvements in your lifestyle.
In this edition, we will delve into the topic of rest and renewal as a seasonally appropriate mindset for achieving wellness and longevity. As the chilly winds of winter blow, the Chinese agricultural calendar recognizes the start of spring by the ground's tremors as life awakens anew. How can we prepare ourselves for this shift and take advantage of the fresh opportunities that come our way?
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Seasonal InsightsÂ
Winter Blows Cold Winds, But Spring is Shaking Below
As winter envelops us in its biting chill, we feel the challenges it brings to our well-being. Winter can feel bleak and hard. Considering a traditional East Asian perspective can encourage us to see winter as an opportunity to live in harmony with the season.
In the Chinese agricultural calendar, were are moving through Major Cold (January 20 to February 3) and into the Start of Spring (February 4 to February 18). With the entrance into spring, we can feel the ground awaken and shake. Spring starts from below.
Attuning to the nature of winter involves recognizing the need for rest, restoration, and nourishment. We sink into a place of peace and contentment. Here are some recommendations inspired by the East Asian Medical tradition to help support you health this winter:
- Nourish the Kidneys: In traditional East Asian medicine, the kidneys are associated with winter. Warm, nourishing foods such as soups, stews, and herbal teas can help support kidney health. Reducing stress and resting also supports the Kidney organ system.
- Engage in Gentle Movements: Practices like Tai Chi, Qigong and yoga are excellent for winter. These gentle exercises promote circulation, flexibility, and inner balance, aligning with the energy of the season.
- Adequate Rest and Sleep: Winter encourages us to slow down and rest. Ensure you get sufficient sleep, allowing your body to rejuvenate and build resilience.
- Stay Warm: Dress in layers and keep yourself warm to protect against the cold. Always keep the neck and head warm.
- Embrace Stillness: Winter is a time for reflection and stillness. Consider incorporating mindfulness practices, meditation, or quiet moments into your daily routine.
As we move out of winter and acknowledge the awakening of spring, we tune into life shaking below our feet. We continue with the above, but find space to add the following:
- Massage: Rubbing the lower back and massaging the feet.
- Shaking: This is described below, but Qigong shaking is a great exercise to awaken the movement of life within us.
- Stretching: Similar to shaking, stretching pulls us out of that deep storage of winter and reminds us to reach out.
- Drinking in the Sunshine: Wake up when the sun is rising and spend some time feeling the gentle sunshine.
- Light Spring Cleaning: This isn't the heavy spring cleaning you'll do in April, but a gentle reminder that our homes have endured through winter. And that leaves a mess.
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Unlocking Vitality with Qigong Shaking
Qigong, a Daoist exercise system, offers a unique approach to physical fitness. Although it varies across different schools, some principles and techniques remain the same. One such technique is shaking up and down, which energizes the body, opens joints, and releases tension. By shaking out the body, you can move stuck energy and create a sense of flow and vitality.
Vertical shaking, in particular, involves bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet, allowing your entire body to shake from head to toe. It's like brushing your teeth for your spine!
Here are three steps to a successful shaking practice:
- Tune into stillness.
- Shake actively.
- Let stillness move your body.
Start by standing with your feet together and taking a few deep breaths. Find a point of stillness under your feet, and when you've located it, tune into the feeling of that stillness. Once you're in tune, open your feet to shoulder-width and lift up on your toes, feeling a stretch from your head to your toes. Finally, drop your heels and begin shaking your body up and down, starting from the ground up through your knees and legs. Relax your body as much as possible, only using what's necessary to create the shake.
The joy of shaking comes with experimentation. Feel how your skin moves, try rotating or picking up one leg, squat while shaking, or make some noises. Shake bigger, smaller, faster, slower – whatever you feel like doing at the time.
As you approach the end of your shaking session, increase the speed of your shaking while decreasing the amplitude. Once your speed has increased, imagine your entire body vibrating as if you're standing still. Let a gentle breath out and let the vibration move you. This becomes a standing meditation, which you can enjoy for as long as you like.
When you're starting out, your shaking sessions can be as short as five minutes, but try to build up to a 20-minute session. This duration is usually how long it takes for the standing meditation to activate.
To get a sense of the benefits, try shaking for three weeks. This will help alleviate concerns about "doing it right," and you can focus on shaking instead.
Check out these two videos explaining the exercise:
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