December 19, 2024 • 16 mins
✨ Join me Thursdays for a live session—tap here to join us!
Discover how the wisdom of Taoist medical theory can transform your winter experience and enhance your well-being. This episode highlights the importance of embracing winter's inherent stillness, urging us to align our practices with the season's natural rhythm. We explore the benefits of nourishing the body, protecting our warmth, and encouraging introspection during this time of retreat.
• Emphasis on the need for seasonal alignment with winter's quiet energy
• Importance of warmth and hydration for maintaining health
• Nourishing foods to support vitality through winter
• Transitioning to gentler movement practices for recovery
• Cultivating dream work as a form of introspection
• Call to honor winter's cycle by slowing down and embracing stillness
- Book an online wellness session with Bronwyn
- Please support this show! - Your support makes this happen in a good way!
- See all of Bronwyn's offerings - Register for free online events & other in-person events
- Study Reiki with Bronwyn in Person in the Bay Area - The 6-month comprehensive Training begins this Spring. Secure your spot today and save big with our limited-time early bird discount!
- Join my weekly live call for a deeper dive into how to activate our life force in accordance with the seasonal qi. The first 2 weeks are FREE, cancel anytime. Yes, I want to join Bronwyn Live!
- Study Reiki with Bronwyn Online
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's winter, midwinter, that time of the
solar cycle when we stop, slowdown and take a break.
According to Taoist medicaltheory, the biggest cause of
disease is failure to live inaccordance with the cycles of
the season.
Living during midwinter the waywe did during summer solstice,
(00:33):
it can cause our bodies to bedepleted and other things which
we're going to dive into.
It's important to slow down,take a break, not squander our
free time with activity, butactually use our free time to be
still and silent and meditative.
This principle also applies tothe earth itself.
(00:54):
If we keep going in midwinterby mining and harvesting and
extracting these preciousresources that we have left in
the earth, like drilling oil, wedon't actually give the earth
time to stop and slow down.
I'm just imagining what itwould be like if our rate of
(01:18):
extraction of the earth'sresources were slowed down by in
half, if it only happenedduring the summer, which even
that could be really helpful,even though we're going at such
a rate that's hard to imagine.
Our habit of taking and takingfrom our home planet has a
palpable impact on the Earth'shealth as we continue to mine
(01:42):
and transport and wage war andmake damaging political
decisions and consume way toomuch stuff all year round, she
doesn't get a break.
It's strange that we use thistime to buy lots of presents and
go into consumer mode, often inthis culture.
So as the earth rotates aroundthe sun, it moves through
(02:05):
progressive phases which invitecorresponding shifts in conduct.
And these shifts happen everytwo weeks as we enter a
different qi node, or a kind ofa cycle.
Each cycle invites us to shiftour conduct according to the
season's changing landscape.
So, for example, in midwinterwe can keep the lights low, not
(02:29):
use too much electricity bybrightening everything up, by
working at night.
With this in mind, let usconsider winter to be a time of
rest, an out-breath hibernation.
Out-breath hibernation when welive in harmony with the cycles,
we align ourselves withuniversal law.
(02:53):
The same way that basicuniversal laws of physics need
to be taken into account when wemove our bodies, say dancing
the environmental chi also needsto be taken into account when
considering correct conduct.
And in this context, when wesay correct conduct, it's not a
Judeo-Christian matter ofmorality where there's
punishment involved, it's simplyresultant.
(03:17):
So what we experience in thepresent moment is the result of
our conduct in the past.
The result of our conduct inthe past.
Wintertime is when big yin isfree to develop as it's
unhampered by yang's impact ofyang.
When we carry the summer yangenergy into winter, we miss out
(03:39):
on the tremendous opportunityfor recovery that the winter
seasonal cycle offers.
For recovery that the winterseasonal cycle offers.
There's an amazing opportunityto deeply nourish our yin at
this time.
Winter is a time to turn inward.
It is the time of the waterelement, which corresponds with
the kidney and bladder organsand meridians.
(03:59):
During this time, it isimportant to not bend over
backwards trying to get stuffdone, as we could easily
overflush our kidneys, bothliterally and metaphorically,
which leads to exhaustion of theadrenals.
In aligning ourselves with theseasonal cycles, we are wise to
take our cues from nature.
The animals are in hibernation,the plants are down down into
(04:26):
their roots, some of themdigging so deep into the earth
as to reveal nothing ofthemselves.
Above ground, water makes itsway down from the sky and
shamans are in retreat, as arethe bears and other animals.
Wintertime is an opportunity tofall deep down into the depths
of the ocean, the unknown, themystery.
(04:47):
That healthy water element isat home in the depths of the
unknown and is comfortablecelebrating the darkness.
A healthy water element.
It's like being deep, deep downin the bottom of the ocean and
not knowing when we're going tocome up for air.
But being deeply still, theunhealthy water element keeps
(05:13):
going and doing recklessly,pushing the perpetual fight or
flight mode and thus taxing theadrenals.
As it pushes on, despite theseason's call for quiet and
stillness In a harmonized cycle.
The autumn is a time to store,while the winter is when we
withdraw.
Spring's impending resourcesare external, so we have to
(05:35):
cultivate our internal resourcesduring our winter retreat time
to be ready for and aligned withthe freshness that spring
promises.
That's why craving to live inwarm climate all year round can
be symptomatic of a youngderangement, with our constantly
(05:55):
wanting external engagementwhile denying the inner, quiet
internal world.
In the Western world,colloquially speaking, winter
begins at winter solstice.
People mark that as thebeginning of winter.
However, if we think of wintersolstice, it's the darkest time
(06:21):
of the year and it's when thenights are the longest and the
days are the shortest.
So it makes sense to think ofas a solar cycle.
That's the very, very deepestpart of winter.
So there's a few things that wecan do to help protect our chi
in the wintertime and how we cankeep nourishing the yin.
(06:43):
One thing that's simple andeasy is to wear a haramaki.
So a hara is middle in Japaneseright and maki is a wrap like
in sushi.
So haramaki is a wrap for themiddle and you can just use a
scarf or a cloth band and wrapit around your kidneys and your
(07:06):
belly.
Scarf or a cloth band and wrapit around your kidneys and your
belly and it can help withwarmth and protection.
It's really the kind of thingthat it's hard to imagine how
wonderful it feels until youactually try it, and any kind of
scarf will work, or similarlyproportioned cloth, such as
something that's quite wide.
Second thing to remember allyear round, but especially in
(07:27):
the winter, is to have morningwater.
Our kidneys, what need water?
This is kind of a basic waythat they can flush out the
toxins out of our body and stayhealthy and plump and not dry
brittle, dry brittle.
There's a blog article that Ihave on water and all of the
(07:51):
benefits of morning water.
You can check that out there.
As for food, now's the time ofyear when we begin to consume
the autumn foods that we'vestored, such as squash and root
vegetables.
Bone stock makes a wonderfulsupplement to the autumn harvest
, fresh foods don't give us allof the resources we need for
(08:12):
winter months.
Sometimes there's an idea thatwe always want to eat fresh,
fresh, fresh, but in the winter.
This time provides us with anopportunity to access a
different quality of nutrientthan those we access during more
young times of year, when we'reeating things like lettuce and
more raw foods.
For those navigating chronicspleen deficiency with different
(08:36):
kinds of digestive issues, thisis important, especially
important to give your spleenand stomach a chance to
assimilate more easily.
So when we slow cook, we boilaway the fresh aspects of our
food and reduce it down to adifferent, more yin nutritive
state.
Really, fresh food has animmature quality.
(09:00):
It's kind of like a.
It doesn't have the same kindof wisdom that can come with age
.
When we slow cook food for along time, it starts to generate
something very precious.
Take dried mushrooms, forexample.
These vegetables condense theirqi and their jing during the
drying process, so jing is avery deep nutritive quality.
(09:23):
When we rehydrate these driedvegetables and then slowly cook
them, they give off a highlyconcentrated essence that isn't
available when they're reallyfresh.
Similarly, even a lightvegetable soup made with boiled
bones doesn't give up itsdeepest, most magical essence
(09:44):
until the last hours that it'scooked.
A stir-fry doesn't offer usthese concentrated qualities
either.
Slow cooking is a useful way tosupport our inner yang in the
winter months.
I recommend cooking with stocksrather than water to enhance
simulation and allow nutrientsto absorb more deeply.
So to make a bone stock, youcan take some bones getting from
(10:10):
the butcher, make sure they'reclearly local and organic and
grass fed, put them in the ovenfor about 40 minutes or until
they become brittle, and thenput them in a slow cooker or a
stock pot and simmer them with atiny bit of vinegar for about
eight hours, or a stock pot andsimmer them with a tiny bit of
vinegar for about eight hours.
(10:31):
No-transcript.
When you're done simmering, youcan strain out the bones and
freeze the stock into ice trays,and then I just keep these ice
trays in my freezer and I useone cube at a time when I'm
cooking anything that wouldotherwise ask me to use water
for it, such as steamingvegetables or not steaming them,
(10:54):
but just kind of having alittle bit of moisture into your
pan braising them, of moistureinto your pan braising them.
Another really important tipduring the winter is to dress
really warmly, keep a scarfaround the neck.
I know these things soundobvious, but so often I see
people who come into my officewith a cold or a bronchitis or
(11:16):
something and they're not eventhey're wearing short sleeves or
a tank top.
It's really important to keepwarm.
The most important places arearound your neck, around the
wrists, where we have thesepoints, zanjiao five, where the
xie qi or the harmful qi cancome in that can make us sick.
(11:37):
We think of it as wind carriesa cold or a heat that can then
enter the body, causing that tolook like a common cold in
Western lingo.
It's also important to wraparound the kidneys that we
talked about, and another placethat's very important to keep
warm is the ankles and feet.
(11:58):
If it's not bothering you, itdoesn't mean it's not important
to keep it warm.
You still want to keep socksand boots on or slippers on
around the house.
Dressing warmly in the winterallows us to conserve our chi
and access more energy, whichcan be used for recovery,
self-reflection, dreaming.
The seasonal changes generatedifferent kinds of wind, and
(12:21):
even though we don't experiencethe extreme cold here in
California, we're stillsusceptible to the type of wind
associated with winter chi.
This is the kind of wind thatinspires coughs and low-grade
illnesses, while also impedingour body's ability to digest or
dissolve, because we're spendingour energy fighting something
off or resolving an internalinvasion rather than digesting,
(12:46):
resting, relaxing.
Another great tip for winter isto increase your dream
practicing keeping a journal byyour bed, jotting down dreams as
soon as we wake, settingintentions to dream and remember
our dreams at night, or luciddreaming.
Other tips for dreaming areputting magical dreaming symbols
(13:10):
underneath your bed or yourpillow, making pouches with
mugwort in them to help rememberyour dreams and dream more
deeply.
As far as exercise goes, this isa time of year where we want to
slow down on our exercisingSweating is not the goal and
(13:31):
want to head more towards therelaxing side of movement, such
as Qigong meditation.
Certainly, it's important tonot sweat and then get cold,
because the cold wind meetingwith that sweat can cause
arthritis and we think of that,as could also later lead to
(13:52):
paralysis.
In the summer, strenuousactivity can help make us feel
strong and give us movement, butin the winter there is a
suggestion of withdrawal.
So the vigorous training in thesummer then turns towards more
vigorous meditation retreats inthe winter.
(14:14):
It's cultivating a differentkind of strength, and it can
also help change our notion ofstrength to be less depleting to
the adrenals.
So strenuous activity drainschi away from the surface and
the cold wind can easily theninvade, which then leads us to
get sick.
For people who have a hard timemeditating, the counsel is to
(14:39):
try it in the winter, becausethat midwinter meditation comes
easily with the quiet and thestillness that's all around us.
In ancient china it wasforbidden to travel this time of
year.
You needed a special jadeplaque from the emperor saying
that it was okay and think it'sa great time of year to stay
(15:03):
home, be quiet, be internal,meditate and reflect.
It's winter, midwinter, that time of the
solar cycle when we stop, slowdown and take a break.
According to Taoist medicaltheory, the biggest cause of
disease is failure to live inaccordance with the cycles of
the season.
Living during midwinter the waywe did during summer solstice,
(00:33):
it can cause our bodies to bedepleted and other things which
we're going to dive into.
It's important to slow down,take a break, not squander our
free time with activity, butactually use our free time to be
still and silent and meditative.
This principle also applies tothe earth itself.
(00:54):
If we keep going in midwinterby mining and harvesting and
extracting these preciousresources that we have left in
the earth, like drilling oil, wedon't actually give the earth
time to stop and slow down.
I'm just imagining what itwould be like if our rate of
(01:18):
extraction of the earth'sresources were slowed down by in
half, if it only happenedduring the summer, which even
that could be really helpful,even though we're going at such
a rate that's hard to imagine.
Our habit of taking and takingfrom our home planet has a
palpable impact on the Earth'shealth as we continue to mine
(01:42):
and transport and wage war andmake damaging political
decisions and consume way toomuch stuff all year round, she
doesn't get a break.
It's strange that we use thistime to buy lots of presents and
go into consumer mode, often inthis culture.
So as the earth rotates aroundthe sun, it moves through
(02:05):
progressive phases which invitecorresponding shifts in conduct.
And these shifts happen everytwo weeks as we enter a
different qi node, or a kind ofa cycle.
Each cycle invites us to shiftour conduct according to the
season's changing landscape.
So, for example, in midwinterwe can keep the lights low, not
(02:29):
use too much electricity bybrightening everything up, by
working at night.
With this in mind, let usconsider winter to be a time of
rest, an out-breath hibernation.
Out-breath hibernation when welive in harmony with the cycles,
we align ourselves withuniversal law.
(02:53):
The same way that basicuniversal laws of physics need
to be taken into account when wemove our bodies, say dancing
the environmental chi also needsto be taken into account when
considering correct conduct.
And in this context, when wesay correct conduct, it's not a
Judeo-Christian matter ofmorality where there's
punishment involved, it's simplyresultant.
(03:17):
So what we experience in thepresent moment is the result of
our conduct in the past.
The result of our conduct inthe past.
Wintertime is when big yin isfree to develop as it's
unhampered by yang's impact ofyang.
When we carry the summer yangenergy into winter, we miss out
(03:39):
on the tremendous opportunityfor recovery that the winter
seasonal cycle offers.
For recovery that the winterseasonal cycle offers.
There's an amazing opportunityto deeply nourish our yin at
this time.
Winter is a time to turn inward.
It is the time of the waterelement, which corresponds with
the kidney and bladder organsand meridians.
(03:59):
During this time, it isimportant to not bend over
backwards trying to get stuffdone, as we could easily
overflush our kidneys, bothliterally and metaphorically,
which leads to exhaustion of theadrenals.
In aligning ourselves with theseasonal cycles, we are wise to
take our cues from nature.
The animals are in hibernation,the plants are down down into
(04:26):
their roots, some of themdigging so deep into the earth
as to reveal nothing ofthemselves.
Above ground, water makes itsway down from the sky and
shamans are in retreat, as arethe bears and other animals.
Wintertime is an opportunity tofall deep down into the depths
of the ocean, the unknown, themystery.
(04:47):
That healthy water element isat home in the depths of the
unknown and is comfortablecelebrating the darkness.
A healthy water element.
It's like being deep, deep downin the bottom of the ocean and
not knowing when we're going tocome up for air.
But being deeply still, theunhealthy water element keeps
(05:13):
going and doing recklessly,pushing the perpetual fight or
flight mode and thus taxing theadrenals.
As it pushes on, despite theseason's call for quiet and
stillness In a harmonized cycle.
The autumn is a time to store,while the winter is when we
withdraw.
Spring's impending resourcesare external, so we have to
(05:35):
cultivate our internal resourcesduring our winter retreat time
to be ready for and aligned withthe freshness that spring
promises.
That's why craving to live inwarm climate all year round can
be symptomatic of a youngderangement, with our constantly
(05:55):
wanting external engagementwhile denying the inner, quiet
internal world.
In the Western world,colloquially speaking, winter
begins at winter solstice.
People mark that as thebeginning of winter.
However, if we think of wintersolstice, it's the darkest time
(06:21):
of the year and it's when thenights are the longest and the
days are the shortest.
So it makes sense to think ofas a solar cycle.
That's the very, very deepestpart of winter.
So there's a few things that wecan do to help protect our chi
in the wintertime and how we cankeep nourishing the yin.
(06:43):
One thing that's simple andeasy is to wear a haramaki.
So a hara is middle in Japaneseright and maki is a wrap like
in sushi.
So haramaki is a wrap for themiddle and you can just use a
scarf or a cloth band and wrapit around your kidneys and your
(07:06):
belly.
Scarf or a cloth band and wrapit around your kidneys and your
belly and it can help withwarmth and protection.
It's really the kind of thingthat it's hard to imagine how
wonderful it feels until youactually try it, and any kind of
scarf will work, or similarlyproportioned cloth, such as
something that's quite wide.
Second thing to remember allyear round, but especially in
(07:27):
the winter, is to have morningwater.
Our kidneys, what need water?
This is kind of a basic waythat they can flush out the
toxins out of our body and stayhealthy and plump and not dry
brittle, dry brittle.
There's a blog article that Ihave on water and all of the
(07:51):
benefits of morning water.
You can check that out there.
As for food, now's the time ofyear when we begin to consume
the autumn foods that we'vestored, such as squash and root
vegetables.
Bone stock makes a wonderfulsupplement to the autumn harvest
, fresh foods don't give us allof the resources we need for
(08:12):
winter months.
Sometimes there's an idea thatwe always want to eat fresh,
fresh, fresh, but in the winter.
This time provides us with anopportunity to access a
different quality of nutrientthan those we access during more
young times of year, when we'reeating things like lettuce and
more raw foods.
For those navigating chronicspleen deficiency with different
(08:36):
kinds of digestive issues, thisis important, especially
important to give your spleenand stomach a chance to
assimilate more easily.
So when we slow cook, we boilaway the fresh aspects of our
food and reduce it down to adifferent, more yin nutritive
state.
Really, fresh food has animmature quality.
(09:00):
It's kind of like a.
It doesn't have the same kindof wisdom that can come with age
.
When we slow cook food for along time, it starts to generate
something very precious.
Take dried mushrooms, forexample.
These vegetables condense theirqi and their jing during the
drying process, so jing is avery deep nutritive quality.
(09:23):
When we rehydrate these driedvegetables and then slowly cook
them, they give off a highlyconcentrated essence that isn't
available when they're reallyfresh.
Similarly, even a lightvegetable soup made with boiled
bones doesn't give up itsdeepest, most magical essence
(09:44):
until the last hours that it'scooked.
A stir-fry doesn't offer usthese concentrated qualities
either.
Slow cooking is a useful way tosupport our inner yang in the
winter months.
I recommend cooking with stocksrather than water to enhance
simulation and allow nutrientsto absorb more deeply.
So to make a bone stock, youcan take some bones getting from
(10:10):
the butcher, make sure they'reclearly local and organic and
grass fed, put them in the ovenfor about 40 minutes or until
they become brittle, and thenput them in a slow cooker or a
stock pot and simmer them with atiny bit of vinegar for about
eight hours, or a stock pot andsimmer them with a tiny bit of
vinegar for about eight hours.
(10:31):
No-transcript.
When you're done simmering, youcan strain out the bones and
freeze the stock into ice trays,and then I just keep these ice
trays in my freezer and I useone cube at a time when I'm
cooking anything that wouldotherwise ask me to use water
for it, such as steamingvegetables or not steaming them,
(10:54):
but just kind of having alittle bit of moisture into your
pan braising them, of moistureinto your pan braising them.
Another really important tipduring the winter is to dress
really warmly, keep a scarfaround the neck.
I know these things soundobvious, but so often I see
people who come into my officewith a cold or a bronchitis or
(11:16):
something and they're not eventhey're wearing short sleeves or
a tank top.
It's really important to keepwarm.
The most important places arearound your neck, around the
wrists, where we have thesepoints, zanjiao five, where the
xie qi or the harmful qi cancome in that can make us sick.
(11:37):
We think of it as wind carriesa cold or a heat that can then
enter the body, causing that tolook like a common cold in
Western lingo.
It's also important to wraparound the kidneys that we
talked about, and another placethat's very important to keep
warm is the ankles and feet.
(11:58):
If it's not bothering you, itdoesn't mean it's not important
to keep it warm.
You still want to keep socksand boots on or slippers on
around the house.
Dressing warmly in the winterallows us to conserve our chi
and access more energy, whichcan be used for recovery,
self-reflection, dreaming.
The seasonal changes generatedifferent kinds of wind, and
(12:21):
even though we don't experiencethe extreme cold here in
California, we're stillsusceptible to the type of wind
associated with winter chi.
This is the kind of wind thatinspires coughs and low-grade
illnesses, while also impedingour body's ability to digest or
dissolve, because we're spendingour energy fighting something
off or resolving an internalinvasion rather than digesting,
(12:46):
resting, relaxing.
Another great tip for winter isto increase your dream
practicing keeping a journal byyour bed, jotting down dreams as
soon as we wake, settingintentions to dream and remember
our dreams at night, or luciddreaming.
Other tips for dreaming areputting magical dreaming symbols
(13:10):
underneath your bed or yourpillow, making pouches with
mugwort in them to help rememberyour dreams and dream more
deeply.
As far as exercise goes, this isa time of year where we want to
slow down on our exercisingSweating is not the goal and
(13:31):
want to head more towards therelaxing side of movement, such
as Qigong meditation.
Certainly, it's important tonot sweat and then get cold,
because the cold wind meetingwith that sweat can cause
arthritis and we think of that,as could also later lead to
(13:52):
paralysis.
In the summer, strenuousactivity can help make us feel
strong and give us movement, butin the winter there is a
suggestion of withdrawal.
So the vigorous training in thesummer then turns towards more
vigorous meditation retreats inthe winter.
(14:14):
It's cultivating a differentkind of strength, and it can
also help change our notion ofstrength to be less depleting to
the adrenals.
So strenuous activity drainschi away from the surface and
the cold wind can easily theninvade, which then leads us to
get sick.
For people who have a hard timemeditating, the counsel is to
(14:39):
try it in the winter, becausethat midwinter meditation comes
easily with the quiet and thestillness that's all around us.
In ancient china it wasforbidden to travel this time of
year.
You needed a special jadeplaque from the emperor saying
that it was okay and think it'sa great time of year to stay
(15:03):
home, be quiet, be internal,meditate and reflect.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com