Chinese Medicine teaches us how we can conceptualize our bodies with the 5 elements (water, wood, fire, earth, metal/air) and how this concept shows us the interconnection, harmony, balance, and orderly flow. The use of cycles, such as the seasons, can be used to help guide our actions to stay healthy. In each season, there is a different organ system that is spotlighted, and with that. we can be guided to focus our actions on nourishing that organ system. 

In Chinese Medicine there are 5 seasons; winter, spring, summer, late summer, and autumn. Each of those seasons are represented with a different yin and yang organ, and each of those yin and yang organs will have different needs. Winter is the season that helps us focus on the element of water. When we think of water, we think of organs associated with governing water - our kidneys and bladder. This means that in the winter, we want to tonify and build up our kidneys, and in Chinese Medicine, the kidneys also include the bladder, bones, reproductive organs, adrenal glands, hair, and ears. So this means, winter is the time to nourish those parts of our body.

Winter in nature is cold, damp, and inactive, cold, and damp. What is happening in nature can help guide us as well. Winter is a time to rest, sleep, consolidate your Qi, and to be contemplative. It is the time to reserve and nourish your body with Qi to help you prepare for Spring which will be the time of new growth.  Meditation, Qigong exercises, sleep, and certain food choices can help you fortify your Qi to maintain your state of wellness in the winter months.

There are certain foods that are often recommended to eat in the winter months to help build up your Qi in the winter season. Paul Pitchford, author of  "Healing with Whole Foods" recommends these foods to nourish your kidneys in the winter months:

• root vegetables, like potatoes, beets, carrots
• beans, like kidney beans, string beans, black beans, soybean, sprouts
• melons
• berries, like blackberry, mulberry, blueberry, huckleberry, 
• seaweeds
• spiraling
• sardine, crab, clams
• eggs, pork, and cheese
• bone broth

Your body will also appreciate warming foods like hearty soups, whole grains, and roasted nuts.  Fish and shellfish are also a good source of protein for the winter months, too.

In addition, there are often the recommendations on what things to minimize because it can damage the kidneys or drain the Qi in the kidneys; especially in the winter months: 

• too much salt
• not enough water
• anything in excess 
• prolonged & intense fear 
• stress​​

​The winter season is a time of rest, contemplation, and a time to restore your Qi to prepare for Spring.

For me, the spring equinox is a time to get away and rebuild my energy. It is also a time to identify what changes I want to see happen this year, and then plant those idea seeds & nourish them with life force energy with the idea they will grow and flourish through the year. 

This year I went to the giant redwoods, walked under those massive trees, sat, meditated, and just allowed the energy of the area to become a part of me. I then identified some ideas & concepts I thought would help create the kind of world I want to be part of and to live in. These were some of the ideas I planted this year for the celebration of spring:

• I want the water we drink and the air we breath to be clean and pure
• I want the food we eat to be grown without pesticides and chemicals. I also want the food to not be genetically modified so our bodies know how to use the nutrients in the foods. 
• I want healthcare to be affordable, and a right & available to all. I also want healthcare to include alternative therapies so we can be more empowered to seek and get the care that makes sense for us.
• I want humanity to feel a connection & have a relationship with mother earth & become good stewards of the land.
• I want our laws to be fair and equitable for all , not just those with money or power.
• I want our political officials to truly represent what is best for all people 
• I want communities to be more engaged in the development, the care, & growth of the next generation. 
• I want youth to feel connected to their community so they don't feel the need to join a gang 
• I want society to stop throwing people away and casting them off because they are different
  
• I want people to recognize truth when they hear it rather than the numbing drug of hate, fear, and angry rhetoric. 
• I want to see less hate, less fear, less anger in the world

Qigong is about using and directing life force energy. The spring equinox is about preparing and planting seeds for the future. Blending Qigong with the spring equinox provides a way to focus subtle energy and wrap it around ideas we want to grow. The end desire is to create the world we want to live in and be part of - all which begin from seeds filled with ideas and possibilities.

This is a Qigong meditation to do for the spring equinox.  The exercise will help you energize your body and revitalize your organs, particularly the liver. 

1. Begin the meditation outdoors.
   
2. Face east.  
   
3. You may have your eyes opened or closed. 
   
4. Imagine clouds of healing green Qi (Chi, Chee) flowing from the east and entering your body.
5. Inhale the green Qi.  Also imagine the green Qi entering the crown of your head and the pores of your skin.
6. As the green Qi fills your body, visualize your body becoming a beautiful green jade. 

Practice the technique for 5-10 minutes at the beginning of spring.

From “The Way of Qigong” by Kenneth S Cohen