Nourishing our Kidney Chi
In traditional Chinese medicine, each season relates to a different organ pairing.
In winter, this is the kidneys and urinary bladder.
In Spring, it's the liver and gall bladder.
Summer is for the heart and small intestine.
Late Summer relates to the stomach and small intestines.
And Autumn, is for the lungs and large intestine.
As we are in the depths of winter right now, I wanted to share a little more about the kidneys and how we can replenish our chi during the winter months in order to increase our vitality for the year ahead.
Many of us are depleted in kidney chi; when we overwork, over play, and over commit ourselves it is the kidneys that have to step up to help us push on even though we are exhausted.
But nature is calling us to slow down right now. Winter is a time for self reflection, to gather our limited energy and to turn inwards. It's a time to honour the darkness, to slow down, to pause and reflect.
When we ignore these cues from nature, from our bodies and our inner knowing, we weaken our kidney chi making it difficult for us to feel enthusiastic, to complete tasks, and naturally our energy diminishes.
However, if we begin to nurture ourselves, to rest more, sleep more, to eat warm and kidney nourishing foods, we can help to bring ourselves back into a state of balance.
When balanced, we are open, gentle and able to tap into our primordial wisdom.
Some tips for supporting your kidney chi:
Sleep more! You might be feeling more sleepy than usual during the winter months, listen to your body, it's asking you to rest.
Keep your midsection warm. Cropped tops are cute but your body will thank you for keeping it warm in cosy bodies and snuggly jumpers.
Ditch the smoothies and say hello to warming soups, stews and curries. Add some black beans, sesame seeds, seaweed, kelp, lamb or beef to your meals.
Practice yin yoga. Yin yoga sends subtle signals to the body that it's ok to slow down, it reminds us to pause and turn inwards. Often we are stretching the backline of the body where our kidney meridians flow and so we are nourishing their energy.
