Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Water Element - Winter

Death and Rebirth - The Old Falls Away, Giving space for the New to be Born


The Water element is Yin - feminine, soft, and yielding. Energy moves downward and motion is quiet and still. Keeping the Water Element in balance conserves your resources - your energy, time, and money. Water associates with essential fluids - blood, hormones, lymph, marrow. Its black color contains all the other colors.

Our chi sinks downward, into the root, our Earth connection. Like the animals do in winter, we strive for more rest, and time to rejuvenate and replenish. The trees are bare. Now is a perfect time to take advantage of the longer days; go to bed earlier and rise later.

It is a time of inner reflection and personal cultivation. Read, study, think, and meditate. Gentler yoga practice and softer exercise in general. Because it is the Water Element, winter is a time to be more aware of your kidneys. Keep them warm.

Eat fewer raw foods and more warming foods. Healthy, rich soups are wonderful now. Eat more whole grains and nuts, and more root foods.

This is a perfect time for Metta Meditation. Practice a bit every day!
http://www.thinkanddo.net/Sounds/06LovingKindness.mp3

Some Good Reading:

The Spirit of the Water Element: Why Weren't We Taught This In School?

http://www.5elements.com/docs/waterelement_CJOM.html


The Tao of Food: Nutrition in Chinese Medicine
 http://deserthealthnews.com/stories/the-tao-of-food-nutrition-in-chinese-medicine/

How To Stay Healthy In Winter
http://straightbamboo.com/articles/how-to-stay-healthy-in-winter/

Traditional Chinese Medicine Nutrition Guide to Eating with the Season (Winter)
http://www.holisticnetworker.com/170/traditional-chinese-medicine-nutrition-guide-to-eating-with-the-season-winter/