Ah, February that supremely awkward month where we see the first hints of Spring arising and our hopes begin to rise. Then, often the cold comes and pummels our hopes into fear. At this time of year, there are a surprisingly high number of people afflicted by illness and whose emotional patterns get intensely stirred. It seems as if we are ill-equipped to handle the stresses of this transition, at least in our modern world. What is going on?
In ancient cultures, Eastern and Western, Indigenous, Agricultural, Hunter/Gatherer, one of the supreme manifestations of wisdom, health, and longevity was through harmonizing with the cycles of the seasons. In Chinese Medicine and Daoist Philosophy, one of the most obvious manifestations of the great Dao was through the seasons and their cycles. In Ayurveda, the science of life from India, how we matched our internal elements with the external elements was a source of vitality.
One way to describe this process is through the term Nourishing Life. This term is a translation of the Chinese term Yangsheng which encompasses such practices as diet, lifestyle, exercise, meditation, qigong, martial arts, herbal medicine, and living in tune with the cycles of life. One of the foundations of Nourishing Life is "Eat when you are hungry and sleep when you are tired." The reciprocal is also true. Don't eat when you aren't hungry (and don't overeat) and be active when you feel like being active. But, wait what does all of this have to do with February?
Well, part of the wisdom of the ancients is that each season has a certain quality, a certain energy, a certain spirit, a certain Qi. One of our jobs as humans is to tend to these qualities and harmonize are bodies and lifestyles with them. The quality of Winter is different than Spring (which is also quite different than Summer or Fall) and we can't expect our bodies and spirits to act the same in both. But unfortunately that is exactly what we are expected to do!
What is the quality of Winter? What are its gifts, its Medicine for us? Quiet, stillness, resting, storing, relaxation. Think of a frozen pond at midnight with snow all around. The animals are hibernating, and we are resting quiet in our homes with a fire dying down under warm blankets asleep in dreamless sleep.
What is the quality of Spring? What are its gifts, its Medicine for us? Reawakening, stirring, gentle movement, inspiration. Think of the snowdrops and daffodils pushing through the cold ground reaching out towards the rising sun just after dawn. The animals are rousing from their winter sleep, hungry and looking for mates. We are waking too, slightly grumpy from the winter needing to move our vital energy, looking for mates (there's a reason why Valentine's day is in February!).
How do we harmonize with these energies? Well, if we have truly rested in Winter then our energy should naturally be awakening now. We should feel a little bit more energy in the morning. In Winter, we should go to bed early and wake up late. In Spring, we go to be early, but wake up early and catch the fresh qi of Spring. In Winter, we practice stillness through meditation or restorative yoga. In Spring, we begin to move our bodies with gentle exercise such as tai chi, qigong, or gentle yoga. It is beneficial to practice in the morning outside in the fresh air and light.
But don't be fooled, the cold is still around so protect your body from the cold with layers of clothing. Eat the light green medicine foods arising from the ground: chickweed, dandelion, wintercress, and nettle. They contain the medicine harmonize with this time.
Most of all, listen to your internal rhythms. Find out what is nourishing for you and follow that path. It is a medicine all your own.
Thunder rousing amidst snow,
Spring awakens with frog song,
Green vitality pushing through frozen ground,
Wind and cold dance in the air above.
Can you find harmony?
Ask the Dao and watch Nature.
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