Summer Solstice is the time for the longest day and shortest night in Australia and the southern hemisphere. From then the daytime will be getting shorter and night-time will be getting longer.
In nature, Yang Energy (Yang Energy is rising, growing, moving, and living energy) has reached its peak and started todecline. Yin Energy (opposite of Yang Energy) has reached the bottom and started to increase. Yin and Yang Energy are changing during the summer and winter Solstice.
This time of the year most flowers have blossomed, and fruit and grains are growing. Humans as part of nature should follow the laws of nature to enhance mental and physical health. Nature’s change could affect us.
This time is a good time of the year to help prevent depression, anxiety, and some physical problems – because Yin and Yang in nature are changing.
Suggestions:
Getting up early with Sun rising energy.
Control and manage anger, stress, and anxiety.
Perspire, but avoid it excessively.
Have a nap in the afternoon.
Shower with warm water – not too cold and not too hot.
Do not stay or sleep in a draft.
Use air-conditioning sensibly.
If you use a fan at night, make it blow towards a wall. When the breeze bounces back it will be gentler.
Avoid having too much icy food and drinking.
Healthy foods for Summer:
Watermelon, Cucumber. Greens. Mung beans, Tufu and sprouts– help reduce the heat.
Fresh ginger helps reduce dampness, phlegm, and colds in humid weather.
Eat more fruits and vegetables that are in season.
If we have a Healthy summer, we will have a Healthy Autumn.
Written by Angela Tian Zhu
Third Generation of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner.
Saw and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn. store in winter.”
Human’s bodies need to follow the laws of nature to Preserve Qi to Prevent illness and enhance Physical and Mental Health. To go with it will bring health, to go against it will bring illness.
What we can do to help ourselves:
· Sleep earlier and get up later and enough.
· Basking the back in the sun for 20 minutes in the morning. especially people who have or had winter depression.
· Eat and drink warm. keep warm.
· Reduce sweating.
· Avoid excessive emotions.
· Moderate exercise.
This will help us to live a longer life with quality.
When we are complaining about the hot humid summer weather, autumn is not far away. Lately, I have been told by some patients that they have some phlegm or some digestion problems. and feeling tired.
The laws of nature are: “Sow and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, store in winter. ” And our human bodies should follow the laws of nature to prevent illness and preserve health. “To go with it will bring health; to go against it will bring illness”.
Summer is the perfect season for everything to grow; it is a season full of Yang energy. The weather is hot, and people usually go to bed late and get up early. With a lot of sweat and being switched back and forth between the air-conditioned environment and outside temperature, our bodies keep adjusting the Qi and blood circulation to keep up with our energy consumption, therefore, people can get energy-deficient sometime.
In autumn. The law of nature is like this: everything matures and calms down in this season, the Yin energy increases, temperature drops, and wind becomes stronger (atmospheric pressure goes up), The heat diminishes. Nature uses this natural phenomenon to drive away the hot and humid weather. So, people have a clear and crisp climate’s feeling in autumn.
How to preserve our Qi in autumn?
Preserve Qi in autumn.
Try not over consuming the Qi of our bodies. Earlier to bed and to rise, keep emotional calm.
Avoid diarrhoea and indigestion.
Diarrhea is common in autumn, especially for children. Because of the hot and humid weather in summer, our gastrointestinal system can store some damp-heat, especially in those who are used to drinking icy water and having cold food. When the weather becomes cool in autumn, our bodies will automatically adjust to eliminate the dampness and heat. Therefore, symptoms like diarrhea and gassy stomach might come along in autumn.
What can we do about it?
We need to pay attention to our diet from late summer to early autumn. Try to have lighter food, cut back on oily food and icy drinks. Please remember that bowel movement is necessary every day, so that our bodies can eliminate the waste in our alimentary canal to get rid of heat and dampness. For children, it’s important to keep their abdomen warm at night.
Prevent cold and cough.
In hot summer, our bodies dissipate heat by keeping the pores open and sweating. When autumn comes, the temperature drops, usually it’s warm during the day and chilly at night, and the air becomes drier. If no special attention is paid to keeping warm at night, then it’s easy to get a cold and cough and fatigue.
So, in this season, we should make sure to keep warm if the weather suddenly change and have enough sleep at night, drink warm or room-temperature water, or hot tea.
Avoid depression, Enhance mental health
Summer goes and autumn comes, temperature fluctuates and then drops. Nature enters a phase where Yin Qi is ascending and Yang Qi descending, some people may have depressed mood sometimes. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Yin energy (coldness) increases, Yang energy (warmth) will decrease, during this time, depression can be triggered.
Therefore, to avoid depression and the recurrence of depression in winter, we have to make sure our Qi and blood circulation is strong. Pay attention to our clothing – keep warm. Eat warm food and have warm drinks. Have enough sleep and good lifestyle; exercise to preserving our Qi. It can help us feel more positive and optimistic. Preserving our Qi in autumn lays a good foundation for us in winter.
Prevent arthritis
It is common for arthritis to occur during the end of summer and at the start of autumn. Cold, heat, wind and damp can be easily stored at the joints. Especially for people who are suffering from arthritis or people who have joint pain, recurrence could take place easily so it is important to conduct certain exercises for the joints. Cold, heat, wind and damp can be discharged of the joints with certain physical exercises. Also do not stay or sleep in the draft. Keep your joints warm when the weather is getting colder. Take more rest when the joints are inflamed.
Tips:
Clear the heat and dampness in our stomach.
Eat more light food, vegetable and fruit. Try to have less deep fried food and red meat.
Kiwi fruit can help and have good effect on relieving the stomach and cleaning the bowel.
Chinese radish: It has the effect of relieving gassy stomach, clearing bowels and food retention in stomach. You can have raw Chinese radish, boil it in soup or stir-fry it.
Tips for cold and cough
Peppermint tea: It has the effects of detoxification and clearing heat in the lungs.
Stay away from draught.
Cut back on spicy food.
Avoid depression and anxiety.
Generally speaking, those people who are depressed or anxious because of the temperature drop; their constitution is characterized as weak in Yang Qi. Yang Qi has the effects of stimulating and promoting warmness. So, people who are weak in Yang energy (QI) should pay attention to keeping themselves warm, have warm drinks and food, try not to get over-excited and exhausted. keep doing appropriate exercise, so that they can get enough energy to avoid and resist depression.
4. Rotation practice for the joints
Practice rotation exercise for the ten major joints every day clockwise and anti-clockwise. The ten joints are: Left and right shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles. Do a few times a day or as much as you can comfortably do, recommended to do Qi Gong, Taiji and Yoga
Prevention and wisdom are the two principles of Traditional Qi.
In Chinese, the definition of “Dan Tian” 丹田is terminology for practicing Tai Chi and Qi Gong. It is Qi Core of the body.
In the vast universe, no creature can exist without the core. The principle is that the rotation or revolution of everything in the universe moves around their internal core and external core.
In nature, the core of all kinds of plants, they cannot exist without roots and core. For example apples, pears, peaches, and apricots, etc. all depend for living on their roots and core. Seeds are another form of core, which induce plants to germinate, grow and produce fruit. Similarly, a country, company, family, and each person require a core to develop and strengthen.
Thousands and millions of cores rotate and revolve endlessly to move, restrict, oppose, wane, wax, and interact with each other to wisely achieve the balance between internal and external. The core unites all things tightly together. Meanwhile, the core transmits energy and power to each part of a substance from the inside. Core energy is the vital energy of all creatures; they cannot live without core energy.
Where is this core of life – Dan Tian The Dan Tian is below the navel inside the stomach area.
What is Qi Core of the body? Human’s core (Dan Tian) of the body is the source of vital energy of life and blood, which includes innate energy,acquired energy, and root of wisdom.
Why is Dan Tian the Core
Dan Tian is the origin of the seed of humanity. The seed of mankind consists of ovum from female and sperm from male, which originates in Dan Tian.
Exercising the movement of Dan Tian’s energy can help improve energy and blood circulation, and movement of internal organs. They are effective methods to balance Yin and Yang in our bodies, help cure and prevent disease, increase longevity, and improve the quality of life, nourish energy and blood, strengthen immune system. Maintain optimism and help prevent depression, anxiety and dementia.
Innate energy comes from Dan Tian The Dan Tian is a deep source of innate energy. Ovum (Yin) and sperm (Yang) combine together in our body (Yin and Yang), to generate an embryo, and multiply the next generation. Dan Tian is the origin of the foetus humanities innate energy and body. In addition, Dan Tian is vital energy to induce the foetus forming, growth, and giving birth. The innate energy of each person is inherited from parents; and it comes with uniqueness constitution of energy, which decides composition and personality of each person.
Acquired energy comes from Dan Tian The Dan Tian is also a deep source of acquired energy. After birth, people rely on energy and blood to survive, and to maintain health. Energy and blood is obtained from nutrition of food and inhalation of oxygen. People digest and absorb nutrition to form energy and blood. The acquired energy from Dan Tian combines nutrition from food and oxygen, generates energy and blood, and supplies it to every part of body all the time. Therefore, people give birth and grow; internal organs work; and bodies do activities.
Wisdom is from the Dan Tian Wisdom is from the Dan Tian, the sun in our body. It can be regarded as the “Gut Feeling” in western countries to some extent (to be continued).
4. How do we use and strengthen the Dan Tian
Benefit for physical and mental health.
Qi Gong and Tai Chi are specially designed to make full use of the Dan Tian Energy.
5.Methods of daily exercise for Dan Tian:
Open up the body from Dan Tian. Standing: open up Dan Tian to straighten the spine and organs. Walking: heels down, toes up, open up Dan Tian. Sitting: open up Dan Tian – body up right.
Benefits of this include:
Opening up of internal organs makes energy and blood flow and decreases stagnation.
Opening up Dan Tian to elongating spine to nourish the brain to help prevent dementia, depression and stagnation.
Improved blood circulation.
Opens up skeleton and ligaments.
Reduced stress and anxiety.
Maintains optimism and helps prevents depression.
Helps fertility and gynaecology problems.
Helps the immune system.
Helps improve posture.
Breathing from Dan Tian
It is a strong performance of energy and blood when we are able to breathe from Dan Tian. Breath will be weak and shallow when we are ill, weak, and getting older. Breathing from the Dan Tian improves blood circulation, enhances energy and blood, and maintains physical and mental health.
Strong energy from Dan Tian leads to strong energy and blood. Moreover, strong energy and blood result in physical health and psychological optimum to help prevent depression, dementia, and stagnation.
To exercise Qi Gong and Tai Chi is not only to be undertaken in classes, but also to be considered as natural daily activities. Thus, we can be healthier and have more enjoyment in our lives.
Prevention and wisdom are the principles of Traditional
The laws of nature are: Sow and grow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, store in winter. And our human bodies should follow the laws of nature to prevent illness and enhance Physical and Mental Health.
“To go with it will bring health; to go against it will bring illness”.
The law of spring is: As the yang energy goes up, the yin energy goes down. Yang energy creeps in after the winter solstice (the shortest days of the year). Because it is still cold, people still think we are in winter, but the energy of spring starts from there. Winter is the time for storing yang energy, when we stay indoors more than during other seasons. Eat warm food, have warm drinks, wear more, and use heaters to stay warm to store and preserve energy.
It is not just humans that do this – animals hibernate during winter to store their energy. Plants are the same. When spring comes, the temperature rises and the yang energy increases; all things on earth start to grow. Soil starts to become loose; bugs and animals start to emerge; birds return. This is nature helping us store in winter, waiting for spring, so everything can grow.
For human bodies, the stored energy needs to be released in spring. If we don’t, we might become sick during spring because of the increased inner heat in the body. If we didn’t store enough energy in winter, or damaged the energy in winter, we will have not enough energy to release and become more deficient leading to becoming unwell.
That is why there are some people getting colds, sore throat, phlegm, coughs, allergies, itchiness, there is an increase in strokes, and chronic hepatitis can play up during this season.
How do we preserve health in spring?
1. Refresh the spirit: springtime connects liver’s energy in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). One of the functions of the liver is that it releases emotions to maintain peace of mind, happiness and control anger. When our Qi flows freely we can help prevent depression and anxiety. So walk in nature, look at greens and exercise.
2. Ensure you get enough sleep: we often feel sleepy during spring because the temperature goes up; the blood vessels, sweat glands and pores are diastole; the circulation is exuberant, and getting enough sleep is especially important for pregnant women, children, and for the elderly.
3. Get up earlier: because sunrise is yang energy rising, getting up when the sun rises will assist your yang energy in growing. Because spring time is liver time, and in TCM the liver nourishes the ligaments, this is the season to stretch it and exercise the body, improve circulation, and remove stagnation and toxins to make the body more flexible and healthier.
4. Clear the heat: after hibernation, we may store some heat. The temperature increases during spring and germs become more active, which is why there are more contagious viruses, germs, sore throats, flu, itchiness and allergies. Clear the heat in the body the following ways:
Drink more warm water and tea
Eat a lot of green vegetables and less red meat
Eat less spicy food
Drink less alcohol.
Nourish the liver: Liver stores blood, Helps Qi flow freely and its indicators are the eyes. We can nourish the liver in the following ways:
1. Appropriate exercise such as Tai chi, Qi gong, walking, dancing etc. to ensure there is enough fresh air, moderate sweating.
2. Eat less sour and oily food.
3. Maintain peace of mind to avoid getting over angry witch can damage energy (Qi) of the liver.
4.The liver connects to green colour – go into nature and look at green colours to help the liver’s energy to feel calm.
5. Avoid draft: Spring is a windy season; nature is very wise in using wind to blow away coldness, on the other hand people can catch the wind, which causes colds, coughs, asthma and arthritis. Also wind makes us feel emotionally unsettled.
6. For people with winter depression: spring is a good season to recover from it. Do appropriate morning exercise and have healthy diet to combat depression.
“Traditional Qi ” has two concepts : prevention and wisdom
Written by Angela Tian Zhu (Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner)
Over the last few days lots of patients have been telling me they have more phlegm, coughs, runny nose and uncomfortable stomachs, heavy head, fuzzy head, less appetite, sore and tight joints, tiredness and low mood. All of these symptoms are indicative of dampness in the body.
What is dampness?
Dampness comes from our external environment or internally in the body. It may be due to Qi (Energy) deficiency preventing us from moving fluid from the inside to the outside of the body, or the external dampness from the weather or living conditions. Or eating and drinking excessively. It can stay in our body to make us unwell.
Apart from the symptoms listed above, how do we know more if we have dampness in the body?
1. Difficult to wake up in the morning and or puffy eyes and face
2. The tongue is bigger and has teeth marks. The coating on the tongue is thick and creamy.
3. Coughing with phlegm, heaviness in the head, sleepiness, poor memory, feeling depressed or anxiety and sometimes a heavy feeling on the chest.
What can we do?
Lifestyle:
Exercise daily.
Make yourself sweat lightly by having a warm soup or hot tea.
Eat light food, with less salt.
Have a nap if you can.
Do not sleep or sit in a damp place. Keep your clothing and linen dry.
Make sure clean the mould in the house and have indoor ventilation.
Food tips
Food tips:
Have pumpkin soup with ginger.
Barley with mung bean soup – add 1 handful each of barley and mung beans, simmer in 1 litre of water or more for half an hour.
Drink ginger tea, use more ginger in cooking, eat a bit more onion and garlic.
Make sure to go to toilet every day.
Drink less cold icy drinks, eat less sweet, fat and creamy foods, and drink less alcohol.
Qi Gong tips:
Reverse breathing – breathe in and expand your stomach out, breathe out hold your stomach in. Do this a few times in a row, and a few times each day.
Massage your stomach and ribs in a circular motion.
Being healthier makes you happier and being happier makes you healthier.
Traditional Qi’s two concepts are prevention and wisdom.
