Elements of Winter

The Winter season is aligned with the Kidney/Bladder system, governed by the Water element. Cold in nature and downward moving, the Kidney Water system embodies Yin, storing the body’s fluids. As it regulates and stores the water, the Kidneys moisten the body. As a Yin element, the movement of Water is inward, it will always find the lowest point and come to rest. The Bladder is a Yang organ, perceived to be a reservoir where the fluids of the body collect. The function of the Bladder is to receive and excrete urine, produced by the Kidneys.

We invite you to welcome in rest, to feel the retracting energy of Winter, to find ritual in the stillness and your own rhythm with nature, as we continue to observe and mirror the wisdom of her cycles and seasons.

The Kidneys & Jing Essence

Through the lens of Taoist theory and Chinese Medicine, the Kidneys constitute a deeply complex system and are considered to be the power source of our entire being. Storing and generating this fundamental life force energy, known as our Jing Essence, it is understood that the secret to a long and healthy life is to accumulate an abundance of Jing, avoiding unnecessary dissipation and leaking of this vital essence.

In Classical Chinese and Taoist Medicine the Kidneys function to:

• Store and generate our Jing Essence, our foundational life force energy

• Control the healing capacity of the body

• Support adrenal capacity and stress adaptation

• Govern ageing, maturation and development

• Govern reproduction and fertility

• Control the the bones, ligaments and joints of the body

• Support the marrow of the bones

• Nourish the Brain tissue with Qi

• Govern the ears and hearing

• Houses the Will (Zhi)

Lifestyle Practices for Winter

During Winter, it’s important that we release the expectation to do more than we have capacity for. As a time for rest, hibernation, and the rebuilding of energy and resources, we want our practices to reflect these intentions. That is exactly why this list is simple - allow the magic of rest, the ritual of meditation and the power of the breath to restore you.

• Meditation

• Gentle Movement slow, long nature walks

• Yoga nidra

• Kidney Yin Yoga sequences

• Journalling

• Prioritise rest

• Keep your Kidneys covered

• Wear socks and beanies

• Warm the body with breathwork

• Get in the sun (if you can)