You merrily celebrated the holiday season only to now find yourself enduring the coldest two weeks of the year. In the Chinese calendar system, this solar term is known as “Minor Cold,” and takes place from Jan. 5 to Jan. 19.
Attune Your Lifestyle
While the earth’s female yin elements are at their peak now, the male yang elements are the weakest. By leveraging either of these energies with some simple lifestyle changes, you can shift your body’s inner state of health.Discomfort in our bodies that results from coldness (too much yin), such as coughing, itchy skin, or sleeplessness, will be at its worst during this time, so this is the best time to treat those symptoms according to Chinese wisdom.
Avoid too much indoor heating, as the warm temperatures confuse our bodies and exacerbate the yin energy. We actually need exposure to the cold to contract our muscles and skin. This closes our pores, allowing us to retain our body heat and its yang energy.
If the indoor environment is too warm, we’re telling our bodies that it isn’t yet winter and that there’s no need to save yang energy. Then when spring comes, our bodies haven’t stored enough yang energy for the necessary renewing cycle, and we’re likely to feel tired and low-energy. This can also lead to premature aging or a higher risk of getting sick in the spring.
The coldest time of the year is also the best time to treat symptoms that typically arise during the heat of summer—when yang is at the extreme—such as excess sweating, difficulty concentrating, and fatigue.
Since yang energy is weak during this time, we can easily bring in cold from outside to cool our bodies with little effort.
Try setting the thermostat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit and opening the windows every morning and evening to let in the outside air. While enduring the cold temperatures, keep your feet, stomach, neck, and back warm. With proper exercise and meditation, we can strengthen our bodies and become more resilient to the cold.
Those with stress or fatigue problems may find that this exercise helps to relieve their symptoms: Hold your palm open and form a hollow center as if holding a ping pong ball in the middle of the palm, then firmly tap your right hand on your outer and inner right leg, cup-side against the leg, and use your left hand to do the same to the left leg. This massage technique is used to activate and help the energy channels.
Those who often suffer from a tight and painful neck, shoulders, or back can use warm towels or a heated red bean bag to cover the neck and shoulders. This can also promote micro blood circulations and reduce the risk of heart problems or stroke.
After yin reaches the extreme, it starts falling, and yang starts to rise. Birds are also sensitive to these changes. Wild geese start to head north, magpies start to build new nests, and male and female pheasants happily sing together in response to the awakening of the yang energy.
Seasonal Eating
Avoid eating greasy or heavy foods to keep warm. While it may please the taste buds, it thickens blood vessels, causing the heart to work harder. A better choice is warm vegetable soup made with root vegetables, beans, bones broth, and lean meats. It’s also a good idea to avoid cold or iced drinks and food.Good foods to eat during this time include almonds, black sesame seeds, dates, lamb, oats, red beans, taro, walnuts, and yams. Cinnamon, cumin, garlic, coriander, basil, hibiscus tea, and rose tea are good for improving blood and energy circulation.
