LET NATURE GUIDE YOUR QIGONG PRACTICE
/When someone asks me what Qigong practices I do, my answer is always the same: I practice according to the seasons!
The basic principle of Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine is to align your energy with nature. Every animal instinctually knows how to adapt to the seasons and maximize their Qi. Winter is a time to conserve and nourish, Spring is a time to move and grow, Summer is a time to sing and express, Late Summer is to balance and harvest and Autumn is a time to let go and prepare.
Each season offers us a gift of Qi that we can tune into and cultivate within ourselves. For example, the energy of Spring is rising yang Qi. The element is Wood, which has the characteristic of growth, resiliency and direction. The organ that is most active during Spring is the liver. Therefore, during Spring the best Qigong exercises balance the rising and falling action of Qi, expands the Qi in all directions, support the liver and cultivate growth.
A great way to choose practice according to the season is to use the Jié Qì calendar. Seasonal energy revolves around the four great shifts of Yin and Yang that create one solar calendar year: the winter solstice, the spring equinox, the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. Connecting these four days are 24 terms that the Chinese call Jié Qì. Jié Qì were created by the farmers in ancient China to guide the agricultural affairs and farming activities. This precise seasonal calendar sets the dates of the seasons and holidays.
WHEN DOES LATE SUMMER BEGIN AND END?
The Jie Qi calendar is organized according to the cycles of Yin and Yang. In the Jie Qi calendar, Autumn officially begins on August 7th and peaks on the Autumn Equinox. This period is called the Old Tiger of Autumn, or Late Summer. Late Summer is a time when the weather is unpredictable. Days can be hot and humid, and nights fluxuate between very hot to cold. The dates of late Summer season depend on the latitude, longitute and altitude of where you live. In high altitudes and latitudes, like the High Tatra mountains of Slovakia, Late Summer can be very short and autumn can arrive in August. While in other places, like Southern California, late summer lasts until the end of September. The Autumn Equinox marks the peak of transition from yang to yin. The day after the Autumn Equinox, Yin energy begins its full rise and dominance and signs of autumn begin to appear - the smell of the air changes, evenings become cold and the leaves turn the first shades of yellow and begin to fall.
WHEN DOES WINTER END AND SPRING BEGIN?
Many people also ask when to begin Qigong practices for Spring. According to the Jie Qi, Spring begins February 4th. But in many places, it is still snowing and cold. Therefore, like the transition from Summer to Autumn, February is a transitional time. Although it is not formally ruled by the Earth Element as Late Summer is, it is still a good time to focus on Earth centered Qigong practices and nourishing the Spleen, Stomach and Lower Dantian. This will give you a strong foundation and Earth Element to balance the upcoming rising Wood energy.
Choosing routines according to seasonal cycles keeps our Qigong practice exciting and fun! There are over 300 Qigong Flow movements in the YOQI system and there is no way you can do all of them in week, and you don’t need to. That’s why I developed the YOQI system of the Six Phases of Qi Flow. Each YOQI seasonal routine applies the traditional system of energy regulation to the seasons. Simply click on the SEASONAL ROUTINES category in the video on demand library and choose the seasonal series that applies to your hemisphere.
If you live near the equator or in the tropics you may not experience drastic seasons, but you can still practice according to the cycles of energy. Often in the tropics, the rainy season period of Late Summer lasts longer than other seasons, which means that you need to focus more on balancing the Late Summer Series that focuses on the Earth Element, the spleen and stomach. My advice is to still follow the Jie Qi Calendar according to your hemisphere and listen to your body and nature. You know what works if you feel good!
