Wrap up your kidneys, it's cold out there!
Did you know that a very effective tool for preventing illness in the colder seasons is simply to wrap a scarf around your kidneys (the middle to lower back)?
Winter, according to Chinese medecine, is governed by the water element (think of all the different forms of water we experience.....rain, sleet, snow, ice).
In the body, the Water element controls the Bladder and Kidneys. The kidneys control the fire in the body and help to keep us warm as it gets colder. Attached to our kidneys are the adrenal glands responsible for managing adrenilin, the stress hormone. So this is a time when both our bodies and our environment are geared up to deal with stress, be it physical or emotional or environmental.
Water is of course associated with emotion and true enough Winter can be an emotional and stressful time. When we are out of balance and days seem darker, old fears can set in and accumulated stress can lead to illness.
There are many things we can do to help balance during this time and awareness of what is happening makes a big difference. Here are a few other tools to try out:
Drink warm water first thing in the morning to help heat up the body and clean out toxins.
Eat and drink warming foods with spices if you like them or soups and casseroles.
Notice when you are feeling stressed and acknowledge your feelings about a situation. You don't need to do anything but just recognise that you are going through a stressful moment. Then breathe out and breathe in again. A new moment is here. Recognise how you feel, breathe in and breathe out...live in the present moment.
Get the circulation moving but avoid strenuous exercise - yoga can be a perfect companion as well as walking in the woods.
Take care of yourself or better yet, let someone else pamper you. Have a warming massage with essential oils and let someone else deal with the tensions in your body. Try the deeply relaxing Ayurvedic massage or Nirvana indulgent ritual.
And don't forget, wrap up those kidneys!
Namaste
