TCM seasonal wellness guide: 立冬 lidong (start of winter)

Lidong signals the start of transiting into winter. In nature, plants are shedding the remaining leaves and animals are getting ready for hibernation. All species reduce activeness and conserve vitality, waiting for the coming spring.

Like all life in nature, TCM believes, we too, should conserve our yang as it weakens and gather yin at the same time.

How? Follow nature’s rhythm

Sleep early and wake up late is ideal way to conserve yang and gather yin. Avoid disturbing yang qi by being physically overactive and sweating, resulting in disrupting the bodily conversion of yin and yang. Furthermore, the disturbed yin yang balance will affect the well being of kidney and leads to arms and legs related illness and low vitality in spring.