跟《黃帝內經》學習如何與冬三月相處|How “The Basic Questions” Tell Us to Enjoy with Winter


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冬三月,此謂閉藏,水冰地坼,無擾乎陽,早臥晚起,必待日光,使志若伏若匿,若有私意,若已有得,去寒就溫,無泄皮膚使氣亟奪,此冬氣之應養藏之道也。
– 《四氣調神大論 ・素問》
11月7日是立冬,也就代表從秋天進入冬季。《素問》告訴我們冬季要注意什麼呢?

一、早睡晚起
當然不是說早到凌晨三點睡覺,太陽曬屁股才起床這種「早臥早起」,平時正常生理時鐘該睡覺的時間還是要睡覺,甚至可以比生理時鐘的時間稍微提早一點,因為天黑比較早,至於起床時間,《素問》特別強調要在太陽出來才起床。

二、情緒安寧
冬天,萬物潛藏,用以養精蓄銳。我們的精神也是一樣,應跟隨冬天收斂,避免大喜大怒及思慮過度。想要養生的過感恩節和聖誕節,最好就是與家人朋友小小聚餐,避免外出與人蹦噠。多進行一些安逸的活動。

三、溫和運動
冬天的溫差和濕度相差相對比較大,因此運動量應適當減少。尤其在天氣寒冷的地區,更要注意保暖,運動出汗後注意別受寒。

很多人也想要知道冬天適合吃什麼。冬天適合進補。一講進補,肯定有人已經摩拳擦掌,躍躍欲試大魚大肉。進補不代表要大魚大肉,也不代表非得要吃什麼特殊的食物才算是進步,而是根據身體需求特別注重缺乏保養的地方。冬天飲食注意什麼?首先當然避免冷飲冷食。人不覺得冷,不代表身體臟腑感受不到冬令之氣。其次可以多進食黑色和偏溫性食物 - 例如黑豆、黑芝麻、桂圓、大棗、羊肉、牛肉等。零食類的話,堅果類如核桃、栗子🌰也是很不錯的選擇。但更重要的,是要根據身體需求飲食,例如本身脾胃不好,就趁著冬季,從開始身心調整吧 - 脾胃不好的大多都思慮過度,要不飲食不節。

冬季養生,一言以蔽之曰:藏。藏,當然不是當阿宅,而是身心活動量應該儘量減少。有住在東南亞地區的朋友會問「啊我這裡冬天只有旱季啊,溫差沒很大,那我跟著夏天做不也一樣?」很多人以為冬季溫差大、穿厚衣服才算是冬季。地球中氣的流動,不見得以溫度呈現,也可以以濕度等不同氣候現象呈現。在東南亞的冬季,即使不如其他地方需要穿厚衣服,但不代表沒有季節的傾向 - 雨水減少、晚上涼爽舒服等都是地域特有表現。有人問「那暖冬怎麼辦?」,事情反常必有妖,更要注意別被氣候陰到,好好保養身體。

若不確定自己是否適合吃啥或做啥,建議來一次季節性的養生諮詢,先了解自己身體。畢竟上述只是個大略指引。不然明明身體已經是偏熱,還吃羊肉爐,出現上火還問說不是應該吃羊肉...🙄
"The three months of winter, they denote securing and storing. The water is frozen and the earth breaks open. Do not disturb the yang [qi]. Go to rest early and rise late. You must wait for the sun to shine. Let the mind enter a state as if hidden, {as if shut in} as if you had secret intentions; as if you already had made gains. avoid cold and seek warmth and do not [allow sweat] to flow away through the skin. This would cause the qi to be carried away quickly. This is correspondence with the qi of winter and it is the Way of nourishing storage."
– "Discourse on how the Generative Qi Communicates with Heaven" in Huang Di’s Inner Classic – Basic Questions
7th, October was Lidong (立冬), the 19th solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar, which signifies the beginning of winter in East Asian cultures.

So what does the "Basic Questions" tell us how to "stay caution" in winter?

First, sleep early and get up late.
It doesn't mean that you are going to sleep at 3 a.m. and get up at noon (yes, sleep very *early*, huh?). So what does it mean? It means better to sleep earlier than the normal physiological clock and get up after sunrise.

Second, calm down, man.
There's nothing better a picture. 
We have been in the crazy 2020, we need some peace, right? Winter is the best time - stop thinking, relax at home, don't be dram queen/king, learn to enjoy the live-alone moment (which is very precious experience, seriously).

Third, moderate sport.
Hideaway doesn't mean to lockup at home and do nothing - you can still do some exercise. Just be careful not to catch a cold after sweat, stay warm!

Many people would want to know suitable food for winter. Winter is an excellent season to eat - wait, wait, wait, it doesn't mean you are going to have a crazy 48-hour meat party. What it means is to maintain and take good care based on your body. For winter, first is to avoid cold drink and cold food. Why? Your body doesn't feel the cold temperature, but it doesn't mean your organs feel the same way. Second, black-colour and warm food are suitable, e.g. black bean, black sesame, dried longan, jujube, lamb, beef; nuts are also nice for snack, e,g. walnut, chestnut 🌰. But the most important, is to diet based on what your body needs, e.g. your stomach status is not very well, start from taking care of it - people with bad stomach are normally overthinker or diet without self-control.

For winter, it's simple: "hide out" as animals, slow down your activities, calm down your mind.

Some people who live in South East Asia may ask "there's no winter here, only dry season, we can remain the same as summer?" In fact, winter doesn't mean temperature differences but can be shown as humidity and other climate characters.  Some people may ask "what if the winter is warmer/colder than normal?". If there is something abnormal, that must be something wrong. That means we need to take better care to ourselves than normal - who would know what would happen? Stay strong is more important!

If you are not sure what kind of food or activities are suitable for you, I would strongly recommend to do a seasonal consultation to understand your body. After all, points above are a brief guideline. What if your body is hot-type and you shouldn't have lamb and blame me of the suggestion from this article...🙄