Supporting my water energy (Jing me Up!)

[Albert]

I am currently engaged in rigorous exercise during the week. It is winter time where i am, but i havnt caught the flu yet and to be honest i am living a healthy lifestyle which is helping the wei Qi protect etc. However, my water is a little out of balance, needs some boosting.

 

Apart from rest, and training at a lower intensity, what types of food should i be eating? and any exercise you can reccomend to cultivate Jing?

[Aetherous]

Don't be so rigorous with your exercise. In winter time you're supposed to "take it easy" to conserve your kidney qi. Just pay attention to your body...if you're tired, rest.

[Gerard]

Wintertime is when everything slows down and is the time for storage. Ying dominates over yang which means wrapping up and taking it easy to avoid problems with kidney energy. Make sure you wear suitable and protective clothing during this time.

 

Tips:

 

1. Sex: Huang Di stated that we should limit sex during this time to avoid depleting the kidneys; it is also a good idea staying in bed later in the morning.

 

2. Food:

 

-Avoind eating raw food, especially if you suffer from spleen-pancreas deficiency

-Eat plenty of warm soups and broths, stews, meats and garlic.

 

Cooking methods:

 

#Cook foods in their own juices, over a long time. This means that you bake, make casseroles and stews. When you use the top of the stove, you cook for long periods over a minimal flame and you use a clay pot. Use some salt (or soy sauce). In small amounts, salt foods strengthen the kidneys.

 

#Above all, food should not be cooling, therefore you do not serve raw foods, raw fruit and iced foods/drinks with meals.

 

#Fruit such as apples and pairs can be stewed, with some warming herbs such as cinnamon or vanilla and cloves.

 

#A great dish to eat in winter is Marrow Soup/Broth. Here's a recipe:

 

1. Alternate or combine black beans with marrow or fish bones to make soup. The combination of black beans with beef marrow is extremely warming and nourishing. Always cook beans with sea vegetables, preferably kombu and add lovage and dill when you add the vegetables in the end.

 

2. Beans are drying and ultimately cooling: they promote urination. Therefore, add barley (instead of rice) to your bean soups to counteract the drying effect of legumes.

 

3. Buy marrow (and all meats) from an organic butcher preferably.

[hagar]

edit

Edited November 11, 2009 by hagar

[Albert]

Wintertime is when everything slows down and is the time for storage. Ying dominates over yang which means wrapping up and taking it easy to avoid problems with kidney energy. Make sure you wear suitable and protective clothing during this time.

 

Tips:

 

1. Sex: Huang Di stated that we should limit sex during this time to avoid depleting the kidneys; it is also a good idea staying in bed later in the morning.

 

2. Food:

 

-Avoind eating raw food, especially if you suffer from spleen-pancreas deficiency

-Eat plenty of warm soups and broths, stews, meats and garlic.

 

Cooking methods:

 

#Cook foods in their own juices, over a long time. This means that you bake, make casseroles and stews. When you use the top of the stove, you cook for long periods over a minimal flame and you use a clay pot. Use some salt (or soy sauce). In small amounts, salt foods strengthen the kidneys.

 

#Above all, food should not be cooling, therefore you do not serve raw foods, raw fruit and iced foods/drinks with meals.

 

#Fruit such as apples and pairs can be stewed, with some warming herbs such as cinnamon or vanilla and cloves.

 

#A great dish to eat in winter is Marrow Soup/Broth. Here's a recipe:

 

1. Alternate or combine black beans with marrow or fish bones to make soup. The combination of black beans with beef marrow is extremely warming and nourishing. Always cook beans with sea vegetables, preferably kombu and add lovage and dill when you add the vegetables in the end.

 

2. Beans are drying and ultimately cooling: they promote urination. Therefore, add barley (instead of rice) to your bean soups to counteract the drying effect of legumes.

 

3. Buy marrow (and all meats) from an organic butcher preferably.

 

 

Thanks for the recipe!

 

I am currently studying acupuncture and just yesterday we were given a lecture on the seasons.

 

Seriously thankyou very much for your thoughts on this - i will certainly carry out what you have advised

 

Cheers mate

 

Both of the above advice are great, and not much to be added as practical advice goes.

 

But you may ask yourself if your notion of "lacking water" is correct. How do you know? Water is not just the fluids in the body, but relates the element of water. If that is what you feel needs support, it is close to impossible to "increase" an element in the body.

 

It all depends on a whole range of variables, and most of them are actually out of your control, like where you live, your parents constitution, the time of your birth and conception, your early growth, when you reached puberty etc.

 

But there is also a totally different way to access the water element in the body. The way to do that is through practice. In winter, we have nature showing us how we can harness the water element, as it is most active in this time.

 

If you are able to access it, how do you know? How does it feel?

In my experience, and from what I have been taught, there is the decayed, or conditioned water, that we should try to purge from the body, or transform. Then there is the essential, or pure water.

 

When I practice correctly. (which is actually not often) the water element expands, and nourishes the brain, the skin and the joints/bones. A sign of this is a kind of creamy wetness in the hands, more saliva, a moistening or tears in the eyes, and a general feeling of being soft, connected and supple. Just like a plant that is watered.

 

There are many practices that nourishes the water element, but five animals, and the "rock" meditation is good for winter practice.

 

Sorry for the rambling

 

h

 

rambling = great!

 

Now to clarify my broad and very general statement of 'lacking water' which you very rightly pointed out. Yesterday i was treated with acupuncture and had a shiatsu massage from a different practitioner. Both said water yang deficient. Implying bladder i suppose. Unfortunately i am only a 2nd yr student of chinse med therefore cant really go into to much detail about what i was 'born with' just yet. Although my father and mothers kidney energy is pretty strong as far as i can see.

 

The rigourous exercise is early morning - 3 times a week. strength and cardio. my energy levels have improved since i started the new exercise routine(2.5 months ago) and superficially feel fine, it wasnt until both practitioners said yesterday that my water is a bit depleted.Which then i started to notice my forearms speckled with a faint black colour.

 

as for meditation - five animals and rock - can you point me where to go to read about these types of meditation!? as a newcomer to meditation practice, i have been suprisingly consistent this year - however am not following any 'meditation practice' - just watching my breathing and thoughts at this stage.

 

any further advice on this would be much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips:

 

1. Sex: Huang Di stated that we should limit sex during this time to avoid depleting the kidneys; it is also a good idea staying in bed later in the morning.

 

 

 

oh and by the way - i am a new father - so this act of depleting kidneys will be quite easy to avoid

[hagar]

Thanks for the recipe!

 

I am currently studying acupuncture and just yesterday we were given a lecture on the seasons.

 

Seriously thankyou very much for your thoughts on this - i will certainly carry out what you have advised

 

Cheers mate

rambling = great!

 

Now to clarify my broad and very general statement of 'lacking water' which you very rightly pointed out. Yesterday i was treated with acupuncture and had a shiatsu massage from a different practitioner. Both said water yang deficient. Implying bladder i suppose. Unfortunately i am only a 2nd yr student of chinse med therefore cant really go into to much detail about what i was 'born with' just yet. Although my father and mothers kidney energy is pretty strong as far as i can see.

 

The rigourous exercise is early morning - 3 times a week. strength and cardio. my energy levels have improved since i started the new exercise routine(2.5 months ago) and superficially feel fine, it wasnt until both practitioners said yesterday that my water is a bit depleted.Which then i started to notice my forearms speckled with a faint black colour.

 

as for meditation - five animals and rock - can you point me where to go to read about these types of meditation!? as a newcomer to meditation practice, i have been suprisingly consistent this year - however am not following any 'meditation practice' - just watching my breathing and thoughts at this stage.

 

any further advice on this would be much appreciated.

oh and by the way - i am a new father - so this act of depleting kidneys will be quite easy to avoid

 

Regretted posting a very vague reply, thus deleted.

 

But as far as your question; I see you live in the UK.

I study with Master Zhixing Wang. He teaches in London, and it is his 5 animal form I refer to.

His student Erwann Lemoigne teaches a form of sitting practice called "Rock meditation".

 

For further info, see their websites, or PM me.

 

h