Winter Energetics: Water, the Kidney, and Self-Care

Each season, as our natural environment shifts, so does the strength of qi within different meridians. We are now heading into winter, when our Kidney energy is at its height.

Kidney energy is correlated with the water element, our willpower, and our ability to take comfort in the unknown. Each organ in Chinese medicine is linked to an emotion, and the emotion of the Kidneys is fear. Many of us experience fear as we approach the new year and set out towards our new goals. Fear is a healthy and appropriate emotion. By strengthening our Kidney energy, we restore our body’s ability to handle fear effectively, gaining comfort in the unknown and reserving fear for necessary and appropriate situations.

Our Kidneys house our energetic life force, known as “Jing” or “Essence.” The strength of our Essence stems from our constitutions – i.e. what we inherited from our parents – as well as the quality of food that we consume. Winter is the time for bone broths and fortifying soups.

The Kidneys govern growth, not only physically but emotionally as well. By eating warm meals full of minerals and healthy fats, cooked vegetables and meats, we can strengthen our Kidney energy during winter.

The Kidney meridian starts at the ball of the foot, ascends in the inner leg and thigh, rises over the pubic mound, ascends the front of the torso in a vertical line parallel to the body’s midline, and settles beneath the collarbones. Branches of the meridian enter the spine, the bladder, the kidneys, the heart and the throat. When fear collapses our ability to speak, our Kidney energy is overwhelmed.

At the core of Chinese medical theory lies the delicate balance between yin and yang: feminine and masculine, coolness and warmth, darkness and light, rest and movement, water and fire.

Kidney energy, or water energy, is considered the utmost yin of the 12 regular channels in the body. It’s energetic yang counterpart is the Heart, which is associated with fire.

The Heart channel arises from the armpit and courses down the inside of the forearm, through the palm, to terminate at the pinky. The Heart’s emotion is joy. Like fear housed in the Kidneys, joy is a healthy emotion, but can at times be pathological. Consider someone who suffers a heart attack when experiencing a pleasant surprise, or an adrenaline junkie who develops high blood pressure while in her pursuit of excitement.

The Heart processes all of our emotions in Chinese medicine, providing familiarity to our feelings and sensations. The balance between the Heart and the Kidney is imperative in maintaining harmony within the body.

The holidays are a busy and stressful time. Though our natural inclination is to draw inwards and pull towards our yin, restful states, we are drawn outwards in very yang ways: invitations to parties, traveling to visit family, etc. This can create imbalance between yin and yang, Kidney and Heart, in the body.

As the year comes to a close, we have the opportunity to align with nature's stillness to fortify the Heart-Kidney axis. Set aside time to spend alone to draw inward for reflection and contemplation. Be truly alone - turn off all screens and sit with yourself. Reflect on how you've showed up for yourself this year, forgive your missteps, and write down three concrete ways to care for yourself in the coming year.

Self-care through reflection draws the Heart's fire down to the Kidney's water, strengthening your inner reserves and re-establishing homeostasis in the body.

Self-care also allows you to be more available for your community. After you have nourished yourself, take the time to spend with loved ones. Honor the shorter days by spending time with loved ones, celebrating the year's positive memories and finding strength together to face any lingering challenges.