Cultivate your Health Guide
CONGRATULATIONS
WHAT IS YANG SHENG?
WHAT IS QI?
YIN YANG IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE MEDICINE
CHINESE NUTRITIONAL THERAPY
CHINESE NUTRITIONAL THERAPY - THERMAL NATURE
FOOD CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO FLAVOUR
THE FIVE ELEMENTS
WOOD RECIPE
FIRE RECIPE
EARTH RECIPE
METAL RECIPE
WATER RECIPE
GENERAL DAILY HEALTH CULITVATION RULES
SIXTEEN DAILY EXERCISES TO CULTIVATE A HEALTHY BODY
You have decided to dedicate the next few weeks to nourish yourself inside and out. The first step on your journey to feeling the new you is to know that you truly deserve this. This designed to help you to slow down, connect with your inner self, make space for creativity and ultimately to nourish you. So get ready for a journey that will be a very rewarding one. Where every day you will experience a new level of self-love and inner peace. This time gives you the permission to honour yourself. It is the opportunity to discover how you truly feel and think in all aspects of your life. Use this time to set your intention for your personal health, well-being and success.
As women (and men) we struggle to take time out for ourselves. But don’t feel guilty or selfish. You deserve this time to nourish yourself. Besides, how we feel about ourselves a ects everything we will ever do – including our relationships, aspirations etc. Believe it or not, what we eat directly impacts how we feel physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. By eating a diet that consists of mostly unprocessed, organically grown and seasonal food, we are naturally o ered the opportunity to absorb the potential and full presence of what created it – nature and the energy of it. By consuming food vibrant with a living bioactive frequency, we too become vibrant, healthy and radiantjust as nature intended us to be.
This personalized health plan is about taking control of your life by making positive empowering choices and setting realistic goals. This guide introduces some of the theories of Chinese medicine and hopes to assist in achieving goals both short and long term and in developing a new approach to your health and well being that will increase confidence which is in itself, essential to self empowerment.
This guide is an introduction to some of the theoretical principles and practical application of traditional Chinese medicine. Topics include Yang Sheng, Qi, Yin-Yang, the five elements and Chinese nutritional therapy. Read through the whole guide so that you can see what is needed to thoroughly prepare yourself and gain the best out of your personalized health plan.
Yang Sheng (translated as nourishing or cultivation of life) is the art of enabling self-cultivation of health, consciously preventing illness and preserving optimum well-being. The concept of health cultivation dates back as early as 400BC, where classical Chinese teachings in ‘cultivating life’ provided valuable guidance on the activities that promoted health and longevity and on those that might cause harm.
It was discussed in the classical teachings of Laozi, Confucius and Mencius and had a great influence on the practice of traditional Chinese medicine.
This ancient philosophy of Yang Sheng teaches us that health and well-being are determined by being in harmony with oneself and the environment. It’s not just about our physical body being healthy but our mind and spirit being healthy also. It is about attitudes, beliefs and how we view the world around us.
It’s about preserving what we already have constitutionally while at the same time cultivating healthy lifestyle habits to help improve longevity.
By utilizing the nature-based principles of Chinese medicine, we can cultivate inner balance and stability for increased health and well-being.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, health preservation is based on human beings living in unity with nature and cannot be separated from the ever-changing environment. As a result, how the body correlates with the environment and how it adjusts to it is crucial to understanding pathogenic influences on health.
In terms of health assessment, Yang Sheng is based on three abstract concepts:
Shen (spirit) represents mental activities, consciousness or thought. It governs every aspect of the physical body, and also serves as a general presentation of vitality
Jing (essence) is the constitutional and nutritious basis of the body
Qi (vital energy) is a vital life force, the source of body activity and movement as well as the functions of di erent organs. Qi makes the physical body and the mind integrated as a whole.
These three concepts are regarded as the "three treasures" of the body and they exist in a complementary and interactive way. They ensure a strong physical body with vigorous vitality. Abundance in these three aspects ensures good health while prolonged negative stimuli and physical depletion drains and weakens Qi, which according to Chinese Medicine eventually results in adverse conditions such as pain, low energy, stress, premature ageing, digestives issues and poor sleep.
Therefore, replenishing the qi (vital energy), preserving the jing (essence) and cultivating the shen (spirit) are considered the main objectives in maintaining good health.
Qigong, yoga, gua sha, healthy diet, meditation, pottery, painting etc. are all practices for self-cultivation. Yang Sheng is a philosophy for life. It gives you the permission to honour yourself. It is the opportunity to discover how you truly feel and think in all aspects of your life. Yang Sheng helps to set your intention for personal health, wellbeing and success.
Modern life can make it challenging to take time out for ourselves. However, small positive changes can a ect not only our health but also everything we will ever do –including our relationships, aspirations etc.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, everything in life is composed and defined by its Qi and is the ultimate measure of one’s vitality. Qi, often referred to as vital energy, is the energy current that runs through our body, providing it with circulation, nutrients and minerals that we all need to be whole and healthy. When the Qi is unable to flow properly symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, hormone imbalance, pain, muscle weakness, depression, cramp and stress will occur. Also, certain lifestyle habits and environmental elements can disrupt or block the flow of Qi.
Acupuncture - which has been considered safe practice by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) –is used by acupuncturist to restore the body to its natural, balanced state, and helps to promote physical and emotional harmony. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine sterile needles into specific points on the body to a ect the flow of the body’s Qi. It is believed that the body comprises of several channels or merdians in which Qi flows through. Each channel is connected to a vital organ. This internal network of channels and organs sustain the body’s ability to function. When all these functions take place harmoniously, the body is healthy and in balance. Therefore, by stimulating the Qi in the channels somehow signals to the body’s system what it needs to do to resolve the condition.
This is why Chinese medicine in a whole body approach to healthcare. No single sign or symptom can be understood except in its relation to the whole. A symptom, therefore, is not traced back to a cause, but is looked at through the spectrum of totality. If an individual has a complaint or symptom, as Chinese medicine practitioners, we want to know how the symptom relates to the individual’s entire being and behaviour. Illness is placed within the narrative of the individual’s life and biography. Treating the whole person and not just the symptom is the challenge of Chinese medicine.
As to the Yin and Yang of the Human Body, the outer part is Yang and the inner part is Yin. As to the trunk, the back is yang and the abdomen is yin. As to the organs, the viscera are yin whereas the bowels are yang. The liver, heart, spleen, lung and kidney are yin; the gallbladder, stomach, intestines, bladder and triple burner are yang.
This quote is taken from the translation of the contemporary textbook of Chinese medicine; ‘the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic’, the oldest text to discuss the medical application of yin and yang in a comprehensive way and demonstrated how yin and yang were used to correlate the body and other phenomena to the human experience of health and disease. By observing the cyclical patterns of phenomena, Chinese medicine acknowledges the influence that phenomena played in our daily lives.
Within Chinese medicine, Yin and Yang were used to determine both our normal physiology and pathological processes. They were applied to the organization of phenomena in many ways such as to give definition to either phenomena’s dominant yin or yang characteristics or its relationship to its ecological surroundings. Just as the language of ecology – (the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment) is all about interrelation and interdependence, Yin and yang in Chinese medicine also corresponds to the same interrelation and interdependence.
Yin and Yang express this idea of interrelation and interdependence as opposing but complementary phenomena that exist in a state of energetic equilibrium. The most ancient documented expression of this idea in the philosophy of Chinese medicine seems to be that of the shady and sunny sides of the hill; The sunlit southern side of the hill was the yang and the shaded northern side was the yin.
If you imagine, for a second, the di erent environments that existed on either side of the hill, influenced by either the bright or dark, you can begin to get an idea of the e ects of yin and yang. So these dual powers (interrelation and interdependence) that are designated as Yin and Yang and their constant interaction with each other is used in Chinese medicine because of the influence they have within the human body.
Its important to note that this duality of power, yin and yang, exist in dependence on each other. Perfect balance or harmony between Yin and Yang means health; imbalance or disharmony of one element brings about disease or even worse, death. This is fundamental in the development of Chinese Medicine.
that either promotes health and vitality or creates imbalances that can lead to disease.
A key principle in Chinese nutritional therapy is that all food and herbs can be characterized by their four energetic characteristics. These energetic characteristics are:
Thermal Nature: Hot, warm, neutral, cool, cold
Flavour: Sweet, acrid, sour, bitter, salty
Organ Network: Spleen, stomach, lung, large intestine, kidney, bladder, liver, gallbladder, heart, small intestine
Direction of movement: Ascending, floating, descending, sinking
These energetic characteristics describe the therapeutic e ect flavour and thermal natures have on the body. Quite simply, what food does when you eat it. This is somewhat at odds with western nutritional therapy, which characterizes food in terms of how much protein, fat, calories, vitamins, minerals, etc. it contains.
with a more personalized approach.
The basis of healthy eating according to Chinese medicine is having a diet that consists of all types of food in moderation to ensure that you get all the nutrients your body needs for optimum health. Limiting yourself to only select variety of foods will only limit your nutritional intake.
Even food considered healthy may not be compatible with an illness or certain conditions. For example, bananas are cold and sweet and nourish Yin – for a person who has a constitution that tends to be on the warm and dry side, who may su er from constipation, bananas would be an ideal food. However, a person with a cold, and damp constitution, bananas might aggravate an existing condition.
The main lesson here is that we need to listen to our bodies and be more observant of the foods that cause discomfort. If we immediately replace the food that makes us feel uncomfortable, we can prevent the symptoms from progressing and resulting in sickness.
Foods are divided into five energetic temperature levels: Hot, warm = yang
Neutral = Yin and Yang
Eggs, fish, fowl,
Alcohol
Fruit & vegetables
Grains & legumes
Herbs & spices
Seeds & nuts
Yogi tea Cocoa
Lamb
Co ee
Red wine
Cinnamon Chlli
Curry
Garlic
Ginger
Paprika
Pepper
Butter
Goat’s cheese
Beef
Chicken
Eel
Salmon
Cherry
Fennel
Leek
Peach
Onion
Water
Honey Salt
Soy sauce
Cow’s milk
Cheese
Carp
Duck
Chicken egg
Goose
Pork
Carrot
Cauliflower
Grape
Fig
Plum
Potato
Corn
Lentil
Millet
Peas
Rice
Spelt
Anise
Basil
Rosemary
Shrimp
Crayfish
Fruit juice
Peppermint
Tea
Sour milk
Soy mnilk
Wheat beer
Asparagus
Banana
Orange
Rhubarb
Seaweed
Tomato
Watermelon
Yoghurt
Rabbit
Celery
Cucumber
Soy bean
Sprouts
Spinach
Zucchini
Pear
Barley
Tofu
Wheat
Dandelion
Yellow gentian
Tarragon
Walnut
Chestnut
Pine nut
Hazlenut
Foods are divided into five energetic temperature levels:
Hot, warm = yang
Cold, cool = yin
Neutral = Yin and Yang
Sweet Acrid/pungent Salty Sour Bitter
Almonds Apple
Anise
Barley
Banana
Beef Butter
Carrot
Cheese
Chicken
Corn Duck
Eggplant
Fig
Milk
Millet
Oats
Pork
Potato
Pumpkin
Pear
Rabbit
Rice
Spinach
Wheat
Honey Dates
Celeriac (celery root)
Chili
Cinnamon
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger
Kohlrabi
Onion
Paprika
Pepper
Radishes
Thyme
Watercress
Crayfish
Duck
Ham
Oyster
Octopus Pork
Pigeon
Salt
Soy sauce
Seaweed
Kelp
Adzuki beans
Apple
Apricot
Grape
Kiwi
Lemon
Mango
Orange
Plum
Pineapple
Cheese
Curd cheese
Farmer’s cheese
Cream cheese
Sour (curdled)
Milk
Tomato
Vinegar, Olives
Basil
Chicory
Celeriac (celery root)
Co ee
Dandelion
Lettuce
Parsley
Tea
Turnips
Asparagus
Bergamot
Celery
The practice of Chinese nutritional therapy involves choosing foods to cause a desired change in health. For example, acrid foods tend to increase circulation and sweet foods nourish the body.
Liver & gallbladder
Heart & pericardium
Spleen & stomach
Lung & large intestine
Acrid/ pungent
Kidney & bladder
Wood Spring
Astringent, helps with digestion, binds diarrhea and heavy sweating, and generates fluid.
Too much can disturb healthy digestion.
Add metal foods to help balance meals in spring and stimulate the immune system after a cold and dark winter.
Fire Summer
Earth
Clears heat, dries dampness, promote urination and bowel movement.
Too much can cause excessive heat in the body which can damage blood and yin.
Neutralize toxins, lubricate and nourish the body.
Too much can increase blood sugar levels, add more fat and increase weight.
Add water foods to cool the fire of long early ummer days.
Late Summer
Add wood foods to starchy harvest of late summer.
Metal Autumn
Increases circulation and stimulate appetite.
Too much can cause restless energy and restless mind.
Add fire foods to increase circulation, improve metabolism and prepare for winter.
Water Winter
Softens hardness, lubricates intestines to induce bowel movements.
Too much increases water retention, cold, sluggishness and lethargy.
Add earth foods to nourish during the winter months.
Jade Green Soup
4 dried shitake mushrooms
1 cup of boiling water
6 cups vegetable stock
1 ½ tbsp. grated ginger root
1 ½ cups of thinly sliced carrots
1 ½ cups of thinly sliced onions
2 cups chopped chinese cabbage, bok choy or kale
4 cups firmly packed, rinsed and chopped fresh spinach
1 portion of tempeh cut into ½ cubes (3/4 pounds)
salt to taste
several drops of sesame oil
Place the shitake mushrooms in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, set aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the stock in a large soup pot. When it boils, add ginger, carrot, onion and greens. Lower the heat, and simmer for around 10 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and add them to the soup along with the tempeh and spinach. Cook for 5 minutes, add some salt and sesame oil.
Minted Lemon-Lime Watermelon agua fresca
¼ cup water
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup coarsely chopped mint
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
12 cup cubed seeded watermelon
¼ cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Combine 1 ¼ cups of water and sugar in a small pan; bring to boil over a medium heat. Cook for 30 seconds or until sugar dissolves. Stirring frequently.
Remove from heat; stir in mint, lime rind, and lemon rind. Let stand 20 minutes Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Place one0third each of the sugar syrup, and watermelon in blender; process until smooth. Pour puree into a large pitcher. Repeat the procedure twice with remaining sugar syrup and watermelon. Stir in lime and lemon juice. Serve over ice or refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir before serving.
Red split lentil dahl
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
5 cardamom pods
5 cloves
200g red split lentils
1 vegetable stock cube
1litre of water
1/2 lemon juice fresh coriander, chopped
Place olive oil in a pan and turn on low heat. Add the fennel seeds, cardamom and cloves to the pot and gently toast the spices in the oil (this allows the flavour to go into the oil) for 2-3 minutes.
Add to the pot the onion and garlic and saute till the onions change colour In the meantime boil the kettle and in a separate pot pour the hot water on the stock cube to dissolve
Add the red split lentils to the sauce and let them absorb the oil for 30 seconds
Then add the stock to the pot and stir well
Season with salt, cover the pot with a lid and simmer on slow heat for 10-15 minutes. Check and stir regularly and you may need to add some water as the lentils absorb a lot of it
At this point I let the soup rest and soak up all the flavours for an hour, then I remove the cloves and cardamom.
Then with a mini piper blend the soup and at this stage add the lemon juice and coriander (optional)
You may need to add extra water at this point, according to how thick or runny you like your soups.
Congee with pears
Traditionally known as ‘rice water’ congee is eaten throughout China as a breakfast food. It is a thin porridge, usually made from rice, although other grains may be used.
1 cup rice, millet, or quinoa
6 cups of water
1 -2 pears, cut in half
¼ cup goji berries (optional).
Cook all the ingredients in a covered pot for four to six hours on warm, or use the lowest flame possible; a crockpot works well for congee and can run on low overnight.
It is better to use too much water than too little, and it is said that the longer the congee cooks, the more ‘powerful’ it becomes.
Red split lentil dahl
Lamb stew
1 leg of lamb, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup red wine
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cups beef or lamb stock
Several sprigs fresh thyme, tied together
½ teaspoon green peppercorns, crushed
½ teaspoon whole cloves
Several small pieces orange peel
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons arrowroot paste mixed with 2 tablespoons of filtered water
sea salt and pepper
1 pound turnips, quartered
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut
Marinate the lamb in wine for several hours or overnight. Remove from wine and dry with paper towels. In a heavy casserole, brown the meat in batches in butter and olive oil, removing to a plate. Pour out oil and add stock, wine used in marinade and tomato paste. Bring to boil and skim. Add peppercorns, cloves, orange peel and garlic. Return meat to dish with thyme, cover and bake at 300 degrees for several hours or until meat is tender. One – half hour before serving, add turnips and carrots. Just before serving, add arrowroot micture, until desired thickness of sauce is obtained. Season to taste.
Start the day with warm lemon water
Meditate
Exercise/morning movement
Self care – whatever makes you feel like you are taking care of your health, looking and feeling good.
Eat a substantial, healthy and warming breakfast between 7am – 9am
Eat lunch between 12 – 1pm
Eat only under peaceful conditions
Stay hydrated
Find time to connect with nature
Connect with a loved one
Don’t drink liquids with solids (to avoid diluting digestive enzymes – 15 minutes before of after)
Evening meal should be small and support easy digestion.
Take your time when eating
Concentrate your attention on the experience of eating
Eat dinner before 7pm
Wind down at least 30 minutes before bed
Incorporate a restorative exercise regime before bed.
Practice gratitude
Meditate
Lights out by 10.30pm
4. Covering the Ears
This exercise involves lowering and raising the head with the hands covering the ears. The movement of lowering and raising the head is repeated 5 – 7 times. While doing so, keep your mind quiet and avoid distracting thoughts. Persistence in doing this exercise may keep one’s mind clear. It also serves as a therapeutic method for dizziness and vertigo.
5. Clicking the Teeth
Clicking the teeth refers to knocking the upper and lower teeth together. One may do this 36 times in bed after waking up. Prolonged practice may strengthen the teeth.
6. Closing the Mouth
Closing the mouth from time to time with the tongue resting on the upper palate and breathing slowly and evenly for a period of time helps to invigorate functional activities of qi and produce body fluid.
7. Swallowing the Saliva
Saliva, which has the e ect of strengthening the spleen and stomach and promoting digestion, is usually present in the mouth and swallowed from time to time. Each morning, move your tongue up and down in the mouth and gargle to collect saliva until it fills your mouth. The swallow three times, each time swallowing one third of it. This greatly helps the digestion and absorption of the gastro-intestinal tract.
The raising of qi refers to the harmonious action of respiration and elevation of the bus, i.e. while slowly inspiring through the nose, the anus is being gently, continuously elevated. When expiring, the anus is lowered after being held in the elevated position for a while – similar action as downward dog to child pose. Frequent elevation of qi is beneficial to qi functioning in the body. For elderly, it can help to prevent prolapse of the anus and delay senility.
When the mind is calm, qi and blood flow normally and harmoniously, and the emotions are undisturbed. Maintaining a calm mind, free from distracting thoughts, annoyance, and sorrow and keeps an optimistic attitude, the qi and blood within the body will circulate without obstruction, which results in more energy and vitality. Otherwise, anger and anxiety causes the the qi and blood to stagnant, which is extremely harmful to health.
This involves to the use of the mind, consciousness and thinking. Too much thinking, anxiety and nervousness will inevitably result in result in exhaustion of the Shen, leading to mental fatigue and deficiency in energy. If you can be mentally relaxed so as to keep the mind calm for some time every day, you will have a sound, clear and quick mind.
The back region is the residence of the Du channel and bladder channel of Foot-Taiyang, and the place where external wind and cold easily enter the body. Therefore, the back should be always kept warm in order to prevent evil wind and cold from entering the body, and to reinforce the kidney and strengthen the lumbar region. A sleeveless garment is excellent to protect the back and keep it warm, and is especially good for the weak and the old.
This is a self-massage technique that involves massaging the abdomen clockwise and counter-clockwise, 30 – 50 times each. It is very helpful to digestion if it is done after meals. Frequent massage on the abdomen can alleviate abdominal distention and treat constipation.
The thorax contains the heart and lungs, and therefore care should be taken not to hurt it. Massage applied to the thorax can relieve chest oppression, regulate the flow of qi, and enhance the functions of the heart and lungs.
This is the same thing as “Kidney holding qigong” in traditional health preservation practice. The method is to hold scrotum tightly in the hand for some time in morning before getting up and at night after retiring to bed. While holding scrotum you should close the mouth and breathe evenly. This helps to nourish the kidneys-qi, reinforce the kidney, strengthen the lumbar region, and delay senility.
The vital qi is easily lost when one talks too much, whereas keeping silent can enrich the vital qi. So it is good for the health to talk less. This is particularly true for the weak the aged.
To dry wash the skin means to rub the skin of the whole body. Dry – washing the skin can accelerate the circulation of qi and blood, relax the muscles and tendons, as well as make the skin moist smooth and elastic.
Use language that is empowering, confident, definitive and positive. Avoid language that disempowers you such as I can’t, I don’t have enough… I’m not good enough, I already know etc. Self-sabotaging is often driven by negative self-talk where you tell yourself that you’re inadequate or unworthy of happiness and success. One of the key reasons for self-sabotage is a lack of self-esteem.
Recognise your self-sabotaging habits - To stop self-sabotage, you first need to recognize your own self sabotaging behaviours. Think about goals that you've had for a long time but have never accomplished. Are there particular areas where you're putting o making a decision? Are you su ering from lack of motivation, even for important things? It may be painful to ask yourself questions like these, but it's important. Tune in to problem situations so you can better understand what is happening.
Be compassionate, kind and patient with yourself and those around you. Self acceptance creates an openness that is all encompassing and helps to dismantle the negative inner voice.
Avoid unnecessary situations that don’t honour you. Make it a habit to go within and check with yourself before making plans, accepting invitations, or making any decisions. What does you heart say?
Allow for time to reconnect with your inner self. Slow down and listen to what your body and heart is communicating. Journal writing, finding time to spend in nature, long walks and taking some time to stop and smell the roses encourages a sense of gratitude and being in the present moment.
Open your heart to accepting more love in your life.
We hope you’ve enjoyed nourishing your mind, body and soul. We also hope that you will find this guide a useful tool for cultivating your health. Whatever daily routine you currently have, adding just a few if these steps will give you increased energy levels, inner clarity and a beautiful sense of well-being.
Cassandra has a BSc (hons) MBAcC in Chinese medicine from Westminster University, London and has pursued further postgraduate training in advance Oriental medicine at the Northern College of Acupuncture.
