Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism
The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic (Huangdi Neijing), an important Chinese classic on nurturing life, discusses how to nurture health in each of the four seasons.
Eastern Taoism has always regarded the human body as “a small universe of heaven and earth,” so the way of nurturing life naturally differs and shifts its emphasis to accord with the four seasons of the year—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. This is a concrete expression of what Taoism particularly stresses: that people should follow the principle that “the Tao follows what is so of itself.”
In spring, the body's qi and blood move from the inside outward, and all things in the natural world are sprouting and growing. In this season one must “go to bed at nightfall and rise early, and stroll broadly in the courtyard.” Going to bed at nightfall means going to sleep once it gets dark and getting up a bit early in the morning. If in spring you can go to sleep a little earlier at night, it will help the yin qi retreat and be stored; because the qi and blood in the body are moving outward at this time, you should go to bed a little early. “Stroll broadly in the courtyard” means going outside often for a walk or a stroll; contact with the sprouting, growing qi of all things in nature benefits body and mind.
As for mood: spring is a season of sprouting and growth, and Chinese medicine says that among the five zang organs the liver plays an important role. What role does the liver play? The liver has the function of spreading and releasing; it lets your qi and blood move outward. The liver likes to flow freely and hates to be pent up. So remember that in spring you must never be gloomy, because gloom affects the liver qi. In spring it is best to be happy every day and not gloomy—this is a very important method of nurturing health.
In summer, people are especially prone to “internal fire” and lose their temper at the slightest thing. Because in summer the qi and blood have all come to the surface, the qi and blood inside are relatively insufficient, so people flare up easily when something happens. So remember that in summer you must avoid anger: do not lose your temper, or lose it as little as possible. Your qi and blood are already at the surface, and if you lose your temper on top of that, your blood pressure rises and your heart must bear a heavy load.
In summer one should take care to “go to bed late and rise early, and not tire of the sun.” In summer you can go to bed a bit later and get up a bit earlier and sleep a little less, even if you then catch up with a nap at midday. Going to bed late does not mean “late” without limit: you should be asleep by 11 p.m. and up at five or six in the morning—that is, follow the sun and follow this natural pattern, which helps the body's yang qi rise and grow outward.
In autumn one should “go to bed early and rise early.” At this time the qi and blood are just gathering in from the outside to the inside. We all know that by day the body's yang qi is on the outside and at night the yang qi returns within. If you can go to bed early and rise early, your qi and blood will accord with this state of gradually being stored inward. Moreover, in autumn, as all things wither and the autumn rains drag on, people are easily moved to sorrow, so take care not to be sad all the time; excessive grief harms the lungs.
In winter one should “go to bed early and rise late, and wait for the sunlight.” That is, get up only after the sun has come out; you must follow the sun, because in winter the whole climate is one in which heaven and earth are withdrawing and storing. All the nourishment of every plant is in its roots. If you get up too early to exercise, your pores will open, and open pores are bad for storing your essence and qi. So exercise in winter must wait for the sun; this is called going to bed early and rising late and waiting for the sunlight. Winter is the time of withdrawing and storing, and emotionally one should overcome inner fear and dread; living in constant fright and fear every day is bad for keeping the kidney qi stored within.
In addition, there are two turning points between the seasons that need special attention: the Winter Solstice and the Summer Solstice, these two periods. What role do these two periods play in the year? The first feature of the Winter Solstice is that the sun has reached its southernmost point, at the coldest time; the second is that yang qi begins to be born, which is why people say that at the Winter Solstice yang is born. At the Summer Solstice the sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer, the hottest time; as the sun begins to turn back, it is both the hottest time and the time when yin qi begins to be born. So in the whole year, the Winter Solstice and the Summer Solstice are the two times most deserving of attention, especially for the middle-aged and elderly. If you look carefully, you will notice that the Winter Solstice and the Summer Solstice are both times when many people are “taken away.”