the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

doing anything different with the change of seasons?

Yes. I'm practicing more Metal Element Phase exercises like Xingyiquan Metal Fist and TCC Parting the Horse's Mane, etc. It's all good!

What is "Change of season"?

Sincerely,
Florida

Just kidding, I know the seasons. We have two, beach full of locals season and beach full of new Yorkers season.

In the late autumn and winter you can focus more one building up and storing energy. If you do the same in the summer, you will get too hot. so you would probably want to balance the training differently. In the summer you might also want to practice in the nature and focus on breathing exercises to strengthen the lungs and, how to express it...? fill your system with oxygen and fresh air?

Same qi gong year round but our free in the park classes end.
Hey, did you ever notice how much more slippery wood floors get in the dry air of winter?

how about changing to different foods for fall (or spring or whatever beach or other season is starting for you)?

seasonal foods for "qi"?

In one of the first copies of the tai chi magazine when it was still a number of roneoed sheets
I wrote an artical on eating for the seasons
Vol 1 either 2 or 3
The secret to eating is fasting and changing the diet in the 18 day crossover period
Using the 5 element theory
I also went to see my Chinese doctor for pulse diagnosis for fine adjustment
My chi Kung does not change no matter the season
I prefer to let the season adjust me

oh very cool, I bought (and kept) exactly one issue (probably was much later in the run).

have heard to fast and change in that period, but have never tried it. Also, I don't quite understand the "late summer" season idea (here in the N. Hemisphere, I guess that's our season in certain locations), other than the "jam it" into "5 elements". sort of super pleasant transitional weather where it feels like warm but not hot summer by day, autumn by night. but it gives a different "energy".

something that "feels natural" as far as seasonal vegetables/foods here is eating squashes, root vegetables, stews, etc. my energy felt sort of lower but some simple stew seemed to be the ticket. otoh, when it's actually "crisp" fall cool weather, my energy seems to go higher.

We don’t treat earth as late summer
We consider earth to be the last 18 days of each season

The so-called Late Summer is the Autumn Season, when tree leaves change color, and is traditionally associated with the Earth Element Phase.

The Fall Season which follows is when the trees drop their leaves, and is associated with the Metal Element Phase.

One way of viewing the wu xing (5 phase) is to have the earth at the center and we had a training principle that during the last 18 day transition (back to earth before transitioning to the next season) of a season you do not train heavily - train lightly - we did not obsessively follow this principle (it was brought up that GM Liu followed this perspective - never do pai da and heavy qiang and stance work during these 18 days) but we did make a training adjustment for winter and the kidneys as part of the training based on the wu xing phase.

Doc Stier wrote:The so-called Late Summer is the Autumn Season, when tree leaves change color, and is traditionally associated with the Earth Element Phase.

The Fall Season which follows is when the trees drop their leaves, and is associated with the Metal Element Phase.

Ah super interesting, thanks for the info.

If nothing else, those of us who get “4-5” seasons can certainly “feel” a difference (without any qigong, I mean).

Bob wrote:One way of viewing the wu xing (5 phase) is to have the earth at the center and we had a training principle that during the last 18 day transition (back to earth before transitioning to the next season) of a season you do not train heavily - train lightly - we did not obsessively follow this principle (it was brought up that GM Liu followed this perspective - never do pai da and heavy qiang and stance work during these 18 days) but we did make a training adjustment for winter and the kidneys as part of the training based on the wu xing phase.

This also makes a lot of sense.

Personally I feel like my body has to adjust during these periods.

My mom thinks she catches a cold during them.

So true! Each season has its own 'energetic' and they correspond to the FIve Elements-Wind, Water, Earth, Metal, Wood.
Even what you cook with the season(s)/elements, you allow for better 'energy' integration and 'flexibility'.

Depending on methods/system used, the whole body benefits from these novel yangsheng (life nourishing) methods
Additionally, basic concepts per method also helps other 'organs' and not only the organ assisted per the season.
As example, assisting Lung (Metal), not also tonifies the organ (Lung), we "strengthen' Kidney (Water)!

Why do you use wind instead of metal
That’s a Hindu thing not TCM