Chinese Medical Practitioner Claire Donaldson suggests how to revive flagging energy levels after a long Winter.
Reader question: I have a stressful job and I have been feeling tired and lethargic. How can I can restore my energy?
Claire's answer: Finding balance in our health can be difficult, especially when our Yin and Yang energy is misaligned.
Yin-Yang - representing the two opposing fortunes in nature - is probably the single most important and distinctive theory of Chinese Medicine.
A fast, stressful lifestyle is heavy on the Yang without incorporating enough Yin to help the body cope with all the activity. A steady balance between the two is essential to good health.
Everyone's balance is different, so it's important to find out what works for us individually and what the tell-tale signs are if we push too hard on either aspect of the duality.
Here are some aspects of your lifestyle to consider:
* Look at your diet. If your day is highly pressured ensure you eat a nutritional breakfast, a morning meal that includes porridge with fruit would be ideal. A Yang lifestyle will burn out quickly if it's fuelled on double espressos and croissants.
* In the morning give your body a chance to wake up slowly by stretching your limbs and wiggling your toes and fingers before you move from under the duvet. These small actions will allows your body to slowly adjust to being awake and set you up relaxed and focused for the day ahead. Set your alarm two minutes early and stretch!
* Throughout the day incorporate some Yin boosting activities. This is a powerful breathing exercise that purifies the blood, improves circulation and enhances energy. Give it a go when you're feeling overwhelmed and need to purge stress and tension.
* Try this breathing routine. Sit in a chair with your back straight, shoulders relaxed and your feet planted on the ground. Place your palms on your knees and exhale deeply through your nose. Feel your stomach muscles engage. Inhale and quickly exhale through your nose in sharp, repeated blasts. You don't need to consciously inhale again; your body will do that naturally. Just continue the rapid-fire exhalations. Relax and let your natural breathing reflexes take over. Do ten rapid exhalations. Then take one deep breath in through your nose, hold it for a moment, and release it slowly and smoothly through your nose.
* Consider whether your exercise regime is full of high impact sports? Replace some elements with slow meditative movement such as hatha yoga or t'ai chi to nourish your Yin-Yang balance.
* Prepare your mind for sleep before retiring to bed with gentle contemplation or meditation. Let the day go.
Ultimately the balance between Yin and Yang is a fine one, but one we must maintain in our lives. Excessive work (Yang) without sufficient rest (Yin) will deplete energy.
Balance in diet, exercise, work and emotional life is the essence of prevention in Chinese Medicine and the pathway to good health.
York-based Claire Donaldson (pictured above) is a Practitioner in Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you have a question for her that can be answered here, drop her a line at simply.claire@googlemail.com
