Is December feeling as full-on for you as it is for us? Between shorter days, back-to-back holiday gatherings, travel, and end-of-year deadlines, it can feel impossible to keep up. And yet, your body is craving slowness more than ever right now. Through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this craving makes perfect sense. After all, winter isn’t meant to be a season of hustle. It’s the season of preservation.
In TCM, winter corresponds with the Kidneys, which govern your deepest reserves of energy, aka your Jing. Jing isn’t your day-to-day energy from coffee or a solid night’s sleep. It’s the long-term vitality that you draw from during stress, illness, or intense life seasons. And, unlike Qi, Jing is slow to rebuild once it’s been depleted, which is why winter is designed for rest and warmth.
Nature shows us the same lesson. Trees drop their leaves. Animals hibernate. Energy sinks downward and settles into the earth. When we surrender and align with that rhythm instead of resisting it, we give our bodies the chance to strengthen for the year ahead. So consider this your permission to do less, on purpose.
Supporting Your Body Through Kidney Season
In TCM, the Kidneys are associated with:
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Deep energy reserves and stamina
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Hormonal balance and reproductive health
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Stress resilience
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Bones, teeth, and low back strength
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Fear, willpower, and a sense of inner stability
Kidney energy lives in your low back, opens into your ears, and runs down through the soles of your feet. Keep these areas covered and cozy with long layers, warm socks, slippers, and beanies. It’s not the time for crop tops or bare ankles!
When Kidney energy is supported, you feel grounded, steady, and resilient. Yet when it’s strained, winter can feel much harder than it needs to, and burnout can start creeping. But the good news is that you don’t need to make drastic changes to nurture your kidneys. Small, consistent rituals that signal safety, warmth, and rest to your system are plenty. Here’s how to work with winter instead of against it.
Cozy Winter Rituals to Incorporate
1. Cultivate slow, quiet mornings
Winter mornings truly set the tone for your nervous system. Before diving into screens or to-dos, start slowwww. Pour yourself a cup of warming tea like ginger and turmeric, chai, or orange peel, or brew a spicy coffee with cardamom and cinnamon. While you’re at it, light a candle and give yourself a few quiet moments before the day rushes in. This small pause (however long) helps to anchor your Qi and prevent your energy from scattering first thing in the morning. We want to keep that juicy Qi and Jing IN your body, not leaking out!
Try this: Sit in silence for 5-10 minutes first thing in the morning.
2. Try a simmer pot
A simmer pot does so much more than make your home smell inviting and seasonal. Aromatic herbs and spices like cinnamon sticks, orange peels, and cloves stimulate your senses, cleanse the air, and support your immune system. From a TCM perspective, warmth and aroma help move stagnant Qi and counter the cold, contracting energy of winter.
Try this: Simmer a blend of spices in a pot of water on low in the afternoon. It’s an instant energy shift and mood-booster.
3. Slow cook your meals
Colder weather and less movement mean your digestive fire may need a little extra support. Slow-cooked meals such as stews, soups, broths, and crock-pot dishes are easier to digest and conserve vital energy. We love leaning on low and slow cooking to gently break down food, allowing your body to extract more nutrients without overworking itself.
Try this: Make a big batch of this cozy squash soup one night this week and eat it all week. Olivia loves having it for breakfast, too.
4. Go on a solstice walk
As much as you may not want to step outside into the chilly temps, bundling up and heading out on a walk is one of the best ways to align your body with nature’s rhythms. And, these winter walks don’t need to be intense to be beneficial! Let your senses guide you here. Collect pinecones, evergreen sprigs, fallen leaves, or anything that catches your eye, then bring them home to create a small solstice altar to honor the season.
Try this: Take your next walk without headphones and listen to the crunching of leaves under your feet as you notice your surroundings.
5. Eat dark-pigmented foods
Dark foods nourish the Kidneys and the water element in TCM. Black beans, black rice, black sesame seeds, blueberries, and sea vegetables support Jing and long-term vitality.
Try this: Add black sesame seeds, chia, and blueberries or blackberries to your morning oats or porridge.
6. Free write before bed
With fewer distractions and less stimulation in the winter months, it’s easy for your mind to loop, especially at night. A short free-writing ritual before bed helps release the day instead of carrying it into sleep.
Try this: Ask yourself: What can I let go of today? This practice helps calm the Shen (spirit) and signals to your nervous system that it’s time to rest.
7. Soak in an herbal bath
Is there any better way to soothe your body, mind, and spirit than a warm bath in the winter? Something about the water feels especially healing, and the warmth is like a big, comforting hug for your nervous system. Adding Epsom salts and seasonal herbs takes it to the next level and brings spa vibes right to your bathroom. Plus, as we’ve mentioned, warmth opens up your channels, supports circulation, and helps draw energy downward, which is exactly what the winter calls for.
Try this: Add a few drops of frankincense essential oil and Epsom salts to your bath, light a wintery-smelling candle (like pine or spruce), and embrace the darker evenings and earlier bedtimes.
8. Practice diaphragmatic breathing
Deep belly breathing not only supports your lungs (which need extra love in the fall and winter seasons) but it also helps ground scattered energy and calm your nervous system.
Try this: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. Rest your hands on your belly, letting your breath fill your abdomen and press against your hands.
9. Perform self-massage
Touch is profoundly nourishing in the winter. The practice of self-massage encourages blood flow, warmth, and a sense of being held – something so many of us don’t realize we’re desperately missing.
Try this: After a warm shower or bath, warm sesame oil between your palms and slowly massage it into your skin, moisturizing your whole body. It’s tempting to rush through the process to get on with your day or night, but we challenge you to move as slowly as you can – imagining you’re moving through honey and lingering on any tense spots.
10. Add gentle heat therapy
Can you sense a theme here? Heat, heat, heat. Since warmth supports Kidney Yang and overall circulation, a heating pad, hot water bottle, or warm compress on your low back or belly can quickly help your body feel grounded and cozy.
Try this: Place a hot water bottle over your abdomen while you’re journaling or doing legs up the wall before bed. To kick it up a notch, make it a castor oil pack!
