Winter Qi Chats | Week 1
How is your QSA?
This week we discuss how to use the Tao of Winter so you can check in & reflect on how you’re investing in yourself.
Let’s talk about your Qi Savings Account…
I love getting into the talk of “Qiology” because our understanding of Qi will better connect you to your health and longevity. We are born with a Qi savings account (lucky you!), this is referred to as your Prenatal Jing Qi. This can be regarded as your genetics, your DNA, the stuff you inherited from your parents - grandparents - and beyond. This ‘transferable’ Qi is only part of your constitution as you have your own genetic make up that makes you special. But what makes you TRULY unique is how you can alter your health through your postnatal Jing Qi (essentially, your checking account).
You can enhance that Qi savings account by eating, moving, behaving and thinking in a way that follows the Tao (The Way of the seasons and how things are). You have control over that Qi savings account and this is often referred to as epigenetics.
The Value of Saving: A Lesson from My Father
Growing up, my father instilled in me the importance of saving money. He would always say, "Don't touch your savings. You just put savings in, never out!" As a young adult, I often wondered when I could start using my savings, but my father's response was always the same: "If you're saving correctly, you'll never have to."
This financial advice reminded me of the concept of prenatal and postnatal Jing, which are closely linked. According to Jarmey (2006, cited in Baik, 2019, p. 35), prenatal Jing is like a cash inheritance from both parents that, if invested, can set an individual up for a strong start in life. Postnatal Jing, on the other hand, is similar to the interest earned from that investment, as well as the Qi earned from day-to-day choices in how you eat, breathe, sleep & move.
In studying Qi, I discovered that Jing Qi works the same way. The work you put in cultivates a system that keeps your Qi savings intact and your Qi checking account full. Even Harvard has recognized the benefits of this approach, citing a cognitive reserve that can support you in your later years.
As I often say, what you do today will affect your tomorrow. That's why it's essential to invest in yourself.
Neuro-Qi Tip o’the day!
Invest Invest Invest
Live with the seasons - we’ll discuss Winter in today’s Qi Chat
Explore your 4 Pillars
MOVE - focus on slower movement & strength train
BREATHE - count to 100 (inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3, exhale 4, etc)
EAT - slow how you eat & slow the times between WHEN you eat
SLEEP - less stress, less noise, less light 1 hour before bedtime
*Video posts every Friday by 11:30am MDT
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