“Yang Shen” - Chinese Medicine’s Tradition of “Nourishing Life”
If you’ve worked with an acupuncturist for any length of time, you’ve probably heard some version of these recommendations:
Don’t put ice in your drinks
Eat warm, cooked food
Be asleep by 10pm (or even earlier when you can)
Or maybe, more recently, you’ve heard a gentle reminder—like the one I’ve been sharing in the clinic lately—as the days grow shorter:
Pay closer attention to your light exposure at night.
Why do we all keep harping on this stuff?
What’s the big deal with all these little “lifestyle tweaks” we’re always talking about in acupuncture and Chinese medicine?
It all comes back to Yang Sheng—the foundational Chinese medicine concept of "Nourishing Life."
What Is Yang Sheng?
Yang Sheng has been a part of Chinese Medicine practice and philosophy from its inception, and it centers around one core idea:
You can support and nourish your health in significant ways, daily, through how you live your life.
These practices aren’t just cute "self-care" habits. They're the essential building blocks of long-term health and vitality over a lifetime.
They’re about making life easier for your body.
They’re about giving your body what it needs, when it needs it, and in a way that doesn’t make it work harder than it has to in order to keep you alive, stable, and well.
You Live in an Animal Body—Act Like It 🐾
Here’s something we forget all the time in modern life:
You are not separate from nature. You are nature.
Your body is a biological system that evolved to respond to seasonal cues, light-dark cycles, temperature changes, and natural rhythms.
And when those external inputs get out of sync—when the environment around you no longer reflects what season it actually is—your body has trouble finding or maintaining its rhythm.
Your metabolism, circadian rhythm, immune system, mood, and hormones all rely on clear signals from your environment to stay regulated.
So if it’s dark outside, but your house is filled with bright, artificial light until midnight…
Or if it’s cold out but your home is constantly 75 degrees and your food is always iced…
Your body doesn’t know what time it is. Or what season it is.
And when your body doesn’t know how to orient to the world around it, it has to work overtime to compensate.
That means more stress on your systems, less energy for repair, and less resilience over time.
What Yang Sheng Is Really Doing For You
Here’s the heart of it:
Yang Sheng is about creating a physiological environment that supports daily repair and long-term resilience.
Your body is constantly breaking down and rebuilding - even when you’re just lying on the couch.
And that repair process depends on having:
Predictable inputs
Stable rhythms
Reliable access to rest, nourishment, and natural cues
When you live in sync with those rhythms, your body doesn’t have to spend energy putting out unnecessary fires. It can focus on deep repair, detoxification, hormonal regulation, and true healing.
So No, It’s Not Just About Skipping the Ice Water
Every time I suggest a yang sheng practice—like dimming your lights earlier in the evening, or switching to warm foods in winter—I’m not just offering a "health tip."
I’m inviting you into deeper partnership with your body.
These practices are simple, yes, but they are also profound — time-tested, refined over centuries, and deeply intelligent.
And most importantly, they’re experiential.
So don’t just take my word for it.
Try them.
Feel them.
Notice what shifts.
The more you practice tuning in, the more you’ll grow your own internal sense of discernment—your ability to feel what supports you and what doesn’t, and to hear what your body is asking for.
Start Here, Start Now:
Eat more warm, cooked meals, especially in colder months
Avoid ice-cold drinks, especially if your digestion is sensitive
Get to bed earlier—ideally by 10pm
In the fall and winter, dim your lights at night to match the season
And as always: Try it on. See how it feels.
That’s the real medicine.
Thanks for being here.
More soon,
Alexa
