Circadian Rhythms and Qigong

Our fellow Qi-ster, Janet N., alerted me to a fascinating article in the July 6 New York Times: “The Quest by Circadian Medicine to Make the Most of Our Body Clocks” by Kim Tingley.  It’s particularly relevant to Qigong practitioners, since Chinese medicine has, as Jan wrote “known about them (circadian rhythms) for centuries!”

According to TCM, there are times of optimal (and minimal) functioning for the five major organ systems. They make practical sense, when you think about it. For example, 7 to 9 AM are peak hours for the stomach qi, so that’s a smart time to eat breakfast.  From 9 to 11 AM the spleen energy peaks, which is great for us in our weekly online classes, since spleen qi supports clear thinking, and transforms and transports energy to where it is needed!  5-7 PM is optimal time for the kidneys, which store energy and build bone, so that would be a good time for dinner. For more information on this, I recommend Ken Cohen’s book “The Way of Qigong”. He breaks it down in a simple, understandable way.