Do not try to travel back to ancient times today, because you would be very likely to be overwhelmed by busy work!
Today marks Grain in Ear, one of the 24 solar terms, which can be the most anxious time for ancient farmers, with the degree of urgency no less than a deadline.
The Chinese proverb "If you do not plant during Grain in Ear, you'll plant in vain" already explains everything! Wheat needs to be harvested quickly in this period, and a new round of rice and vegetables needs to be planted. Every day is a race against time, or you will end up with "nothing to eat" by the end of the year.
However, if you do know how to work and maintain your health according to the characteristics of each solar term, you are most likely to be wealthy in ancient times, with plenty of food, strong health, and a ruddy complexion.
How do you do it then? Hangzhoufeel is revealing to you three secrets.
Obama Bindang Pablo Cristian, an international student from Equatorial Guinea, has consulted his teacher Zhu Wenpei at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, about the secrets of Grain in Ear (Mangzhong). Now, he is sharing them with you.
I am from Equatorial Guinea, studying Clinical Medicine at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (ZCMU). With the Aim of learning about the wisdom during the 3rd Chinese solar term in summer known as Grain in Ear or Mangzhong, which falls on June 5 this year, a video was made by ZCMU and Hangzhoufeel, as one of the episodes for video series “Solar Terms and the Universe”.
Under the shiny light of the sun and in very green farm field, the episode shows my teacher Ms. Zhu and I doing some physical exercises; at first I thought it might be a normal daily activity until I decided to ask her about the significance of the exercise.
Ms. Zhu told me the name of the exercise was “Ba Duan Jin”, which means Eight-Section Brocades in English (Ba Duan Jin is a set of eight gentle, flowing movements that combine breathing exercises with stretching and strengthening techniques).
Ms Zhu then invited me to have a tea. Under the shadows of the trees in a very quiet place, I was enjoying for the first time a delicious tea made of mulberry, as she said that drinking tea is good for nourishing heart and calming nerves. She also told me that this is the wisdom from the traditional Chinese medicine. As the bible for the TCM practitioner the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic says, “Summer is the Yang within yang, and the heart is also the yang within yang,” So the health preservation in summer should follow the principle of nourishing heart.
As for heart, Ms. Zhu was referring specifically to the spirit or “Shen” in mandarin which is connected to the body and it has to be free from bad habits and bad thoughts. She also took me to the ground, made me feel the grass and the soil; stressing that besides doing exercises in the gym, we may go to the field to do the planting. With the feet on the soil, we can feel the nature in your heart, and get focused on retaining the inner purity and peace within your heart. That will help you control your emotions, view the world multi-dimensionally, and see your real self.
In summary, here are several health tips for Grain in Ear：
- Nourish your mind
- calm your nerves, basically, you should relax our emotions
- pay attention to your diet
- exercise
English translation: Chen Miaolin
Editor: Daria Fominykh
Senior editor: Zhou Ji, Li Yechi
Source: Hangzhoufeel
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