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Winter is the only season during which there is the possibility to see all the forms of water concurrently. Water, ice, fog, steam, snow. Taken at a natural hot springs in Italy during a MI ZAI Shiatsu Phase 6 course.

Winter - the Tao of Water! December 21 was the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year and the beginning of the peak season of the Water Element.   Water/Winter is both the end/death and holds the promise of renewal - like a seed.

In physics we might liken Water to an object at rest, containing all potential, yet no kinetic energy. Like the Tao, Water has no form, and is very Yin.  It does nothing on its own, except flow to a place where it can rest - like a merging with the ocean of the Tao. And from that place of Yin - stillness, it gives birth to many things.  For example, plants (Wood element) cannot survive in fast-flowing water.  Plants grow best around ponds, lakes, slow flowing streams and protected harbors.

The gift of a well-balanced Water element is the ability to move through our life feeling confident, and in touch with the awareness of our ability to handle even difficult situations. 

As the "mother" of Wood, balance in your Water element supports endless creativity and the ability to view the struggles of others with compassion (the Virtue of Wood). Adequate Water also balances Fire, giving you the ability to relax and enter into tranquility and quietude.

The Water element is manifested as your Kidney and Bladder organs.  The Kidneys purify the Water and Bladder eliminates the impurities.  The Kidneys are the source of all Yin and Yang in the body, so are crucial to the health of all the other organ systems. They also store what the Chinese call "Essence" or "Jing" energy. Essence is a dense form of energy that gives things substance and form.  It comes from your DNA plus the refined aspects of food, water and air. You might think of Jing/Essence as the physical form of the will to live.

Water is easily depleted and drowned out when you have too many obligations and overly-busy times, eventually leading to losing touch with your inner peace and confidence.  When that happens, it's easy to feel exhausted, out of sync, or even some of the more Wood element types of symptoms - like irritability or even depression (since Wood is the "child" of Water). 

The only "cure" at that point is to rest, to take valuable time to once again take stock of who you are and what you need.  Take time to dream and hibernate - like the bears!  You will then have adequate reserves to sustain the bursting forth of Wood energy and enjoy boundless creativity this coming Spring.

Some of this article was excerpted from "Wood Becomes Water: Chinese Medicine in Everyday Life" by Gail Richstein