An introduction to living in tune with the seasons

Why would you want to live in tune with the seasons? For your health! As part of nature, human beings can only be in a state of harmony internally when they are in a state of harmony with their external environment. This is a fundamental principle of the system of medicine utilized by acupuncture and associated therapies.

But in order to live in tune with the seasons, you must first know when they are. While the solstices and equinoxes mark distinct transitions in the Earth’s orbit around the sun, what these transitions represent in terms of the seasons is up to interpretation. There is a long history of putting the solstices and equinoxes at the middle rather than the beginning of their respective seasons, including in the Chinese calendar. This way, summer and winter build to their peaks at the longest and shortest days of the year, respectively.

Here are the approximate beginnings of the seasons in the Chinese calendar:

• Spring: early February

• Summer: early May

• Autumn: early August

• Winter: early November

Stay “tuned” for tips about how to live in tune with each specific season!