Photo: Li Yechi
Solar Terms
By Obama Bindang Pablo Cristian
With the aim of learning about the wisdom during the third 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 the video series “Solar Terms and the Universe.”
Under the shiny light of the sun and in a very green farm field, the episode shows my teacher Ms. Zhu and me 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 said the practice is particularly beneficial for health and well-being.
She also told me that this is the wisdom from traditional Chinese medicine.
As a classic text for the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic says, “Summer represents the peak of yang energy, and similarly, the heart is considered the peak of yang energy within the body,” so health preservation in summer should follow the principle of nourishing the heart.
By heart, Ms. Zhu was referring specifically to the spirit or “Shen” in Mandarin, which is connected to the body and must 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 should go to the field to do planting.
With our feet on the soil, we can feel nature in our hearts and focus on retaining the inner purity and peace within.
This will help control emotions, view the world multi-dimensionally, and see our real selves.