Seasonal Emotional Guidance
(五志调神法)

Seasonal emotional guidance refers to the ancient preventive method of harmonizing one’s emotions with the seasonal rhythms of nature. This idea comes from classical texts such as the Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic), especially in chapters like Su Wen 2, which outlines the Five Element theory and the Five Zhi (五志, five emotions) in relation to the seasons. This guidance is a key component of Yang Sheng (养生, Nourishing Life) and the principle of Zhi Wei Bing (治未病, Treating Before Disease) — helping patients avoid emotional and physical illness by adapting their lifestyle, emotional outlook, and internal state to the prevailing seasonal Qi. Seasonal emotional guidance (五志调神法) is the practice of:

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1. Adjusting emotional behaviour to match the nature of each season

2. Avoiding emotional extremes that conflict with the external climate

3. Following the seasonal flow of Qi to maintain inner harmony

4. Preventing disease by calming or nourishing the corresponding Zang organ

Each season’s dominant Qi influences both climate and internal physiology. Emotions that contradict the seasonal flow cause Qi disharmony, which can impair the corresponding Zang organ and create illness. Emotional guidance helps maintain free flow of Qi and Shen.