Adjusting Sexual Activity According to Seasons
The seasons naturally cycle year after year in a continuous pattern, forming a fundamental law. Thanks to this rhythm, all things flourish in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, and store in winter.
As stated in the *Inner Canon*: “Yin-Yang and the four seasons are the beginning and end of all things, the root of life and death. Violating this principle brings disasters; following it prevents serious illness—this is true wisdom.”
Human sexual activity, as a form of life process and natural phenomenon, cannot be an exception. How should sexual life be adjusted according to seasonal changes?
(1) Spring, the first season, marks renewal and vitality.
In this period of “heaven and earth growing together, all things flourishing,” human thoughts and physical activities should follow nature’s rhythm, maintaining expansive and relaxed mental and physical states. Sexual activity should moderately increase compared to winter, avoiding excessive restriction. Moderate increase supports metabolic processes in various organs and benefits health.
(2) Summer arrives, with lush plants and vigorous life, yang energy rising.
People feel cheerful, and sexual desire increases accordingly. Sexual activity should align with natural desires, allowing yang energy to freely circulate outward without obstruction.
(3) Autumn brings desolation, with falling leaves and chirping cicadas.
People should calm their minds, restrain desires, reduce sexual activity, and avoid further outward release of yang energy. This conserves essence and prepares the body for winter’s harshness.
(4) Winter descends, with ice and snow covering the land, yang energy hidden, all things dormant.
Sexual activity should be restrained. Excessive indulgence leads to excessive depletion of essence, weakening the body’s resistance and increasing susceptibility to diseases. It also jeopardizes a healthy start in spring. As the *Inner Canon* warns: “If one fails to conserve essence in winter, one will suffer from fever in spring”—highlighting the importance of restraining sex in winter. Thus, regulating sexual activity in winter is crucial among seasonal adjustments; do not treat it lightly.
Incidentally, if seasonal regulation is improper, it not only harms the corresponding organ systems—spring corresponds to liver, summer to heart, autumn to lung, winter to kidney—but also affects other organs and negatively impacts health in the next season.
This point must be understood by anyone seeking health preservation.