The Chinese body clock is something that I became familiar with in first year osteopathic college. And from then on, I’ve been really interested in learning more about Traditional Chinese Medicine. This episode is based out of my own interest of the Chinese Body Clock.

The basis of this clock is that it reflects the times at which each of our organs is functioning at its peak, so that we might be able to understand more about how to support our bodies, but also how to recognize patterns of dysfunction. It helps us understand how we can optimize our day to support our organs, rest when we need to and recover well.

The clock runs on a 24 hour period, based on the qi running through our body. Just like the waves of an ocean, there are ebbs and flows and waves and lows of energy throughout our day that help us to function and rest. The clock runs on two hour intervals basically.

Sleep is an extremely important function, and when our body does it’s best healing - because, qi moves inwards to heal and restore us. During the hours of 1-3am is when our liver has completed it’s many functions with the help of this lovely influx of qi, and that energy is ready to move outward again.

After 3am, energy is directed to our other beautiful organs that help support daily activity, digestion and elimination: the lungs, large intestine, stomach/pancreas, heart, small intestine. This movement of energy helps to move fluids and heat, with the help of the pericardium, triple burner (coordinates water functions and temperature), bladder/kidneys and the liver. All of these organs are so intricately reliant on each other.

So what does all of this mean? Well - it means that every organ has it’s own healing schedule. And we can try to support our internal health! We get to use our symptoms as a guide to help us understand ourselves on a deeper, more intricate level. We can support our organs through food, rest, emotional healing and more. It truly depends on what you’re feeling in that given moment, from tiredness or anger, to breathlessness or anxiety. Your body shows you what it needs, we just need to listen.

Listen to episode #13 of The One Body Wellness Podcast as I share specific times of the day and how they correlate with our organs, emotions and schedules.