The rhythm of life
by Metropol | September 2, 2026 8:33 am
What if the secret to feeling better wasn’t about adding more to your day, but about doing the right things at the right time? Deputy editor Tamara Pitelen looks at the chi cycle.
Before the invention of electric lights, alarm clocks, televisions, and the 9-to-5 working week, we humans lived closely aligned to the seasons and rhythms of the natural world and the cycles of the solar system.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), optimal health and wellbeing is about respecting these biological rhythms, which include our diurnal, circadian, and menstrual cycles.
Similarly, much of the chronic illness in the world is because we’ve become so out of sync with these cycles. The basic premise is that our days have a rhythm, and our bodies are not designed to operate at maximum intensity from morning until midnight.
According to TCM, the vital energy or life force, called chi, that runs through our bodies via an intricate system of meridians, or energy pathways, works on a 24-hour cycle. This makes certain times of the day better for various activities than others. According to the chi cycle, chi moves through our twelve major organs over a 24-hour period, spending roughly two hours with each. Rather than ignoring these rhythms, Jost Sauer, author of Chi Health Cycle, encourages us to work with them. Morning becomes a time for movement, activity and setting the tone for the day; later hours gradually shift towards nourishment, reflection and rest.
“Learning to align your daily activities with chi flow to your organs will set you on a path of health and vitality,” Jost says. “Health and happiness are your natural state. Your body has unlimited healing power, and you can use your lifestyle to activate this, to heal yourself, become happy and have a fulfilling and peaceful life.”
He argues that many modern habits like late nights, rushed meals, constant stimulation and working against our natural rhythms can leave us feeling depleted.
“Traditional Chinese Medicine takes a very different approach to health to that of Western medicine. It is based on the understanding that everything you need to thrive physically, emotionally and spiritually is within you. Your organs are the star of the show; they hold the secrets. Your organs know how to heal you. It is, in fact, their job.”
How do you harness the healing power of the chi cycle? Realign your daily activities – from sleep to social media – to the times that are most beneficial for specific organs. For example, 5am to 7am is when your large intestine (‘the cleaner’) gets the most chi, or vital energy. That’s why this is the best time to get up, exercise and hydrate so the body can detox efficiently.
Then from 7am to 9am, the chi moves to the digestive system, making this the best time to eat a nutritious breakfast.
Refer to the chart for information on when the chi most supports each organ.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/the-rhythm-of-life/