The three months of autumn is the season of ripening. In autumn, it is cool, the wind blows fast and the atmosphere is clear. People should sleep early at night and get up early in the morning just like Ji (hens and roosters). They should keep their mind at peace to alleviate the melancholy effect of autumn, moderating mental activity to maintain balance Autumn-qi and to not express too many sentiments outwardly in order to harmonize lung-qi. This is what adaptation to Autumn-qi means and this is the principle for cultivation of health and regulation of daily life. Any violation of this rule will impair the lung and lead to diarrhea with undigested food in winter due to insufficient supplies and storage for the winter.

--The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic (Huáng Dì Nèi Jīng)

The autumn has arrived quietly. It is already lunar July in China. The lunar July, August, and September correspond with the autumn season. In these three months, the climate has turned cold, and all things are ripening and harvested. Yang is being gradually stored, and yin is gradually growing. Everything in nature has begun to change from “growth” to “storage”, and the metabolism in the human body also undergoes the waning of yang and the waxing of yin.

Diet, emotions, and exercise, can all be described as “contraction” or “storage”

Among the twenty-four solar terms, there are six in autumn: Autumn Begins, the Limit of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, and Frost’s Descent.