The Spring Equinox on March 21st officially marked the end of winter and welcomed the onset of the season that’s often associated with re-birth, replenishment and rejuvenation.
People like to talk about “spring cleaning” at this time of the year pertaining to their homes, but more recently we’ve also become accustomed to upgrading our software or rebooting our operating systems when the performance is slow or sluggish. The times are changing!
To use the modern concepts, Spring is the perfect time for us to upgrade our own personal operating systems and to press the re-set button and develop better habits in the lead-up to the warmer months ahead.
As we start to wake up from our winter hibernation, and nature warms up around us, we can start to feel a lot more Yang in our environment. We start feeling more refreshed and our inner vitality slowly starts to blossom. Just picture the stunning cherry blossoms blooming in Japan at this time of the year. There’s even a term for viewing these amazing blossoms in Japan and it’s called “Hanami”.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spring is associated with the Wood Element. After lying dormant throughout the colder months, the energy of wood literally springs forth to begin the “5 elements cycle” all over again. It is a time for us to grow (spiritually and emotionally), to set a new direction and to move forward.
This is the time of the year when your own personal wood element also starts to grow. After the isolation of winter you might feel propelled to venture out to experience the sun and the return of the warmer weather, and you may also seek the company of others more, as wood tends to want to expand outwards. This feeling of rejuvenation can also give us the inspiration to bring our creative energy to fruition.
Wood is at its best when it is strong, but can still sway in a strong wind. The Chinese like to use the analogy of bamboo … it grows fast, stands tall, yet it remains flexible and able to withstand the strongest wind – and so can we adapt to our ever-changing surroundings, even extremely tumultuous ones, if our Wood element is strong and nourished.
An imbalance of the Wood element often expresses itself in the tendency to judge others too harshly, of being edgy and irritable or overly anxious and unhappy in the present moment. Some of the more physical issues associated with imbalances in the Wood Element include muscle tension, headaches, digestive problems, and high blood pressure.
In Chinese Medicine the Wood Element is reflected in the functioning of the Liver. The Liver is said to control the free flow of our Qi and it wants us to expand to reach our fulfillment like a bamboo shoot stretching to reach the sun. It’s time to stretch out those limbs that may have stiffened during the winter!
Spring is the time to experience nature. Try getting outside for a brisk early morning walk or jog for 30 – 45 minutes at least 3 times a week. This will give your body a much-needed boost and will definitely prevent the Qi of the Liver from becoming stagnant – a major problem in our sedentary, stress-filled lives.
Allow new things into your life. Imagine what you would like to create, write new affirmations and make plans to make the dreams into reality.
It’s also the perfect time to start a healthy dietary regime. Add fresh green foods (liver foods) such as sprouts, lemon, wheatgrass, alfalfa, apple cider vinegar, radishes, dandelion and tender young leafy greens to your diet. It’s a good time of year to gently cleanse the liver to support the clear flow of its rising energy, clarity of vision and harmonious movement. The Liver is one of the hardest working organs in our body and it is easy to forget how much we put it through, especially during the more sluggish winter months.
There are so many other ways to press the restart button on your body and lifestyle at the start of spring. Come and visit us at the clinic any time to find out how we can help you grow stronger during spring. If you are feeling at odds with the seasonal changes happening around you, it’s the perfect opportunity to use acupuncture to help unblock ‘stuck’ energy that may arise from the frustration of not being able to move forward as quickly as the spring energy dictates.