Vibrant Spring Living
Only Good Qi,
After all this rain here in southern California, many of us are embracing these warmer weeks with the flowers in bloom, pleasant breezes and the feeling of the sun shining on our faces. It’s finally beginning to feel like spring!
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), spring represents a time to move and let go as we enter a yang (active) stage with new beginnings. It is the time when the body comes out of hibernation and the yin (passive) stage of the winter months. The days are longer and we spend more time outside as we embrace growth and transformation.
Spring is the ideal time for cleansing and ridding the body of toxins, as well as old, pent up feelings of frustration and anger. In TCM, every season is connected to an organ system. The organ associated with Spring is the liver. Therefore spring is the perfect time to support your liver by doing a cleanse which can not only help renew our body, mind and spirit, but can also slow down the aging process.
So what can you do to live in harmony with the spring months while ensuring the free flow of your liver energy?
Add foods to help cool and cleanse the liver. Some of these include: apples, cherries, grapefruit, lemon, beets, kale, parsley, mint, quinoa, oats, sunflower seeds, green tea, seaweed, dandelion root, asparagus AND all green veggies as green represents the color of the liver.
Exercise: exercise makes the liver happy as it helps move the energy around the body. Spring is the time to do more rigorous exercise as we are moving away from the more yin, dormant, winter months. This is the perfect time to take a spin class or add in more of a yang yoga practice. But remember to listen to what your body is telling you and if you need to ease up, please do so.
Spring clean your home. It’s that time to get rid of clutter and throw away things that no longer serve you. By doing this, we make more space for new beginnings in every way.
Express your emotions. Storing emotions in the body can cause stagnation which can lead to a very unhappy liver. So find someone you trust to share in a safe space.
See your acupuncturist! Acupuncture and TCM can help improve the overall health of your liver as it moves stagnant Qi (vital energy) and blood. It can also decrease stress, anger and irritability which are associated with liver disharmony.
Cleanse! This is the perfect time to do a liver cleanse!
