Harmonizing Ourselves to the Wisdom of the Seasons
Like a breath of fresh air, the Spring winds awakens and renews our souls. With it, it stirs up the excitement, new ideas of possibility and vision for the year. Waking our sleepy heads and wiping our eyes from Winter’s slumber. The energy slowly starts buzzing below the surface of both the earth- with the insects and bulbs, and within our body with better circulation and movement of blood and fluids.
"The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness,
the human soul is apt to revive also."
- Harriet Ann Jacobs
Everything is cyclical
Just as the seasons transition the same way each year, we also reflect this. We are not separate from nature, but part of it. Being a small part of it, we can also observe mother nature as an indication of how we can conduct ourselves to flow with the river of time. To find harmony and peace in our lives, we want to find a middle ground of being- in order not to get thrown against the rocks on the bank of the river.
How can we cultivate more harmony in ourselves during Spring?
In Chinese medicine, Spring represents the color green and our Liver and Gallbladder meridians. (These are not actual, physical organs like in Western medicine, but energy pathways within us. I will continue to capitalize the first letter to signify the differentiation.) The Liver and Gallbladder control negative emotions such as anger, frustration, resentment, feeling stuck, being hesitant or timid, irritable or envious (remember, being “green with envy”?).
The goal is not to repress these emotions
On the other side, they control the positive emotions of courage, compassion, generosity, growth, and kindness. We experience these negative emotions when our Liver or Gallbladder meridians are unbalanced and/or stagnant. In the same way, experiencing these negative emotions also harms of Liver and Gallbladder. The goal is not to repress these emotions, but to conduct ourselves in such a way that these emotions don’t arise within us in the first place, which then further harms ourselves.
This reminds me of a quote:
"Holding onto Anger is Like Drinking Poison and Expecting the Other Person to Die"
- Buddha
Spring childhood and emotions
Spring time can also be represented by Childhood. It is a time of excitement, wonder, openness, fresh perspectives, learning something new, uplifting, flexibility, and expanding. In addition to affecting us emotionally, unbalanced Spring energies within us also influences our physical health.
Unbalanced spring energies
The Liver and Gallbladder meridians are in charge of the eyes, nails, muscles, ligaments, tendons, “stores blood”, ribs and upper back/neck areas. Winter is a time where our bodies constrict and condense, to help our bodies “store away” and survive Winter. Now with Spring just beginning, there are still traces of this demonstrated in the bodily fluids. Since the body is just reawakening, our body is not completely moistened, nourished or blood flowing well just yet. Without the body parts the Liver and Gallbladder control properly moistened we see things such as tight, stiff muscles, broken nails, pain in the ribs and neck, sciatica, or red dry eyes. Unbalanced, the Liver and Gallbladder meridians can even cause dream-disturbed sleep or waking often- especially between 1 and 3am.
Now the great thing is, we can prepare and support our bodies during Spring to get rid of or lessen some of these negative effects the Spring energies can stir up. See some of my tried and true ways are below.
Top 5 Ways To Support Your Bodies To Eliminate Or Lessen Negative Effects Spring Energies Can Stir Up:
- Be aware of your emotions- don’t bottle them up but let them flow freely and smoothly. If you feel anger or frustration bubbling up, acknowledge and diffuse it with some deep breathing and gratitude.
- Stretch – Get some movement in with stretching. We just want to gently awaken our body and encourage fluid movement in the ligaments and tendons. Avoid anything that pushes you too hard.
- Incorporate more Liver or Wood Element foods – foods that will help support these are green, and/or sour. These help to keep the Liver and Gallbladder flow freely. My favorites are sautéed greens such as spinach, chrysanthemum, or swiss chard. Another great example are Mung Beans. If you haven’t already, grab the recipe here and watch the video here to make.
- Lighten up & Try Something New- Don’t take yourself too seriously! The great thing about kids is they are always curious and excited to learn. Never self-conscious when trying out something new. So go ahead and follow suit and take up that new hobby you’ve always wanted to try!
- Wear Layers – I know it may be starting to warm up, BUT Wind is an “evil” in TCM especially during the Spring which means it can make us ill. You still want to keep a barrier between you and the outside. Try wearing natural fibers like cotton and linen for more breathability. The back of the neck and ankles are key areas to protect.
