According to Traditional Chinese Medicine every season is related to a corresponding element and organ system. The season of spring corresponds to the wood element and Liver energy in Chinese Medicine.
The wood element in the cycle of the five elements is where manifestation begins to form from deep seeds full of potential. Energy has been latent throughout the winter, buried deep in the earth, and now as spring bursts forth, energy wants to move. Sometimes this means there’s more physical energy available to start a new project or plan a new goal.
This energetic change can also trigger a desire to alter your diet or lifestyle as we move from the heavier and denser season of winter. Check out Self Care for Spring to learn more.
Because energy wants to move this time of year there can be a feeling of stagnation if there isn’t enough change or movement in our lives. In particular, liver energy can become stagnated with stress (especially emotional stress), intoxicants, and too much rich or denatured food. When the Liver is stagnant we may experience problems with our emotional life, menstrual cycles, eyes, and tendons.
So lighten your diet and lifestyle this time of year and watch as the transformational nature of this season changes you!
Springtime Invites you to Find Clarity
The spring and the liver organ system are related to vision (physically and metaphorically). So this time of year is a wonderful time to find clarity around your direction and future plans. Use this time to move forward on your goals; create a vision board or take some time to reflect on what you’d like to create in the next 6-12 months.
Express yourself creatively and use your imagination this time of year to cultivate emotional balance and release stuck emotional patterns.
Food Preparation for Spring
During the springtime you can eat a little more raw food and cook food for a shorter time at higher temperatures. Examples are light steaming or a high temperature sauté. But if there are signs of digestive weakness and/or bowel troubles use caution when adding raw food.
If your body and mind are fairly balanced and healthy you can adjust your diet for the season by eating a cleansing diet which contains lighter meals and less food. Include more green foods like sprouts and limit salty foods which are contractive. This will help to cleanse the heaviness of a wintertime diet which usually contains heavier denser foods.
During the spring include more “sweet” and “pungent” foods. These flavors help to emphasize the natural spring energy of rising and expansion. Sweet foods include complex carbs (whole grains, legumes, seeds), young beets, carrots, and sprouts. Pungent foods include basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, caraway, dill, bay leaf.
Watch the video....
Check out the Seasonal Practices for Spring video.
