Spring: a time of regeneration, new beginnings and renewing the spirit
April 2007 Filed in: Eastern
culture
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spring is connected
to the Liver or to the Wood character and is
responsible for the smooth flow of energy (or
‘Qi’) and emotions and storing the blood.
Symptoms such as bad-temperedness, irritability,
depression, painful or irregular periods,
constipation, pins and needles, numbness, dry skin
and brittle nails and dry eyes all indicate that the
liver may not be working as well as it can.
While Winter was a time to conserve energy, Spring is a time of regeneration, new beginnings and renewing the Spirit. It is a time for clearing out the old, moving ahead with projects in which you may have felt stuck, and letting go of past angers, injustices and resentments.
It is in this time of Spring that we can particularly nourish, soothe and cleanse the Liver, especially if we have not rested and looked after our Kidney or Water element during the winter.
Eat well. Foods to soothe and cleanse the Liver include greens and leafy green veg (eg chard, spinach, kale, pak choi), dandelion, sprouts (eg bean, mung), fresh juices such as pear, apple, celery and carrot, asparagus, chives, dill, basil, green, chrysanthemum or milk thistle tea. Lightly steam foods and avoid greasy, oily and fatty foods.
Go outside, feel the new air and the light touch of Spring upon you.
Ask yourself, ‘What am I feeling stuck with?’, ‘What do I want to do differently this Spring?’, ’What has been holding me back and I can now let go of?’, ‘What does this issue look like from a new perspective?’.
Get moving. Try the following QiGong exercise for the Liver.
(from Healing Your Emotions. Hicks A. and Hicks J. Thorsens. 1999.)
While Winter was a time to conserve energy, Spring is a time of regeneration, new beginnings and renewing the Spirit. It is a time for clearing out the old, moving ahead with projects in which you may have felt stuck, and letting go of past angers, injustices and resentments.
It is in this time of Spring that we can particularly nourish, soothe and cleanse the Liver, especially if we have not rested and looked after our Kidney or Water element during the winter.
Eat well. Foods to soothe and cleanse the Liver include greens and leafy green veg (eg chard, spinach, kale, pak choi), dandelion, sprouts (eg bean, mung), fresh juices such as pear, apple, celery and carrot, asparagus, chives, dill, basil, green, chrysanthemum or milk thistle tea. Lightly steam foods and avoid greasy, oily and fatty foods.
Go outside, feel the new air and the light touch of Spring upon you.
Ask yourself, ‘What am I feeling stuck with?’, ‘What do I want to do differently this Spring?’, ’What has been holding me back and I can now let go of?’, ‘What does this issue look like from a new perspective?’.
Get moving. Try the following QiGong exercise for the Liver.
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Keep the inside edges of your feet parallel. From your hips, bounce gently up and down. Feel how the weight travels from your hips to your feet which are solid on the floor. Tuck your tailbone in so that your lower back is straight. Draw your chin in slightly so that your spine stretches upward. Relax your chest and let the front of your abdomen drop.
- Raise your arms above your head and lock your fingers together with your palms facing downwards. This forms an arch over your head. Take a deep breath in, then out.
- On the out breath gently rock to one side and feel the stretch all the way down the opposite side of your body. Stay in this position for a few seconds, relaxing into the stretch.
- Come back to the centre. Breathe in again, then breathe out and repeat the exercise on the opposite side.
- Repeat this exercise six times on each side.
(from Healing Your Emotions. Hicks A. and Hicks J. Thorsens. 1999.)