Are you ready to do a Spring clean on yourself?
It’s the perfect time of your to do a Spring clean on yourself
In the old celtic calendar Spring starts on February 1st, the feast of I mbolg “in the belly”. This refers to the stirrings of spring that are happening in the belly of the earth, unseen by us. Seeds are starting to sprout, sap is rising in trees, nature is starting to wake from its Winter slumber.
Chinese New year, which lands on February 12th this year, runs for 14 days and marks the start of spring in their Calendar. A time of new beginnings.
In Traditional Chinese medicine the seasons are represented in 5 element theory. Spring corresponds to the element of wood, which is associated with the liver and gallbladder channels.
Winter in 5 element theory is a time to conserve energy and reduce activity, a yin time of year, while Spring is a time of regeneration, a renewal of spirit, more yang in energy. It is a time to cleanse and move. Cleaning house, to clear away last year in preparation for the new year. But also cleaning the body and the mind.
The liver is one of the major detox organs of the body, so it’s always working to filter and purify the blood. In Spring it’s naturally more energised but we can do a few things to help it along.
You will notice that in many cultures fasting or abstinence of some sort is undertaken in Spring (lent). Rich fatty foods are “given up” for a period of time. The liver and more specifically the gall bladder produce and secrete enzymes to help break down fat in our foods. So by fasting from these we gave our organs a rest.
Spring is also the time of year when we start to see the first green shoots starting to appear. Back in the day we wouldn’t have had fresh green foods since late September so the arrival of fresh greens were a much welcome addition to our diets. Our livers like green foods, they are cleansing in nature and help support it’s cleansing function. Sour is the flavour associated with the liver, so think of lemon, lime, or salad herbs like radicchio, chicory, rocket, watercress.
Two native herbs that are amazingly good for the liver are dandelion and nettle. You can harvest fresh dandelion leaves from your garden for your salads, and fresh nettle shoots from your walks in forests or parks, they make a lovely soup. You can also, of course, go for the easier option of the nettle tea bags from the health shop.
The liver also governs the ligaments and tendons, so stretching and gentle movement at the start of Spring to wake the body back up. And stretching before and after exercise is vitally important.
It’s also a good time to do a mental Spring clean. Consider what seeds or thoughts you wish to sow in the fertile soil of your mind this year? Are there seeds from last year that are like rocks or boulders that you wish to remove? Reviewing what you did last year that really worked for you that you might like to plant again this year. What things you are glad didn’t flourish?
So to recap.
Stretching and moving, start small, indoor or outdoors.
Support the liver by eating green, drinking nettle tea and maybe cutting down on foods that stress our liver like coffee, alcohol and fatty foods.
Spring clean our minds, pick good seeds to sow this year and chuck out old ways of thinking that just didn’t grow.
A final note.
Spring weather is patchy at best, you still need a scarf or hood to protect your neck and longer socks, it’s not the time for little socks yet, keep the ankles warm.
30 minutes of daily exercise is best for us, either indoor or outdoor. This is in addition to the house work unfortunately. Find a form of exercise that brings you joy.
If you aren’t feeling yourself try some acupuncture it’s great for helping you back to balance.
by Una Cashin