Spring
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each season correlates to an element and has a dominant organ, colour, emotion, taste, and sense connected to it.
Spring is associated with the wood element and an inherent sense of growth and renewal. The dominant organs are the liver and gallbladder, the colour is green, the taste is sour, and the dominant sense is vision.
Throughout the year, there is both change and continuity as we move from one season to the next. Every season is interconnected, and how you nourish and care for your body in one will impact how it feels in the next. Just as winter’s water element helps spring’s wood element to grow, the strong wood of spring is needed to feed the fire element in summer.
Cleansing
The body naturally wants to cleanse itself in the springtime. By eating nourishing, seasonal foods that support your body, it will do this gently at the right time. This is much better than pushing and forcing change with diets and detoxes. Remember, your body is always working for you, and you can support the process by caring for your liver.
The liver is responsible for removing unwanted toxins from the body and is supported with the nutrition found in new green leaves and shoots and with foods with sour flavours.
As the environment around you begins to burst with new life, allow your body to enjoy that same energy by incorporating the following vibrant foods into your diet:
- Fresh leafy greens
- Baby root veggies
- Fermented foods with their own microcosm of friendly bacteria
- Newly sprouted seeds and beans
You can find our guide to growing your own sprouted beans along with some suggestions for simple spring dishes
Connecting
Spring cleaning helps you connect to your home and your environment which can have a huge impact on your sense of wellbeing.
Spaces can be transformed to support and nourish us. De-cluttering unwanted and unused belongings, or simply cleaning a room and adding fresh flowers, can change the atmosphere completely, helping us move from feeling stuck and overwhelmed to feeling light and inspired.
I’ve discovered the less cluttered it is, the more considered my choices are about what I buy and bring into our home. By prioritizing our wellbeing in this way, we positively impact the environment too. I buy less now and choose items that will last longer. It requires more time initially to source seasonal produce or research eco-friendly, sustainable items, but the long-term savings, both for your bank account and the environment, are worth it.
Planning
Spring is the season of new ideas, change, and hope.
The wood element is connected to planning, structure, growth, and connection. A healthy, well-established tree contains these qualities. When we have a balanced wood element, we are well-rooted in the past, stand tall in the present and have a vision for the future. We also have the desire to grow and have the resilience to adapt and be flexible if needed.
Vision is the sense connected to the wood element. Creating space to plan and connect with your vision for the future helps cultivate a sense of direction and purpose, adding to our present sense of wellbeing. When we’re able to look ahead and create realistic plans, we feel confident and optimistic.
Supporting the organs associated with spring is key to strengthening the wood element. The liver is the planner and the gallbladder the decision-maker. Their relationship is similar to an architect and site foreman on a building site – one makes the plans while the other transforms them into reality by being decisive and acting with good judgment.
All life needs certain conditions in order to grow and thrive, and it’s the same for us in terms of our home environment and routine.