The Changing of Seasons

Most of us just drift through the seasons, only really thinking about our required wardrobe adjustments, but in Chinese Medicine there is a lot of attention and adjustments made so we can move through the seasons with as much ease as possible.  In fact in China, it is very normal practise to go for acupuncture specifically to aid flowing smoothly with the change of the seasons.

Each season is associated with an organ, and The Liver is the organ related to Spring energy.

The liver is the organ responsible for the smooth flow of emotions as well as Qi and Blood.

If unbalanced, this can result in feelings of frustration, anxiousness, anger, the feeling of needing to move, expand and grow. Physically the imbalance can quite often result in headaches, teeth grinding, eye issues and feeling hot all the time.   I know I’ve certainly been experiencing that agitation and impatience for things, and I bet that’s down to an imbalance in my liver showing up.

So if you recognise these feelings, please give yourself a break.  It’s hard enough changing from season to season for our bodies but with the added stress of the last year of madness, it’s no wonder a lot of us are quite out of sync and feeling things a lot more intently and sensitively than usual.

But what can we do to ease these feelings and make things more balanced in our everyday lives?

Firstly… think about movement.  If you are feelings any of those emotions that means your liver energy isn’t moving optimally and you need to change that. Acupuncture is great for getting straight to the point and stimulating the channel and getting it unblocked or back into full flow.  But you can also get it moving yourself, think lovely gentle, flowing movements…. Spend some time researching tai-chi and qi-gong, amazing exercises to keep every part of you balanced.  Yoga, pilates and dance are great too, a good workout will definitely get that energy moving. The worst thing you can do is to keep still as this just slows everything down.

Nutrition is important too, as it always is in Chinese Medicine.  We need a healthy digestive system to promote healthy movement within the entire body, not just the gut.  So as always, you’re probably bored hearing me repeat this over and over, but it is important, do not regularly drink cold water/drinks or an abundance of raw smoothies. The cold in these drinks dampens everything down and creates a lot of damp phlegm in our systems, which in turn slows down the optimal movement within our bodies.  We want things to move freely and as optimally as possible for good, free flowing, healthy systems. 

Food wise, the liver loves dark green leafy veg, think kale, cabbage, leeks, lettuce etc.  Also sprouts and mushrooms are very good for the liver.  Try to incorporate a sour taste into your diet 3-4 times a week as that is the flavour that helps release stagnation in the liver.  A squeeze of lemon in your warm water or over some vegetables, or a sharp granny smith apple, interestingly, the more you dislike that sour taste, the more you need it.

Emotionally, try practising patience and forgiveness. Have compassion and try and let go of resentment.  The liver is hurt by negative feelings and holding onto the past.  Strive to be free of these emotions in whatever ways work best for you, as anger keeps us stuck in all ways.  

And get outdoors! Nothing beats big deep breaths in nature.  I am just craving to fill my lungs with salty sea air, there’s nothing like it!

Hopefully if we can all ease our liver energy a bit now and we’ll feel better able to bounce into Spring and soak up all the joy and energy it can bring.

Sarah x