Birth, Growth, Creativity

Spring is starting to settle into my bones a little now, I feel my body softening, giving in to the feeling of newness in the air and earth, enjoying the increase in daylight hours. It took me a while to get here this year and I had a few false starts - a burst of energy then a need to hunker back down. If anyone else feels winter a bit hard to shrug off, here are some tips for Spring living taken from a Shiatsu Society article on balancing wood energy; the element/phase of Spring in Zen Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine. Think of buds bursting into life, shoots of green, daffodils, birth, growth, creativty, natures return; this is the wood element, which correlates with the liver and gallbladder, the house of our ethereal soul, our dreams and visions.

Suggestions for living in harmony with the spring season

• Begin Your Day Early. Go for a brisk walk.  Feel the sunshine pull you up and out, like the plants and animals. (If a brisk walk isn't possible, standing outside, moving as you can, feeling the sun or shade and the Earth's resonance...)  

• Begin New Things - at home, at work, and in yourself. In this season when nature reinvents itself, we too can see people and situations with new eyes. Be creative. Make things, do things !   

• Move.  The Liver needs movement and so do you; so get outside and take long walks in nature, observe the changes going on all around you, and invite change in.   

• Eat Well. Spring is the time to start a healthier diet and flush out the toxins so that the Liver can do its job more effectively. Enjoy the abundance of fresh foods that are beginning to come to market.  

• Practice Forgiveness. Grudges and resentments are indigestible and can do damage to Liver energy. Practice forgiveness.  

• Come and have a Shiatsu ! This is a great way to get your Qi moving.

Full article here:

https://www.shiatsusociety.org/wood-element-our-tips-to-find-your-balance