The Chinese calendar and Chinese medicine, the season of spring begins around Chinese New Year usually in late January, early February.
I know some of you, especially those in the north eastern U.S., are saying “What the heck, how can it be spring? It’s still freezing.” The idea is that the energy of the spring has begun to rise from the depths of the earth and will soon reach the roots of the plants and trees, as the weather gets warmer. Astronomers and calendar makers here in the west, tell us that spring begins later in March. Of course, this makes sense to us, because we see the leaves of the trees and the blossoming of the flowers. We see the return of the insects and the birds and feel the temperature getting warmer. When we look at this from the Chinese yin and yang perspective, the energy of spring has begun reaching its peak.
Spring is the time for new beginnings. Early spring is a good time to plan what you would like to manifest for later spring and summer. I believe this is a better time to work on your New Year’s resolutions versus beginning on January 1st. In January, we are still in the heart of winter, and it may be a little too early to come out of hibernation. This could be one of the reasons it is difficult for us to be consistent with our resolutions. If we begin in the spring, we may have the energy of the universe backing us up.
The spring is associated with the wood element, which corresponds to the liver, gallbladder, and tendons of the body. It is also associated with the color green, foods that taste sour, the emotion of anger and the virtue of kindness. The wind is the associated ‘climate,’ or weather characteristic of the spring. It is said that the wind is the cause of over 100 diseases. In Chinese medicine there is an understanding that our bodies are a microcosm of the macrocosm. What this basically means, is that whatever elements are in nature can also be found within our bodies. For example wind, cold, damp and heat are all both outside and within us.
The gusting winds of springtime can enter our bodies through the pores of our skin and cause a variety of imbalances. For example, if the wind gets inside you, you may wake up with a stiff neck or feel tightness in your joints. You may also feel pain in various parts of your body. For example, you may have pain in your neck, then your shoulder, then your back and then your knee and not know what is happening. Pain that moves around to different parts of your body is often connected to the invasion of the wind. Wind will often team up with other climates like cold or heat and cause a variety of symptoms in the body. This can manifest as headaches or having the sniffles. Or perhaps you experience sudden pain and stiffness when you bend over to pick something up or reach for something. Some of you may feel relieved to know that there is a reason for the strange pains you have been experiencing in your body. While some of you may be thinking, “What is he talking about? I like a cool breeze.”
Those of you with strong yang energy and wei qi (the protective energy that surrounds our body) may be less affected by the wind. Yet, those of us who are sensitive or have an aversion to wind need to be especially careful during the spring. One is more vulnerable to wind attacks while sleeping, meditating and when the pores of the skin are open and exposed. If one is sweating from a workout or coming out of a hot shower or bath, it is important to protect yourself from drafts and wind. We also need to be mindful of indoor environments where there are fans blowing or air-conditioning, not only in the spring, but, all year round. Having a light scarf or a hoodie during the spring can be helpful in protecting you from the wind. The back of the neck at the base of the skull, have acupuncture points that are particularly vulnerable to the wind. Covering this area during the windy days of spring can help prevent some of its negative effects.
One of my patients complained of pain along the right side of her body from head to ankle. During the intake process, she pointed to all the spots on her body where she was feeling the pain. Each spot corresponded to a point along the gall bladder channel. When we spoke about wind, she realized that she was exposed to the air conditioning in her office blowing constantly on the back of her neck. She was able to change the position of her desk and where she sat and began drinking ginger tea to keep her warm. After just a few treatments using the tools of the Acudragon® Wellness System (in this case primarily acupuncture and tuina body work), her pain was gone and she became more productive at work.
If your energy is stuck or not balanced (especially during the spring), in addition to having pain, you may feel depressed. You may find yourself being irritable, impatient and getting angry easily. You may not even notice this in yourself but you may see it more clearly in others, or others may notice it in you.
Check your breathing. Are you sighing a lot? Is it difficult to take a deep breath? Deep breathing exercises and qigong, especially Wood element qigong can be helpful.
Please check out my other video for health and wellness tips and exercises for the spring season. Don’t Forget to like, comment, share and subscribe to my channel.
Tapping into your spiritual side and being kind and compassionate to yourself and others can also balance your energies. Even just squeezing half a lemon in some warm water first thing in the morning can assist the liver energy.
Acupuncture, herbs, tuina (Chinese massage), acupressure, acuformulas (especially Acuformula® T5-the Green Dragon), aromatherapy, guided visualization, meditation and exercising can all be helpful in balancing one’s body and mind during the spring. If any of your new year’s resolutions include taking better care of yourself, then this would be a good time to give yourself a tune up with one or all of the methods mentioned above.
Don’t forget to join the Acudragon® Wellness Monthly Newsletter for information of upcoming events, books, products, services and classes to come. Feel free to share with others and have a happy spring. ☺
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