Spring
Spring relates to the liver, which is responsible for qi flowing smoothly throughout the body.
the image of liver qi flowing smoothly is reflected in the nature of willow or bamboo, which when well-nourished and hydrated are both very flexible and strong. However when unhealthy become inflexible and brittle.
Springtime -Yang within Yin
The black and white yin/yang symbol has been very well known within pop culture for a long time, but not many people know how much this can inform us about our health, living in a balanced way, and doing this mindfully in relation to the seasons.
Both the 24hr day and the solar year reflect a movement from yang to yin, back to yang and so on.
From the midwinter solstice through to the Spring equinox (around March 21st) is the time when the yang energy just begins to rise again. It is known as a time of yang within yin.
That is to say that: the weather may still be cold, the days may still be quite short, prompting us to stay inside, be more within ourselves, ideally be a bit quieter and more restful; but the yang energy is starting to rise again as the days get longer and we move in the direction of warmer seasons. The classic image of this is the late winter flowers, such as snowdrops and crocuses, which we can see pushing up and out of the earth (yin), towards the sky (yang), even when there’s snow on the ground sometimes. That upward, outward, growing/active energy – in the direction of sunlight - is the epitome of YANG. It has a dynamic counter-balance, and at times tension with the inward, grounded energy of winter.
In order for there to be counter-balance rather than counter-tension the yin element needs to be strong. Yang, by its inherent active nature tends to be dynamic and strong. It plays a healthy role when it is well balanced and anchored. In fact, in springtime the nourishment and wellbeing that we have accrued during the winter is what will serve us well in staying healthy as the environmental energy starts to move up and out more. Simple common sense wellbeing advice of getting good quality sleep, ideally with some hours in the more yin part of the night before midnight, eating wholesome soups and stews with root vegetables (full of yin earth energy), pulses, grains etc. are the things that bolster our yin energy. When we have this strong yin energy, as the yang energy starts to rise it is also kept grounded, rather than pulling our qi too much upwards within our bodies.
When there is a bit too much yang, not well-enough anchored by yin, health conditions such as acid reflux, some indigestion, chronic coughs, asthma, some nasal congestion (which may be thought of as allergic responses), brain fog, hot flashes and some types of headache may get worse.
People who have these conditions chronically may not notice, but if you observe it, they may get worse as we move towards and into springtime.
In addition, if our yang qi is not well anchored, and there isn’t a good balance between inner resources and outer/surface defences - we are more prone to colds and viruses.
In addition to the yin/yang central concept within the Chinese medical perspective is a system of understanding human health related to the environment known as the System of Correspondences. This is more familiar to people as the theory behind Five Elements Acupuncture. In fact, the 5 elements or 5 phases is just one part of the theory that all Chinese medical acupuncturists are working with.
In this system, each season is corresponded with an organ, a body tissue, a sense organ etc. The correspondences related to springtime are as follows:
Organ: liver
Body tissue: tendons and sinews
Sense organ: eye
Responsible for: tong – keeping qi flowing smoothly
Psycho-emotional: (balanced) planning, being active
Psycho-emotional: (unbalanced) frustration, anger, irritability
Body fluid: tears
Colour: green
Taste: sour / bitter
External pathogen: wind
Direction: east
When the yang energy is rising, but the weather is cold, this creates a real tension. We tend to be more yang in our feelings, activities etc. (without even realising it half the time), but if the weather is not good we may be stuck with a more sedentary, indoors life.
Springtime or liver energy is all about moving, so if the weather is in conflict with this, this strong moving energy will get blocked or stagnated. There may be those days when it seems both yourself and a lot of people you come across are quick to get annoyed. It may seem like everyone’s trying to keep a lid on it, but the atmosphere is suffused with irritability. This is springtime liver energy being blocked.
This may exacerbate problems such as:
Abdominal cramping, bloating, gassiness, some types of constipation, menstrual pain, some types of headache, some eye problems, irritability and anger, some joint pain and arthritic conditions. It may also be a factor in some breathing/lung conditions and even some heart conditions (e.g. angina).
What can we do about all of this?
Keep going with nourishing our yin qi – early to bed, wholesome earthy food, some exercise but not overly strenuous. Some quiet time.
As we move into the new year and towards spring – keep moving, keep your qi flowing but smoothly. Qigong and taichi are nearly always the types of exercise most helpful to health, but especially prior to and in the early springtime. This will keep our liver qi flowing well and our mood, a bit more outward in a smooth way.
If you find that any of the above conditions are flaring up at all, you can seek the support of a qualified acupuncturist. You can do this both in springtime and also during the autumn. One is about treating and managing the underlying pattern; the other is about undoing the pattern altogether.
For acupuncture enquiries at Happy Body Project please see the Contact page for details, or book via the menu button.