Learning to Go With the Flow

Today, I'm going to talk about something that we often get too busy and forget about.

We go through our mornings and about our day and frequently forget to slow down and take advantage of going with the natural flow of the season we are in. For example, right now it is April and spring is just starting to send sprouts. 

It's starting to warm up.

There's a bit of wind, a bit of rain.

Flowers are beginning to bloom.

These things are mirrored within our body because we are a tiny version of the universe around us. So in remembering that we need to think about moving regularly with our activities, for example, walking, yoga, biking or swimming, whatever other activity you enjoy. These should be incorporated into your day because as we move out of Winter and into Spring, we need to remember the season of Spring is about growth, unfolding, and movement.

Balance for Spring

In order to balance ourselves within for the Springtime, we need to do activities that allow movement in our bodies and our mind and our breath to increase as we leave the coldness of Winter.

Think about gardening or preparing your flower beds with weeding or cutting things back. Start preparing for the warmer months ahead. It is also the time to think about the Spring cleaning that so many of us put off until the Spring as well. A time of putting away warmer clothes and pulling out more Spring and Summer wear. Shifting over to lighter linens and having the windows open to let in some fresh air and light.

This is also a great time to reflect upon our desires for the future months and what we envision for ourselves.

Refresh Your Goals

I was just telling someone the other day about how important it is for the liver to have the interpretations of your life and goals be in alignment. Meaning that you want to look at where you are in your life and what you are doing and reflect upon where you see yourself and envision your future self.

What are you doing? What does it look like to be this person? How does it taste? How does it smell? What emotion does it hold?

The liver wants us to have free movement in our emotions and our bodies. The emotions we have need to be expressed and the best way to do that is to allow our voices to be heard and our desires to be granted.

The discrepancy or the difference between what we desire greatest in life and where we are causes stress within the body if we don't work towards that which we truly want. That's what we see when we look at someone who is in pain or has blockages within their body or their mental capacity. There may be frustration or irritability or even anger.

Anger in the body

Anger in the body looks like pain for headaches or muscle cramps that can occur. It's that lack of fluidity or movement that causes disruption and disease so some of the most important things that you can do for yourself as we move into this warmer time of the year is find balance.

Remember that this time is half warm and half cold.

It's more about balancing the yen and the yang or the heat and the cold. Wearing layers covering your neck a little bit with a hood or a scarf. Making sure you are prepared for warmer weather and cooler weather, whatever may be the case within your body. You should have movement that is comfortable and allow yourself to be free.

Exercise helps not only your hormones to regulate but the chi in your body too. Meaning that you will have endorphins that help your mental health as well as helping you feel less frustrated. 

As we also warm up, we need to remember to shift our foods into lighter greener foods and have a lot of sautéed or lightly cooked foods.

The flavor of Spring is going to be sour, so think about things like dandelion greens or peppermint tea or basil. 

If you have trouble staying asleep at night and wake up between 1-3 AM, this is the time of the liver. You may want to as yourself during the day, "What might I be frustrated about or not letting out?" 

Journalling or artwork is a great way to express what is inside if you don't feel like talking about it, but it is important to get it out.

Whatever your traditions are in the Spring, it is a time of growth and development and potential. So see what is in your heart of hearts and work towards that which makes you happiest.

If you are feeling like things are not where you want them to be with your body, acupuncture can help you feel smoother and improve your quality of life. It can also help you reach your inner voice and help you with processing things that you have not dealt with yet.

Until next time, I wish you happy day.