Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) the season of spring is associated with the Wood element, the Liver organ, the color green, the attribute of wind and the emotion of anger. This is the season we associate with the beginning of growth. Though it?Äôs easy to see the association with wind and the color green, it almost seems wrong to associate it with anger. Almost, but not quite.

The winds of change that blow through spring are not comfortable for many, and for good reason. We awaken in spring from the winter doldrums, and not everyone?Äôs a morning person. Think about that bothersome draft you experienced just before you caught a cold- do you really think it was the draft that caused the cold, or were your defensive resources weak and you were simply susceptible to it? In TCM you would have been considered low on wei qi, the defensive energy that protects our exterior. It resides alongside your ying qi, the qi that nourishes your organs. Wind can also cause a disharmony between the two and make you susceptible to catching a cold, or cause a muscle to spasm. This is common for those who venture outdoors again after sticking to the gym during a cold, unfriendly winter.

The Liver organ is in charge of maintaining a smooth flow of qi and Blood throughout the body, which is the key to good health. In the spring the Liver goes to work as qi and Blood enter a more active period. Any hindrance to the smooth flow of qi and Blood causes us to be irritable, but when qi and Blood don?Äôt want to move they can produce anger. Anger is also created when the level of yin in the body is insufficient to balance the yang- this can create internal wind, which is a concept for another day.

For the spring there are a number of good habits to cultivate to maximize our enjoyment of this season. First and foremost, protect the wind gates on your body- be careful not to hang up the scarves and turtlenecks too soon. Susceptibility to wind attacks is generally caused by a deficiency- take the time to enjoy meals with family and friends- don?Äôt skip meals or eat junk food, and don?Äôt over exhaust yourself with all the new spring energy. Eat well, eat smart, get good rest. Eat green foods. The same goes for exercise- ease into it. Spasms are wind attacks, and occur readily when we try to be too physically active without properly warming up (or cooling down).

Spring is the season for renewed growth, and to remain healthy we must be free to grow. Resentments hold us back- they keep us in the past- and are especially troublesome in the spring. Green with envy, our health suffers- a focus on gratitude to counteract this tendency. Gratitude is one of the greatest single keys to health as it frees us to grow and releases us to move forward in life. To be angry for what we lost when a relationship ended ignores all that we received before it ended (or in a really bad one, all we had before and have now), tossing the best part aside. Focusing on the past gets you stuck there, and ignores the gift of the present. Ask anyone who sails if the wind can be tricky- then ask them where they?Äôd be without it. Sometimes what moves us along seems unpleasant until it disappears, and we suddenly find ourselves longing for the very same thing we detested a moment ago; other times simply relieved that it?Äôs pasted. Gratitude is the key to navigating the changing winds.

Be Sociable, Share!

•