Spring & the Wood Element
The long dark cold winter days seem never ending, naturally we feel the need to slow down, rest and recuperate. Nature itself is in deep slumber, hibernating and preparing for the next life cycle.
From the stillness of winter, the first bright green buds burst out from the bare-naked branches of the once dormant trees, an assertive powerful push forward to a new beginning, the season of spring.
We all feel that energy shift when the first lot of blossoms begin to flower, even though the weather itself may not be warmer the transition into spring has started, the days gradually become longer and the sun brighter.
The Energy of Spring
Spring can feel like a great time for starting new projects, a spark of motivation, that feeling of wanting to move and exercise more, organise, plan and set new goals.
In Chinese Medicine the season of spring is associated with the wood element.
The energy of wood is all about moving forward like the new growth that sprouts from a tree, it’s a powerful force that is dynamic and assertively bending and moving its way around any obstacles that may be in its way, just as a weed would grow and push its way through the cracks in concrete.
When your wood element is out of balance springtime might have you feeling uneasy, you may not feel the energy to start new projects or you might lack the motivation to set new goals, leading you to procrastinate or feel depressed.
The Emotion of Wood
The emotion of the wood element is anger, often anger is seen as a negative emotion, however from a Chinese Medicine perspective is an important emotion and when expressed in a healthy way anger can fuel us to be proactive and find solutions for obstacles that might be getting in the way of us moving forward and achieving goals.
When anger is not expressed in a healthy manner the energy can build up and make you feel frustrated creating a negative feeling of rage and hopelessness as the energy becomes stagnant and trapped.
In order for the wood element to stay in balance the energy needs to move up and outwards, which is why exercising regularly is important for keeping wood in balance.
The Structure of Wood
When we look at wood in nature it is all about creating structure in the world, the branches, the trunks and the roots of the tree.
In Chinese Medicine the structure of wood in our body can be seen in our tendons and joints, if our wood is out of balance you might have difficulty with flexibility or recurrent joint pain.
Nurturing your wood element during spring
What can you do during spring to help keep your wood element in balance?
For the wood element to stay in balance the most important thing is regular movement. Without movement we can start to feel frustrated and stuck.
Exercise doesn’t have to be high intensity even gentle exercise such as walking can help keep your wood element in check.
Leafy greens are particularly supportive to your body during spring and consider increasing vegetables such as kale, spinach, rocket and bok choy.
You might also want to include other green vegetables such as zucchini, broccoli, peas and green beans.
Adding a little bit of sour into your diet can also be helpful such as a squeeze of lemon or lime added to your salads or sautéed vegetables, while also including fruit such as kiwi fruit, green apples, and grapes.
While it is helpful to make these lifestyle changes it is always important to consult your Chinese medicine practitioner or other health professional for advice specifically tailored to your individual needs.
5 Element Acupuncture
Five Element Acupuncture is a style of acupuncture that focuses on utilising the balance of the element within the body.
When we observe nature according to seasons this can also be applied to the body moving in cycle of the 5 elements, if one element is out of balance then the rest will also be affected, just as harvest will be poor in summer if there has not been enough rain in winter.
Each of us constitutionally have a weaker element, when treating we utilise the acupuncture points associated with this weaker constitutional element or CF in order to strengthen and balance a person’s physical, and emotional wellbeing.
A great analogy is to think of the body as having rivers that flow through the body, we refer to these as meridians, if there is a blockage the water or energy will not flow freely causing disharmony in the body. The acupuncture points are located along these rivers/meridians and act to clear those blocks.
Bianca x
