Spring Integration Checklist
Some Things I Been Thinking To Myself On How to Integrate My Mind/Body/Spirit With Spring And What That Might Mean
Springtime Rhythm Rituals and Reflections :
* Eating Clean
Simple diet of easy to digest foods.
Reduce toxins.
Moderate consumption.
Spring is associated with the Liver and Gallbladder, organs responsible for detoxification and smooth flow of energy. Specifically, the gallbladder aids the digestion of fat. The liver, among other functions, plays a crucial role in blood quality.
BLOOD IS THE COMMANDER OF QI ~ Huangdi Neijing (circa 475-220 BCE)
Where blood flows, qi goes. When our blood is clean, the flow of energy in our body is smooth.
We can strengthen the Liver’s detoxing function by cleaning up our diet. A simple way to do this is by eating less in general. Spring is all about cultivating energy from the inside out.
I have heard many arguments “for” and “against” fad-diet cleanses and fasting. Personally, I have had good and bad experiences with both. Truthfully, I learned a lot about my body in the process. But perhaps that’s the best intention to bring into these types of food-ventures — to sincerely and gently experiment with our body, mind, and discipline to get more in touch with what makes us healthier and happier.
When considering cleansing and detoxing the body, it’s important not go overboard. While internet cleanses and diets might promise more results, I think it’s a bad idea to go into these experiences with nothing but trust and positivity. We need to be fully educated and prepared to dive into any sort of rigorous food-venture.
In my personal opinion, it is never wise to force the body into anything. Change in nature takes time and consistency.
Spiritual / cultural rituals of fasting and diet cleansing this time of year offer interesting ideas and reflections on how to “detox” and “cleanse” our food habits.
“I’m going to give up sugar for Lent this year” is what my highest self would say (if it were catholic and I was determined to be a good boy this Spring).
If diet cleanses and fasting sounds too intense, we can at least reduce heavy, greasy, and fried foods this spring to alleviate stress on the liver. We can also eat more fresh, young plants, sprouts, and seeds, corresponding with the growth and upward movement of spring energy. Certain foods specifically promote liver health, such as leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard, arugula), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy), sprouts, and herbs like dandelion or milk thistle.
Personally, in general, I’m trying to focus on eating natural, whole foods and trying to avoid processed foods and packaged items — shopping around the aisles, not in between them. Trying and eat out less + cook more in the kitchen.
Wood/Spring/Liver is associated with GREEN, which offers the easiest clue to what to eat this season :) or what to drink, like green tea! Liver is associated with SOUR — foods that are sour in taste can stimulate liver function. We could also include more healthy fats from nuts, fatty fish, olive oil, and avocado to reduce liver disease. Berries, apples, and citrus fruits also provide excellent detoxification support to the liver.
* GO OUTSIDE
The sun is starting to come out and play. We should too. Nature is waking up and stretching outwards. Everything is becoming greener and brighter and more colorful. Let’s do the same.
Spend time in nature and witness its growth energy. Say hello to budding leaves and flowers all around you. Gardening, hiking, or simple walks in the neighborhood can help you feel the expansive energy of spring. Gentle, flowing exercises such as stretching, tai chi, qigong, or yoga can help nurture flexibility and encourage smooth flow of energy. This is our dancing with the wind.
* Spring Cleaning ( Inside & Out )
Living in a clean environment influences our habits — it lowers stress and anxiety, improves sleep, enhances focus, and increases productivity. Eating healthier, cooking, and getting more exercise at home is much easier when we have the space to do it.
Staying clean and organized contributes to a general sense of well-being and control over one’s environment. This cultivates confidence and positivity.
There have been times in my life were anxiety has been so severe that I’ve been paralyzed to take any sort of action whatsoever. Not knowing what the “right” thing to do was kept me from making any decisions at all. It is no exaggeration to say that learning to clean my house when I’m sad has changed my life. Like eating a healthy meal or taking my dog on a walk, it has entered my pantheon of all-purpose remedies.
In TCM, stagnated liver qi is associated with anger, frustration, and irritability. Spring is an ideal time for releasing pent-up emotions through journaling, meditation, or other therapeutic creative expressions (like making art or dancing!).
Do not be discouraged by chaos. Things hit their worst before turning towards their best. It is ok to make a mess. Empty your house (physically, mentally, spiritually). How else are we going to start over?
Before touching the formed,
I rest in the unformed.
I obey the universal energy in order to evolve higher. — Taoist Invocation, Ni Lineage
* Follow the Sun
As daylight increases, you may find it beneficial to wake up earlier and go to bed slightly later to put yourself in tune with the natural light patterns of spring.
It is important to use this rising increase in productivity to nurture OURSELF, not-so-much what we do for others, like our boss or even our family. What are we living for? Use this time to connect with your body or your mind or nature. Take care of future you by meal-prepping or tidying up the house. Remember, the spring sun is lengthening the day so that more life can grow, more freedom can be enjoyed.
I’ve been focusing on devoting the first part of my morning and the last part of my evening to connecting with myself. Instead of “looking out” as the first and last thing I do every day, I’m trying to “look in.” When I wake up, before looking at my phone or answering emails, I go straight to my morning stretch and sit. I try to get outside and walk every morning before 12pm to help remind my biological clock when daytime is — this makes it easier to get to bed at night. Instead of watching cartoons as I fall to sleep (which is mimicking daylight and making it hard for my body to recognize it’s time for sleep), I been reading I Ching or journaling. I’ve also been using morning and night to do a daily planning / recap session. What we do right when we wake up and right before we go to sleep plays a majors role in our physical and mental health, in defining what matters to us. This is true on a phsyiological level and on a more subtle, subconscious level. It is in these moments we signal to our mind/body/spirit what it is we are living for.
Follow Daylight: Connect with the Sun, Connect with your Highest Self.
* Envision Growth
WOOD is associated with an aspect of our spirit called the Ethereal Soul.
The Ethereal Soul, called Hun in Chinese, is the mental–spiritual aspect of Liver. The Ethereal Soul is said to influence the capacity of planning our life and finding a sense of direction in life. A lack of direction in life and mental confusion could be compared to the wandering of the Ethereal Soul alone in space and time…
The Ethereal Soul is also the source of life dreams, vision, aims, projects, inspiration, creativity, ideas: the Ethereal Soul is described as the ‘coming and going of the Mind’. This means that it gives the Mind the necessary other dimension of life: that is, dreams, vision, aims, projects, inspiration, creativity and ideas. Without these, the Mind would be sterile and the person would suffer from depression. On the other hand, the Mind needs to somewhat restrain the ‘coming and going’ of the Ethereal Soul to keep it under check; it also needs to integrate all the ideas spurting forth from the Ethereal Soul into our psyche in an orderly fashion. The Ethereal Soul is like an ‘ocean’ of ideas, dreams, projects and inspiration, and the Mind can only cope with one at a time. If the Ethereal Soul brings forth too much material from its ‘ocean’ without enough control and integration by the Mind, the person’s behavior would become somewhat chaotic and, in extreme cases, positively manic. — Foundations, Maciocia, pg 124
We can sync with Spring and work with our Ethereal Soul by taking the time to envision what we want to grow in the year to come. The birth of an idea deserves special care and attention. To grow a plant, we must know it intimately.
Another key mental-spiritual aspect of WOOD/HUN has to do with courage and decision-making.
As we dream up our year, let’s be bold.
KEEP GROWING ~
