Moving into spring with ease & grace 🌷
Spring is here, friends!
The wildflowers are in full bloom, and it’s still cool enough to walk outside here in Central Texas - yay!
After a lovely winter of hibernation, bundling up, keeping the fireplace on as much as possible, and letting things rest and germinate, I’m feeling the upward movement and energy of this season! Are you?
Spring brings new life - but it can also bring unexpected emotional intensity.
One of my favorite questions to ask people during this season is:
“Are you noticing any extra irritability or anger coming up lately?”
Many people look at me with surprise and say:
“Yes! How did you know?”
I promise I didn’t see you shouting at your kids! I have simply learned the rhythm of the seasons, which holds so much wisdom for us in our modern, disconnected world.
From a modern science perspective, the shift into spring means more sunlight, which affects our circadian rhythms, hormone levels, and energy patterns. Add in increased allergens and histamine, which the liver helps process, and it makes sense that we can feel both more alive and more agitated this time of year.
In Chinese Medicine, we understand that the liver “wakes up” in spring.
This can look like:
A desire to set boundaries
Feeling a sudden surge of irritability
Waking between 1–3am
An urge to get rid of everything you don’t need
Or….maybe even an urge to run & dance through the nearest wildflower field!
Needless to say, it’s a mixed bag!
This makes spring a WONDERFUL time to support our liver, and I’d love to share my favorite ways to do that.
Though the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) “liver” is not exactly the same as the anatomical liver, the following suggestions are supportive to both:
Exercise.
Walking, resistance exercise, and aerobic exercise have all been found helpful in keeping the liver healthy and happy.
Get acupuncture!
Research has shown that acupuncture can help regulate lipid metabolism in the liver, in addition to helping ease & regulate the strong emotions we can experience as humans.Somatic practice: wall pushing.
Stand facing a solid wall. Get your feet in a strong, steady position on the floor, ideally in a staggered stance.
Push your hands into the wall as if you are trying to push the wall over.
While doing this, feel free to think about something that’s making you angry right now, and let yourself really feel it!
Hold the position for 30–60 seconds.
Pause, notice what has happened in your body and mind, and repeat as necessary.
Christy Mawdsley
Eat & drink your greens.
Drink green vegetable juices, eat leafy greens.
Tip: If you’re local to Austin, my favorite on-the-go juice is a Tigerlilly (no ice, no spinach) from JuiceLand.
If you feel really cold, or your digestion is poor, make Bieler's Broth instead.
Try castor oil packs over your liver.
This is an old-school naturopathic remedy that can help with everything from liver congestion to constipation to inflammation and pain.
