The Season of Spring: Awakening

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing so gentle as real strength.”
– St. Francis De Sales

Associated with … Resiliency!
Element: Wood
Color: Green
System: Nervous
Organs:  Yin – Liver, Yang – Gall Bladder
Direction: EAST
Area of Influence: Tendons
Sense Organ: Eyes
Releasing Sound: SSHhh
Energy: Activating
Foods: Sour
The LIVER holds frustration, anger & stress > > AND > > generosity, kindness, compassion, gentleness & laughter

A personality dominated by Wood will be adaptive, cunning, and fiercely independent – our “Pioneers” striving constantly to surpass limits. This is the person who gets things done! Being action-oriented, this person drives hard and struggles with relaxation, which can result in tension, exhaustion and a tendency to be easily frustrated. The balanced Wood triad includes metal (subdues) and earth (modulates) energy.

During the Season of spring energy activates. We see this activation everywhere. Seemingly dormant trees suddenly bursting with buds and exploding to blossom in multitudes of vibrant color. Growth, transformation, and abundance are associated with spring as we awaken from winter’s hibernation. Creative energy emerges so it’s a good time to start projects bringing inner vision into reality. This season can also bring feelings of built-up pressure and Qi Gong practice can help.

Qi Gong is part of the healing branch within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Practicing Qi Gong can help remove blocks that prevent healing allowing the body’s innate, natural healing to happen. The Wood Element of Spring is associated with resiliency, which is the combination of strength and flexibility. Consider the tree – strongly rooted and solid, yet flexible enough to bend in a wind.  As you deepen your Qi Gong practice pay special attention to “rooting” your body and stretching slowly and deeply.

“The Tree of life is the universal symbol connecting all living things together.”

Some ideas for your spring: Qi Gong practice are combining “wave breathing” with “chin circles” to create a wave-like movement in the spine. Add “spinal cord breathing” and “spinal twist” to move the spine in multiple directions. Combine with other stretches, like “picking cherries”, “rooster spreads its feathers” and “swimming dragon”. Incorporate flows like “a tree sways” specifically grounding to earth and breathing earth energy up into the area of the liver while clearing mental stress.  Close with “bamboo in the wind” allowing the body to sway while grounded.

— Be Happy. Be well. Be full of peaceful, enlivened Qi.