Spring is the Wood/Life Element
Season - Spring
Emotions - depression, resentment & anger OR calmness, clarity, lightness and connectedness
Predominant organs – liver and spleen
Visualisation – green spiral
The sound – shu
Gall bladder most active 11-1am – Sleep, cellular repair, build blood cells, release bile
Liver most active 1-3am – Deep sleep, detox blood, rest and recovery and planning
Spring is the time to clear the dampness of winter.
As spring kicks in the liver and gall bladder become most active, they contain alkalising properties and increase the flow of qi/energy and blood around the body. These organs are ready to clean out the damp of the cooler seasons. By ridding the acidic build up of winter stagnancy caused by cold contractions of organs and blood vessels. This energy tends to move upward giving the name of “wood” like a tree branching out and reaching up to the universe.
It is very important to relax and stay calm for the liver not to become over-heated, try to let go of those repetitive thoughts – meditate; use a positive, repetitive mantra.
The liver feeds your body 2 litres of bile every day and ensures a free flow of energy throughout the body; the gall bladder stores the bile. Once you spring these organs into action you will feel a sense of liberation, connectedness and calmness, you will have a free spirit !!
If the liver and gall bladder are depleted you may feel dull, lethargic or even depressed!! Once you spring these organs into action; liberation, connectedness and expanded calm energy are your new vibe!
In winter we tend to do less (reduce yang) and self-reflect more (increase yin), we think about where we have been and what we have done and start to plan a new beginning. You could see this as tilling the soil and preparing the seed for the growth and new beginnings of spring.
Imbibe all aspects of spring, the warm sunshine and cool air becoming slightly warmer, new life – birth of animals, the scent of the colourful flowers blossoming, observing the sprouts rising from the earth, whatever spring means to you. This will already begin to balance your wood energy.
Wood is the fifth element that is created by the other four elements coming together to create life/wood.
Spring’s element is wood or life; this represents the coming together of all the four elements;
Earth - all matter, our body, the planet, the same minerals in the soil as in our bodies
Air - air we and all life breathe from and to the planet
Water - salty ocean water containing the same minerals as our body’s salty water
Fire - the sun supplying all the prana to the planet keeping all of us alive and our internal fire keeping our bodies warm
Wood - ether, where we all come from and return to, Wood is also be seen as spirit!
How the Liver and Gall Bladder functions and the way they affect you:
The Liver sits in the lower right rib cage and covers its entire space from back to front, outside to inside, in fact the liver extends into the centre of the body, just under the meeting of the two lower ribs.
The gall bladder should reside just inside the bottom centre of the liver, but it slips out of place due to prolapse and slouching into the solar plexus (between the apex of the lower ribs and navel), which you may be doing as you read this post, so lift up from your sit bones reach up to the crown of the head! This causes many digestive issues such as excessive belching, acid reflux to inconsistent defecation. It is actually the cause of about 90% of all ailments in the human body as it puts the pH out of balance, confuses mind body balance such as swinging from anxiety to depression and so much more.
If we still swung from trees all of this would lift back into place, so every time you pass monkey bars in a playground, have a swing from bar to bar.
The liver tends to make more “alkaline” substances to cleanse the body and break down fats; when the liver is healthy, we produce enough alkaline substances (natural alcohol) to feel naturally high. We don’t need other substances to lift our spirit or relax us. The liver is seen as spirit, when in a state of good health, it allows you to feel light, clear and enthusiastic, giving you a sense of expansion and connection.
Using alcohol and other substances is a false lift of spirit (high), it weakens the liver’s ability to create its own natural alkaline substances (alcohol). Regular intake of substances will wipe out your spirit, losing the sense of expansion. Instead feeling anxious, depressed, angry, stressed, resentful and unable to calm down. Good news though!! Your liver is the easiest organ to damage but also the easiest to repair.
In the physical body, the element of “wood” governs the inner legs, groin, diaphragm, eyes, eyebrows and lashes, thumb, tendons, ligaments, sinews, connective tissue, nails, small muscles that move joints, peripheral nerves, vagina and labia, penis and scrotum. Bile and tears are the fluids governed by The Wood Element.
How to heal and energise all aspects of the wood element
Eat alkalising foods: It’s always recommended to eat organic, seasonal foods and sometimes it is difficult to know what they are due to our easy access to food all over the world. Enjoy a balance of raw and lightly cooked vegetables.
Eat plenty of alkalizing foods throughout the day such as sprouts, which also contain lots of protein, bitter dark green leaves in the way of sorrel and rocket and yummy celery sticks to snack on, try some baby beets and asparagus too. Snack on the more alkalizing nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts and almonds.
Drink: Warm water with lemon with warm water is great first thing in the morning to boost the flow of bile or apple cider vinegar. Please note lemon only has an alkalising effect first thing in the morning before you eat. Once you eat stomach acids are activated for the day and may make you become too acidic. You may alternate or prefer to drink a tablespoon of mother apple cider vinegar in a cup of water.
Herbs: St Mary's Milk Thistle is an excellent liver cleanser, avoid dairy products for full benefits and check with you practitioner to make sure this herb is for you. Dandelion leaf tea is lovely to sip through the day and can be drunk regularly. Pick the weeds from your garden, dry them for storage and gently simmer (fresh or dried) for a couple of minutes or put them in your salad, or pick and graze when they are full of prana. Always choose the dandelion that has one stem with one flower growing from it (not stems that branch out from the one stem) and the leaves have jagged edges.
Yoga Practices
Pranayama: remember to breathe long and gentle deep breaths, begin every in and out breath softly and gently so you have a longer more controlled breath. Breathe all the way into your lower belly and up into your solar plexus. Allowing expansion on the inbreath, exhale longer than you inhale, gently pulling the belly in below, behind and above the navel (make sure you get that lower belly) where we store our prana in the hara (3 fingers below the navel and approx. three fingers in.
Liver Breathing: Inhale gently expanding the liver (covering the entire right rib cage; front to back, side to side top and bottom), then exhale gently squeezing the liver. Repeat 5-10 rounds.
Bastrica - When comfortable with this begin to speed up the breath but you must be using the breath correctly.
Sit in a comfortable upright position and connect with your breath.
Exhale sharply, squeezing the entire belly in; below, behind and above the navel (you must have this correct, most people breath out only above the navel pumping the adrenal glands) and as you inhale allow the belly to expand outward gently and naturally.
Begin with long slow deep breaths and once you are practicing correctly, you can make the breath more rapid. If at any time you begin to feel spasms in the belly stop and go back to a gentle breath. This practice cleanses the organs and the blood and the frontal lobe of the brain.
NB do not practice this if you have gastric ulcers, high blood pressure or heart problems. Your practice would be the same actions but with slow and gentle deep breathing.
The idea is to feel energy spiralling upward throughout your body as you expel the winter damp, allowing a free flow of energy.
Nadi Shodana: Sit in an relaxed upright position, place the left hand on the knee in chin mudra. With your right hand place your 3 middle fingers on ajna chakra, close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril for the count of 4 then block the left nostril with the little finger and hold for the count of 4. Open the right nostril and exhale for the count of 4, immediately after exhalation inhale right nostril for count of 4 then close the right nostril hold for the count of 4, release the left nostril and exhale the count of 4. So the side you breathe out of you breathe back into and then you change sides.
Continue for as long as you can. Ensure the belly expands on the in-breath and gently squeezes on the out breath. This exercise clears your main Pranic/energy channels and helps to balance the left/right brain, rids toxins by purifying the blood, clears the mind, helps anxiety and depression, increases lung capacity and ignites ajna chakra.
NB: do not hold the breath if you have high blood pressure
Here is a link to a short video for this practice
Nadi Shodhana Cleanse(with bastricca)
Block the right nostril and breath rapidly – inhale, let the belly naturally expand then exhale push the belly back toward the spine with a little force. Ensure your belly breath is working below the navel as well as above, if you only breathe above the navel you will be pulsing the adrenals and pulling the gall bladder down. Then change to the right nostril.
Practice 10 breaths and gradually working your way up to 108 breaths,
NB: do not breathe rapidly if you have high blood pressure, heart problems or peptic ulcers, just breathe slowly and deeply.
Asanas: practice twists to massage and strengthen the liver, squeezing out the build-up and helping to release the bile. Twists will strengthen the liver
Side bends will draw the energy into the liver and open the meridians of the liver and gall bladder; they also open all the organs to receive the flow of blood and qi/energy, simultaneously squeezing the opposite organs to release their chemistry into the blood stream as well as pushing out any waste build up.
Back arches help to detoxify the body and open you into renewed spring energy and confidence, they open you up to the world
Boat pose (navasana) seated - raising the legs straight and holding onto the toes also helps to strengthen the liver.
All forward bends will massage the liver and all of the organs as well as strengthening the abdomen.
Uddiyana bandha (abdominal lift) if practiced correctly prevents prolapse of the organs especially the gall bladder, it deeply massages the liver, and lifts your spirit.
Visualisation: Picture and love your liver and gall bladder in perfect health, see the tissues pristine clean and feel the bile releasing from the gall bladder flooding your body. Feel yourself calm and clear and your spirit expanded.
truly feel and believe in your visualisation then it will work.
Meditation: Sit with the spine as straight as possible, close your eyes, allow yourself to breathe naturally, allow your body and mind to relax. The essential emotion for the liver is calmness. Fold your middle finger and ring finger into the palm of your hand and wrap your thumb over these two fingers. The pinkie and pointer fingers are straight.
Think of or visualise the colour green, embody all aspects of spring, the warm sunshine, the cool air, new animal and plant life, the scent of the colourful flowers blossoming. As you sit with yourself consider what you want for yourself to spring into action; see it, feel it and imagine you are in it, create a new pattern.
When you feel you have nailed that visualisation via your feelings think about what patterns you need to dissolve all that may be blocking this. Start making the sound shu, you can sound it out loud or silently depending on how you are feeling and where you are. When you feel you have dissolved feel your new intention arise again and use a long slow shu..
Try to practice this meditation for 15 minutes or longer, if time is limited 5 minutes is also fine. Keep your new intention in mind, especially digesting at meal times and day dreaming times.
Massage: place your hand on the outside lower left ribcage and massage in circular movements all the way across to the outside of lower right ribcage, change hands move back to the left rib cage. Practice up to 36 rounds; this is especially beneficial if you are awake between the hours of 11pm-3am.
Lifestyle: eat natural foods, chew properly – to mush; the less you chew the more acid the spleen releases to break food down. The liver has to counteract this acid; if you make the liver over- work it becomes sluggish and this is when anger, depression and anxiety hits you.
Stay calm, remove yourself from stressful situations and things that aggravate you, chew your food properly, let go of repetitive patterns, get into the ocean or forest air, practice yoga postures, breathe, meditate, do everything that gives YOU a sense of lightness and calmness.
When there is too much stress there is too much acid the nerves become fried inhibiting the flow of prana/energy/qi through the body. Too much acid also burns the digestive system, especially the small and large intestines and thickens the blood creating blockages and many types of dis-ease.
So take 5 minutes here and there through the day to keep calm, breathe deep and smile to keep the liver healthy. Alkalising is essential to health.
“Most of all let go of resentment and move into acceptance”.
Season - Spring
Emotions - depression, resentment & anger OR calmness, clarity, lightness and connectedness
Predominant organs – liver and spleen
Visualisation – green spiral
The sound – shu
Gall bladder most active 11-1am – Sleep, cellular repair, build blood cells, release bile
Liver most active 1-3am – Deep sleep, detox blood, rest and recovery and planning
Spring is the time to clear the dampness of winter.
As spring kicks in the liver and gall bladder become most active, they contain alkalising properties and increase the flow of qi/energy and blood around the body. These organs are ready to clean out the damp of the cooler seasons. By ridding the acidic build up of winter stagnancy caused by cold contractions of organs and blood vessels. This energy tends to move upward giving the name of “wood” like a tree branching out and reaching up to the universe.
It is very important to relax and stay calm for the liver not to become over-heated, try to let go of those repetitive thoughts – meditate; use a positive, repetitive mantra.
The liver feeds your body 2 litres of bile every day and ensures a free flow of energy throughout the body; the gall bladder stores the bile. Once you spring these organs into action you will feel a sense of liberation, connectedness and calmness, you will have a free spirit !!
If the liver and gall bladder are depleted you may feel dull, lethargic or even depressed!! Once you spring these organs into action; liberation, connectedness and expanded calm energy are your new vibe!
In winter we tend to do less (reduce yang) and self-reflect more (increase yin), we think about where we have been and what we have done and start to plan a new beginning. You could see this as tilling the soil and preparing the seed for the growth and new beginnings of spring.
Imbibe all aspects of spring, the warm sunshine and cool air becoming slightly warmer, new life – birth of animals, the scent of the colourful flowers blossoming, observing the sprouts rising from the earth, whatever spring means to you. This will already begin to balance your wood energy.
Wood is the fifth element that is created by the other four elements coming together to create life/wood.
Spring’s element is wood or life; this represents the coming together of all the four elements;
Earth - all matter, our body, the planet, the same minerals in the soil as in our bodies
Air - air we and all life breathe from and to the planet
Water - salty ocean water containing the same minerals as our body’s salty water
Fire - the sun supplying all the prana to the planet keeping all of us alive and our internal fire keeping our bodies warm
Wood - ether, where we all come from and return to, Wood is also be seen as spirit!
How the Liver and Gall Bladder functions and the way they affect you:
The Liver sits in the lower right rib cage and covers its entire space from back to front, outside to inside, in fact the liver extends into the centre of the body, just under the meeting of the two lower ribs.
The gall bladder should reside just inside the bottom centre of the liver, but it slips out of place due to prolapse and slouching into the solar plexus (between the apex of the lower ribs and navel), which you may be doing as you read this post, so lift up from your sit bones reach up to the crown of the head! This causes many digestive issues such as excessive belching, acid reflux to inconsistent defecation. It is actually the cause of about 90% of all ailments in the human body as it puts the pH out of balance, confuses mind body balance such as swinging from anxiety to depression and so much more.
If we still swung from trees all of this would lift back into place, so every time you pass monkey bars in a playground, have a swing from bar to bar.
The liver tends to make more “alkaline” substances to cleanse the body and break down fats; when the liver is healthy, we produce enough alkaline substances (natural alcohol) to feel naturally high. We don’t need other substances to lift our spirit or relax us. The liver is seen as spirit, when in a state of good health, it allows you to feel light, clear and enthusiastic, giving you a sense of expansion and connection.
Using alcohol and other substances is a false lift of spirit (high), it weakens the liver’s ability to create its own natural alkaline substances (alcohol). Regular intake of substances will wipe out your spirit, losing the sense of expansion. Instead feeling anxious, depressed, angry, stressed, resentful and unable to calm down. Good news though!! Your liver is the easiest organ to damage but also the easiest to repair.
In the physical body, the element of “wood” governs the inner legs, groin, diaphragm, eyes, eyebrows and lashes, thumb, tendons, ligaments, sinews, connective tissue, nails, small muscles that move joints, peripheral nerves, vagina and labia, penis and scrotum. Bile and tears are the fluids governed by The Wood Element.
How to heal and energise all aspects of the wood element
Eat alkalising foods: It’s always recommended to eat organic, seasonal foods and sometimes it is difficult to know what they are due to our easy access to food all over the world. Enjoy a balance of raw and lightly cooked vegetables.
Eat plenty of alkalizing foods throughout the day such as sprouts, which also contain lots of protein, bitter dark green leaves in the way of sorrel and rocket and yummy celery sticks to snack on, try some baby beets and asparagus too. Snack on the more alkalizing nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts and almonds.
Drink: Warm water with lemon with warm water is great first thing in the morning to boost the flow of bile or apple cider vinegar. Please note lemon only has an alkalising effect first thing in the morning before you eat. Once you eat stomach acids are activated for the day and may make you become too acidic. You may alternate or prefer to drink a tablespoon of mother apple cider vinegar in a cup of water.
Herbs: St Mary's Milk Thistle is an excellent liver cleanser, avoid dairy products for full benefits and check with you practitioner to make sure this herb is for you. Dandelion leaf tea is lovely to sip through the day and can be drunk regularly. Pick the weeds from your garden, dry them for storage and gently simmer (fresh or dried) for a couple of minutes or put them in your salad, or pick and graze when they are full of prana. Always choose the dandelion that has one stem with one flower growing from it (not stems that branch out from the one stem) and the leaves have jagged edges.
Yoga Practices
Pranayama: remember to breathe long and gentle deep breaths, begin every in and out breath softly and gently so you have a longer more controlled breath. Breathe all the way into your lower belly and up into your solar plexus. Allowing expansion on the inbreath, exhale longer than you inhale, gently pulling the belly in below, behind and above the navel (make sure you get that lower belly) where we store our prana in the hara (3 fingers below the navel and approx. three fingers in.
Liver Breathing: Inhale gently expanding the liver (covering the entire right rib cage; front to back, side to side top and bottom), then exhale gently squeezing the liver. Repeat 5-10 rounds.
Bastrica - When comfortable with this begin to speed up the breath but you must be using the breath correctly.
Sit in a comfortable upright position and connect with your breath.
Exhale sharply, squeezing the entire belly in; below, behind and above the navel (you must have this correct, most people breath out only above the navel pumping the adrenal glands) and as you inhale allow the belly to expand outward gently and naturally.
Begin with long slow deep breaths and once you are practicing correctly, you can make the breath more rapid. If at any time you begin to feel spasms in the belly stop and go back to a gentle breath. This practice cleanses the organs and the blood and the frontal lobe of the brain.
NB do not practice this if you have gastric ulcers, high blood pressure or heart problems. Your practice would be the same actions but with slow and gentle deep breathing.
The idea is to feel energy spiralling upward throughout your body as you expel the winter damp, allowing a free flow of energy.
Nadi Shodana: Sit in an relaxed upright position, place the left hand on the knee in chin mudra. With your right hand place your 3 middle fingers on ajna chakra, close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril for the count of 4 then block the left nostril with the little finger and hold for the count of 4. Open the right nostril and exhale for the count of 4, immediately after exhalation inhale right nostril for count of 4 then close the right nostril hold for the count of 4, release the left nostril and exhale the count of 4. So the side you breathe out of you breathe back into and then you change sides.
Continue for as long as you can. Ensure the belly expands on the in-breath and gently squeezes on the out breath. This exercise clears your main Pranic/energy channels and helps to balance the left/right brain, rids toxins by purifying the blood, clears the mind, helps anxiety and depression, increases lung capacity and ignites ajna chakra.
NB: do not hold the breath if you have high blood pressure
Here is a link to a short video for this practice
Nadi Shodhana Cleanse(with bastricca)
Block the right nostril and breath rapidly – inhale, let the belly naturally expand then exhale push the belly back toward the spine with a little force. Ensure your belly breath is working below the navel as well as above, if you only breathe above the navel you will be pulsing the adrenals and pulling the gall bladder down. Then change to the right nostril.
Practice 10 breaths and gradually working your way up to 108 breaths,
NB: do not breathe rapidly if you have high blood pressure, heart problems or peptic ulcers, just breathe slowly and deeply.
Asanas: practice twists to massage and strengthen the liver, squeezing out the build-up and helping to release the bile. Twists will strengthen the liver
Side bends will draw the energy into the liver and open the meridians of the liver and gall bladder; they also open all the organs to receive the flow of blood and qi/energy, simultaneously squeezing the opposite organs to release their chemistry into the blood stream as well as pushing out any waste build up.
Back arches help to detoxify the body and open you into renewed spring energy and confidence, they open you up to the world
Boat pose (navasana) seated - raising the legs straight and holding onto the toes also helps to strengthen the liver.
All forward bends will massage the liver and all of the organs as well as strengthening the abdomen.
Uddiyana bandha (abdominal lift) if practiced correctly prevents prolapse of the organs especially the gall bladder, it deeply massages the liver, and lifts your spirit.
Visualisation: Picture and love your liver and gall bladder in perfect health, see the tissues pristine clean and feel the bile releasing from the gall bladder flooding your body. Feel yourself calm and clear and your spirit expanded.
truly feel and believe in your visualisation then it will work.
Meditation: Sit with the spine as straight as possible, close your eyes, allow yourself to breathe naturally, allow your body and mind to relax. The essential emotion for the liver is calmness. Fold your middle finger and ring finger into the palm of your hand and wrap your thumb over these two fingers. The pinkie and pointer fingers are straight.
Think of or visualise the colour green, embody all aspects of spring, the warm sunshine, the cool air, new animal and plant life, the scent of the colourful flowers blossoming. As you sit with yourself consider what you want for yourself to spring into action; see it, feel it and imagine you are in it, create a new pattern.
When you feel you have nailed that visualisation via your feelings think about what patterns you need to dissolve all that may be blocking this. Start making the sound shu, you can sound it out loud or silently depending on how you are feeling and where you are. When you feel you have dissolved feel your new intention arise again and use a long slow shu..
Try to practice this meditation for 15 minutes or longer, if time is limited 5 minutes is also fine. Keep your new intention in mind, especially digesting at meal times and day dreaming times.
Massage: place your hand on the outside lower left ribcage and massage in circular movements all the way across to the outside of lower right ribcage, change hands move back to the left rib cage. Practice up to 36 rounds; this is especially beneficial if you are awake between the hours of 11pm-3am.
Lifestyle: eat natural foods, chew properly – to mush; the less you chew the more acid the spleen releases to break food down. The liver has to counteract this acid; if you make the liver over- work it becomes sluggish and this is when anger, depression and anxiety hits you.
Stay calm, remove yourself from stressful situations and things that aggravate you, chew your food properly, let go of repetitive patterns, get into the ocean or forest air, practice yoga postures, breathe, meditate, do everything that gives YOU a sense of lightness and calmness.
When there is too much stress there is too much acid the nerves become fried inhibiting the flow of prana/energy/qi through the body. Too much acid also burns the digestive system, especially the small and large intestines and thickens the blood creating blockages and many types of dis-ease.
So take 5 minutes here and there through the day to keep calm, breathe deep and smile to keep the liver healthy. Alkalising is essential to health.
“Most of all let go of resentment and move into acceptance”.
