Spring into the season of renewal, regeneration and expansion. 

Spring, the season of hope is upon us, but it hasn’t been a gentle lead in this year, have you felt it?

The eclipse portal for many has been nothing short of intense.. 

Grief, longing, releasing, karmic cycles ending. 

So if you have been allowing yourself to really release, allowing the rivers to flow amidst the confusion, doubt, disorientation perhaps of parts of your life - you’re right on track.

So as we head into Spring - new beginning and a fresh start - changes take place in your body. 

Often referred to as the ‘young yang’ Spring is an expression of life at its strongest. The time when energy reserves from our Winters storing is put into good use. 

As the light returns, Wood, which has been at rest under the blanket of Winter, preserving and protecting its energy, bursts with renewed vitality into the energy of Spring, providing a sense of renewal, rebirth, and reawakening. 

The spring season is a time when our minds begin to turn to a new season fresh with possibility, where we can return to the outdoors and become more active. In essence  - there is a bubbling impulse to get moving. 

This element is within you and is at its strongest in the season of Spring when the grass shoots up and our Earth is vital and full of activity. 

After the Watery Winter season, a time of rest and regeneration, nature once again is sprouting, growing, and beginning to flourish,  which can feel like a gentle rising of energy within the body. 

The energy around is upward and rising, like the early morning birdsong - new buds and flowers pushing up. 

For me, as the early morning sunlight wakes me, my heart feels lighter and filled with hope at the blessing and potential of a new day. A new beginning. 

The energy of growth and expansion - reminding us it is time to grow again as it reaches to the light - encouraging us to open our hearts towards our growth - to allow for blossoming.

Wood grants us the power of birth and new beginnings, breaking through boundaries and surging forward, representative of the vigorous, exuberant energy exclusive to the Spring season. 

Due to the nature of this season representing growth and renewal, this serves as a reminder of our own possibilities of rebirth, encouraging us to dream, create and manifest what we want in life. 

A wink from Mother Nature and her exquisite cycles and seasons to believe in yourself and your dreams.

So, what does Wood do? How does it want to Wood evolve?

It pushes through, rises up, expands, rises to the heavens and sun. It wants to get moving, vision, and dream again after a Winter of rest and dormancy.

In TCM, Wood is energetically related to the organs of the Liver and the Gallbladder and it governs the emotional and intuitive body. 

It is responsible for balanced emotions and a sense of internal harmony.

Your Liver is the chemical housing factory of your body and together with your Gallbladder are responsible for cleansing and filtering blood, eliminating toxins and creating a smooth flow of energy.

Here these organs are masters at discerning and distributing. When we take care of our internal Wood, we become flexible like bamboo, adaptable to change, have good vision and strategic planning. 

What can happen when it is thwarted or constrained? 

Challenging times of restricted movement can leave us stagnated, irritable, depressed, tension in the neck and sides of the body, mentally a lack of focus or vision, leaving us heavy in the heart place also.

As this element is felt in the tendons and sinews, we can literally stiffen up when out of balance!  

You may also have disturbed sleep, dry itchy, red eyes, menstrual irregularity or hip pain. 

Not being able to sleep between the hours of 11pm and 3am, when these organs are the most active, is a very telling sign there are some underlying emotions that are asking for your to tend to.

Frustration, irritability, a sense of pent upness, even heavier emotions of anger or depression. 

Just as the sap rises in the tree before bursting outwardly expressing new leaves, there is a build up, it’s normal to feel that pressure build up energetically and we feel emotionally. 

The liver is considered the ‘General’ and the ‘Dreamer’, being the most intelligent of the organs as it is strategic in its processing for detoxification. Akin to the general, it has the ability to visualise and create via strategy, demonstrate action, organise and delegate.

Feeling indecisive, self critical, judgemental of Self or other, irritable, frustrated? Treat the wood element within you. 

Spring is a great time to work on any internal blockages and gain access to vibrant fresh energy in this season of renewal, rebirthing and growth. 

So how does this translate in yoga? 

Well, the teachings of TCM support the body and mind in times of change, it’s a holistic approach to incorporate in your everyday way of being to promote overall balance and wellbeing.

For those of you who practise with me regularly, you know nature inspires my yoga teachings, as we are nature, I believe we should naturally follow her lead - I think she knows better.  ;)

Hence my love and curiosity of infusing the wisdom of Chinese medicine as a methodology to harmonise and find balance within the body and mind.

I incorporate a lot of targeted meridian based practice to focus directly on your energy lines to promote healing, clearing and balance.  

This healing benefits work on and off the mat as a holistic approach. 

To balance this element within you and encourage a positive flow of energy, below are some simple basic tips for the element of Wood;

- Get moving! Wood loves to walk in nature. Take it further by witnessing the beauty of the season, take a moment to connect with the trees and feel her healing energy. 

- Yoga! Join me for some Yin (live or take the recording) where we will focus on the hips and sides of the body - where the meridians (energy lines) run. As mentioned when we stagnate it affects the tendons and sinews and we feel stiff in the joints. This practice supports you in becoming ‘un-stuck’ 

- Drink warm lemon water on waking

- Detox - ‘spring clean’ your system by replacing your morning coffee with a green juice - try celery juice with lime.

- Reduce or cut out your caffeine and alcohol consumption.

- Add extra greens - leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, fermented foods, parsley, arugula.

- Use essential oils - peppermint, lemon, chamomile, frankincense, bergamot, wild orange. 

- Sleep well - early sleep early rise. Wood likes routine, regularity of exercise. 

The virtues of this beautiful element are that of compassion which is the emotion that we meet with when we have moved through our anger.  

- Wood taken action taker - warrior energy embodied, and will not take injustice. 

- A sense of connecting to your purpose and dreams, without too much attachment, taking positive decisive action. 

- Coherence in your internal refrain and emotional being. 

Most importantly, witness the beauty and joy around you in this exquisite season. 

Joy is our way into love. 

When we witness beauty, we experience love. 

Love, ultimately, being who and what we are. 

With Love from me to your beautiful inner expansive Wood, 

Helen Olivia Yoga
					

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