March Self-Healing Tips

Spring into a New State of Wellness

March is here, and the calendar tells us that means Winter is handing over its mittens for the raincoat of Spring's arrival. Although we have jasmine flowers and roses blooming all throughout the Winter here in Los Angeles, the way of nature tells us that Spring's energy is an explosive burst not unlike a two-year-old's temper tantrum in the weeks before she starts talking. After the introspective stillness of Winter's influence, we awake into Spring replete with energy, ready to grow and change, eager to become and try new things. If not honored, this Spring energy will get stuck and become stagnant, leading to feelings of anger and frustration, becoming like a tree trying to grow inside a box. For nature, Spring is the birth of the new year that began its conception on the Winter Solstice. Winter becomes Spring officially on the Vernal equinox, which occurs this year on March 20th.

Acupressure to harmonize with the seasonal transition:

In colder climates, Spring brings warmer temperatures and longer days that melt the snow and beckon people to spend more time outside. Just like the melting snow, the water that has been harbored deep within the roots of trees starts to flow again, upward and outward, nourishing the trunks and branches. The relationship of Water to Wood is what makes it possible for another whole year to begin with the bursting forth of tiny flower buds and bright green leaves. This describes the relationship in Chinese Medicine of the Water element to the Wood element. One of the ways this occurs in the body is in the Kidneys nourishing the Liver.

Kidney 1 is the Wood point on a Water meridian. Therefore, it can be helpful to work with this point when harmonizing the transition from Winter to Spring. The point's name is Yong Quan, or Gushing Spring. It is located on the sole of the foot. To find it, stretch your leg, bend (or point) your foot, then curl your toes. Kidney 1 is in the depression created about 1/3 of the way down the midline of sole of your foot. Benefits of this point include treating insomnia, headache, dizziness, rage, stress, and heart pain, alleviating symptoms of menopause, subduing cough, easing constipation, warming cold feet, and rooting the energies of the body.

Workplace Suggestion: Kick off your shoes and massage the Kidney 1 point for 2 minutes on each foot to feel like the calm in the eye of the storm of another busy day at work. At Home: Try massaging Kidney 1 before bed to ensure a deep and nourishing sleep every night of the week.

Chinese Nutrition

Just like the tiny buds and leaves that burst through branches in the Spring, so does the Wood element in the body need the energy of sprouting to be healthy. By introducing sprouts into the diet in the weeks prior to the Spring equinox, we can strengthen the Wood element, tonify the Liver Qi, and ensure a healthy transition out of the sluggishness of Winter. Sprouts can be eaten all Spring long to harmonize, cleanse, and nourish the organ systems of Wood.

Suggestion: Go to your local farmer's market or health food store and find the section where the sprouts are. Look at all those different options! See if you can sample different kinds and find one, or several, that you really like. Add these little yummies raw to salads, sandwiches, and burgers, or use them as a garnish instead of parsley. You can also lightly steam them and add them in at the end to any vegetable dish. A gentle caution - too much cold and raw food will damage the digestion and weaken the Spleen. For those with a weaker system, eat your sprouts lightly steamed until the bright heat of Summer arrives.