Molly’s adorable cate enjoying the Spring blooms!
The sneezes are happening, the eyes are watering, and your subtle itch for movement and change becomes louder and louder… ah, Spring is in the air!
One day you’re bundled up, moving slow, craving soups and early bedtimes… and the next, you’re reorganizing your entire house at 9pm and wondering if you should also start a garden, a new workout routine, and maybe a side business. Welcome to Spring in Traditional Chinese Medicine—ruled by the Liver and the Wood element.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Liver is all about movement. It’s the Yang within the Yin, the subtle kinetic force of expansion that gently wakes up the soul asking to unravel, to unfurl our little petals so that we can start to bloom again. It’s the part of us that craves flow and movement—of energy, emotions, ideas and creations. The beautiful part about Chinese Medicine is how our body mimics nature, ebbing and flowing with the seasons. Just as we observe the little tiny sprouts pushing their way up through the soil, our inner life force that craves expansion activity starts to sprout as well.
We activate the fire that’s been dimmed during Winter, and when it turns back on this can feel both exciting and… a little intense. When Liver energy is flowing smoothly, we feel inspired, decisive, and clear. We make plans and we move. But when it gets stuck? That’s when the irritability creeps in. The sighing. The tension in the shoulders, the clenched fists, the tightened jaw, the restlessness. The “why is everything suddenly so annoying?” feeling. If this is you, go ahead and drop those shoulders away from your ears friend, take a breath, and go get some sunshine- this is classic Springtime Liver Qi doing its thing.
The Wood element, which corresponds to the Liver, carries the energy of growth, expansion, and upward movement. Think of a tree: rooted, grounded,but always reaching for growth. In the clinic, this is the season where I see people wanting change and craving shifts. Sometimes patients just feel restless without knowing why.
A lovely quote from one of my patients: “I feel like a little chick trying to crack out of my egg!”
The body is asking for flow, to move with the season and embrace this kinetic force of expansion, not against it. So how the heck do we do that? First things first- move your body, but don’t punish it. Stretching, walking, yoga—these all help Liver Qi circulate and flow smoothly. Eat foods that feel fresh and lively: leafy greens like dandelion greens, bok choy, mustard greens and kale. Think citrus fruits and sour foods like lemons, limes, oranges, pickled foods, sauerkraut, sprouts- a little bit of sour flavor goes a long way to gently wake up the system. Teas like chrysanthemum tea, hibiscus tea, dandelion tea can help the free flow of emotions while also providing a little bit of cooling energy to the body. Last but not least, and maybe most importantly, give yourself permission and a heck ton of grace to feel what you feel. Do not repress- release, move, then bloom. If there is one thing the liver is not a fan of, it's bottled up emotions!
Keep yourself honest, keep yourself flowing, keep yourself grounded- your body will thank you because spring isn’t about perfection, it’s about momentum and unraveling our roots so that we can bloom.
-Written by Molly Cohen, L.Ac.