Spring Tips for the Holistically Minded
/By Maureen Farley — Last Updated: April 11, 2024
After hibernating through the cold quiet winter, sleepy seeds tucked into the bosom of the earth begin to wake, awaiting the perfect moment to burst through their crusty shells and reach for the warmth and life-giving qi (energy) of the sun.
Bulbs know it’s spring, too, and undertake their annual emergence after their rest. Birds celebrate their return with song.
Trees join the party with popping buds spreading leaves. The gentle breeze carries fragrant whispers of soil and fertility, and soon there will be lilac perfume wafting through the air. I sit on my stoop, enjoying a sunbeam shining on my face, watching the world burst into color and sound and aroma, feeling the qi of spring. I feel the world opening up to new beginnings, reconnections, and vast possibility.
Allow the spring qi to awaken and inspire you to begin anew and to take better care of yourself. You deserve it.
This is the perfect moment to begin honoring yourself in a holistic way by nourishing the whole self: the physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and soul aspects of your being. As a holistic yogi, you will have access to renewed vigor, enhanced health, connection to community and to the cycles of nature, and the freedom to live a life more in alignment with your heart.
Spring Tips
Stride
Let down your hair and take a walk! The foundational text of Chinese Medicine (the Huang Di Nei Jing) advises, “Go to rest late at night and rise early. Move through the courtyard with long strides. Dishevel the hair and relax the physical appearance, thereby cause the mind to orient itself on life.” This doesn’t suggest burning the candle at both ends. Rather, it acknowledges that when the sun is up longer, we should be as well. It goes on to advise us to let loose, take a long walk, and ponder the glory, wonder, and possibilities of life. Spring has finally arrived – again!
Move!
The qi of spring is about moving. Spring is a great time to overhaul – or begin – your exercise routine. In addition to walking, try dancing or flowing movement like the practice of Vinyasa Yoga or Yoga Sculpt. Get your blood and breath flowing, your heart and core pumping – this creates powerful qi movement both physically and energetically. To make your movement more holistic, add some soul nourishment by setting an intention for your practice. Make it a metaphor for manifesting your heart’s desire, each movement symbolizing the steps on the path to realize it.
Do!
The qi of the wood element is strongest in the spring. Wood qi is the energy that propels the sprout to burst through the soil and reach for the sun. In addition to physical movement, as described above, the wood qi moves us to start a new project, to organize and execute a plan that is ready to come to fruition, to take a new class, build a thing, or try something new. If you have an idea hibernating in your heart, perhaps it's time to awaken it.
Eat Fresh Produce!
Including in your diet the green leafy veggies that appear first in spring is an excellent holistic wellness practice. Enjoy microgreens, dandelion greens, endive, rocket, nettles, lettuces, and bitter herbs. Sour foods like vinegar, lemons, limes, and other citrus help support your body’s natural springtime cleansing. You could try a tea of burdock, dandelion, or goldenseal to aid in gentle detoxification and enhance immunity. Replace the heavy, grounding comfort food of winter with light foods that need just a touch of cooking.
Reconnect with Community!
As you are able, reemerge and reengage with community. We have been apart for a long time. Now spring is finally here, and the world is opening up. Humans are social creatures, and, like a forest of trees, we are stronger together; feeling connection to others is essential for holistic wellness.
If you’re not sure how to get started, please consider connecting with the community that I belong to at Green Lotus. It is more than a healing center and yoga studio. Green Lotus is a group of beautiful souls sharing a journey toward wholeness. The healers and teachers share their passion for wellness because they know what it's like to have pain, go through hard times, fall down, feel disconnected. They are called to help others, it's their passion and purpose. The Green Lotus massage therapists, acupuncturists, reiki practitioners, yoga teachers, counselors, life coaches, managers, and owners share a vision of healing on every level.
The students and clients of Green Lotus are the lifeblood, though. In my experience as a yoga teacher and Reiki Master – and I hear this from many other teachers and healers – I learn so much from students and clients. The people that cross the threshold (both brick and mortar and virtual) of Green Lotus’s doors are amazing people, wise, diverse, with a broad range experiences and perspectives. I consider each of them my teacher. I get as much, usually more, than I give.
I am grateful for the community of Green Lotus and I am excited for this spring for all of us. It is time to get to work, to move and do, and to reemerge and reconnect. Join us!
A Spring Meditation by Laura Adams
