Spring is here and there is no better time to refresh your home and body. You may have noticed that you have more energy as the days get longer and warmer. Just as nature awakens from its resting period so do we. Take advantage of the energy of the season by taking on some new projects or completing tasks that you had set aside. This is a great time to de-clutter your living space. Clutter creates stagnation of energy and makes us feel stressed and blocked. Reducing clutter is one of the first principles of Feng Shui, the art of living in harmony with your environment for health, wealth and happiness. If you don’t de-clutter on a regular basis it can feel daunting at first, but tackle one messy drawer or one closet or medicine cabinet to start and go from there. The entrance to your home is particularly important because it is the first thing you see when you come in. Create a space that is visually pleasing to you.
As we clean up our living spaces, it is a perfect time to clean up our bodies too. In spring I love to do regular dry brushing to exfoliate dead skin cells and promote blood circulation, and enjoy saunas and steams to sweat and release toxins, followed by cold plunges or showers. Move the stagnation out of your body by exercising daily - any kind will do! Walks, runs, yoga, pilates, dancing, swimming, HIIT workouts, etc. Just move your body!
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Liver is the organ of springtime, so we focus on herbs and plants to benefit the liver. I like to start the day with a green juice or smoothie and usually add greens powder, Anima Mundi liver cleanse, or spirulina. I also make a cleansing vegetable broth and drink that several times a day and use with cooking. It’s so easy to make broth and provides many nutrients.
Vegetable broth recipe: (adapted from Dr. Mao’s Secret’s of Longevity Cookbook) fill a pot 3/4 with assortment of chopped greens - dandelion, chard, kale, cabbage, mustard greens, watercress, add daikon radish, anise, fennel, turmeric, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, kombu or wakame seaweed, cover with water. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1 -2 hours, adding Celtic salt and herbs like thyme if desired towards end. Using a mesh strainer, remove the vegetables and enjoy! Store when cooled in airtight glass jars.
