There are few things more exciting and invigorating than the feeling of the earth reawakening in the springtime from her winter slumber. Feeling warmth return to the winds, seeing baby buds sprout on once bare branches, hearing the birds sing their daily songs… spring is the season known for renewal, growth, and regeneration.

As many of us live our more sedentary lives in cities, spending time indoors surrounded by our technological comforts, we can easily forget how interconnected we are with the natural world around us. However, our bodies, minds, and hearts crave to live in harmony with the rhythms and cycles of nature. Aligning with nature is a beautiful way to restore balance and feel our best.

Each season has wisdom to share with us. This guide is an invitation to tune into the energies of spring, drawing on the wisdom of a few different traditions – Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and Shamanism. These traditions speak to the energetics of a season and give insight on how to adjust our routines and invite our hearts to be in tune.

Rebirth and renewal are happening all around us in nature during the springtime; the natural world is going through a rebirth. In Shamanic traditions, spring is represented by the cardinal direction of East on the Medicine Wheel. The East is a place of renewal, rebirth, new beginnings, creativity, momentum. After the passing of winter, we are invited to open and unfurl our inward energy to once again shine outwards. We take inspiration from budding blossoms which garner the strength and movement necessary to burst anew – we too are invited to usher in a new experience of life, health, mental clarity, emotional wellbeing, and spiritual connection.

As you read through the guide below, take the time to listen to your heart, mind, and body. Explore the ideas that resonate with you most. Tap into your own inner wisdom. And most importantly, regardless of the season, remember to love yourself and regard yourself with compassion. Some of our greatest tools on this healing journey are our own inner wisdom paired with gentleness, love, and compassion.

To provide you with additional support, we offer you this lovely Spring Healing Meditation. We hope it helps to renew your energy, uplift your spirits, and deepen your connection to Self and Spirit. Make yourself comfortable and click on the link below to enjoy the healing goodness.

Optimal health and proper digesting aren’t just about digesting food, but also about digesting life’s experiences. Study after study has shown the importance of caring for our gut, nicknamed the “second brain.” As we slide away from winter, we also want to move away from heavy, sweet, and grounding meals (such as stews, soups, etc.).

Instead, focus on integrating lighter, warmer foods that are easier to digest. Steamed veggies, lightly sautéed greens, and fresh fruit are small ways to shift your diet to be appropriate for spring. TCM suggests focusing on eating green – leafy greens such as dandelion, baby greens, chard, lettuce, sprouts, and arugula. Ayurveda suggests focusing on pungent, bitter, and astringent flavors – cooking with garlic, onion, and black peppers help incorporate these flavors into your meals. Some other foods to add to your springtime grocery list include leeks, asparagus, artichoke, ginger, celery, pomegranates, cranberries, blueberries, and apricots.

**#2 TENDING TO OUR LIVERS & GALLBLADDERS**

Traditional Chinese Medicine is an ancient system of health and wellness, which aims for whole body harmony to restore wellbeing. In using the seasons as guideposts to optimize certain organs, we can nurture our body’s balance. In TCM, the season of spring is associated with the liver and the gall bladder. The liver is responsible for smooth flow of blood and emotions in the body; the gall bladder is responsible for storing and excreting bile, which governs courage and assertiveness.

A few ways of caring for the health of the liver and gallbladder are by eating sour foods, taking care of our eye health, and stretching our bodies for circulation. The liver governs both our eye health and our tendons; stretching and taking breaks from screens are two simple ways to care for our liver.

Keeping in tune with the energies of reawakening spring brings, Ayurveda recommends beginning to rise earlier in the morning. Waking up with the sunrise or right before sunrise is best; it relieves the sluggishness that could be present in waking later, the same sluggishness that we are leaving behind with winter.

Rising at dawn brings clarity, vision, and closeness – the very energies of rebirth and renewal that spring is known for. Taking the time to step outside and experience fresh morning air is an invigorating practice that helps us to metaphorically awaken from our winter slumber. Enjoying the morning as it flourishes is a beautiful way to connect to spring.

What better way to embrace the energies of reawakening than by revamping your morning routine? Our subconscious mind is most active right after waking up. It’s important to create a practice of mindfully stepping into the day by taking the time to connect with our inner selves, and springtime can be an extra sweet season to reinvigorate your morning routine.

One practice to consider is doing gentle movement like a morning walk or yoga. Spending a few moments outside and breathing in fresh air is another way to ground down the energy of newness. Here are some other practices to consider when reinvigorating your morning routine: lighting a candle to symbolize the returning of light that is spring, reading positive affirmations, dancing, pulling a tarot or oracle card, or drinking lemon water which promotes cleansing.

**#5 SPRING CLEANING AND ENERGY CLEARING**

Spring cleaning is a fairly famous phrase that almost always gets brought up during the first few weeks of warmth. Clearing out items that no longer serve you is a beautiful physical practice that creates a positive energetic effect for our homes, offices, cars, etc. Along with going through our belongings and donating that which no longer serves us, spending time cleaning computers and other appliances, dusting the corners of rooms, and opening all the windows of your home to allow fresh air to blow through. And to really harness the creative and fresh energy of spring, take the time to beautify your home – bring spring indoors by way of flowers in a vase, or refreshing your altar with totems that symbolize spring. Check out our previous blog posts on spring cleaning and energetic clearing.

Speaking of cleansing, the common phrase “spring cleaning” not only applies to clearing out physical spaces but also to detoxing the body and mind. During times of transition, we have the opportunity to release and make space for new growth. Ayurveda sees spring as an ideal time to cleanse or fast.

Cleanses have amazing benefits for the mind, body, and soul – seeing as the gut has been labeled our “second brain,” caring for its health is a matter of both mental and physical wellness. A cleanse can be as intensive as a juice fast or mono diet, or it can be as simple as cutting our excess sugars and processed foods for a few days. Please use caution when attempting a detox and work with your medical provider to consult on any health concerns.

Some other methods of releasing are spending time in saunas, hot baths, or steam rooms. Other methods of stimulating the body’s life force energy that may have become sluggish during winter is body work, such as acupuncture, dry brushing, massages and Reiki!

Reiki is a powerful, but subtle energy healing that when paired with an aura clearing offers deep relief, healing and energetic clearing. Until March 30th, Shamanic Soul Center’s Reiki Master Healer Mary is offering an amazing special: get a 45-minute reiki session with an aura clearing for the price of a 30-minute session! Book now and save. Use code: SPRINGAURA. To learn more about the beautiful healing power of Reiki, check out our recent blog post All About Reiki Healing.

Exercise during the spring months should pick up some intensity that was softened during the wintertime. The sluggish, cozy energies of winter can be countered by recommitting to a daily or weekly personal movement practice. Moving your body improves circulation, generates heat, and results in a feeling of lightness – all benefits that assist your body and spirit as we move through this transition season.

Biking, jogging, hiking, and swimming are all beautiful ways to move your body without excess strain. Exercising in nature is a beautiful way to welcome in the increasing warmth, witness spring in the nature around us, and feel even more deeply connected to our bodies. For those who are just beginning a practice of movement, mindful walking in nature is a sweet and effective way of getting exercise and spending time soaking up the beautiful spring energies.

Spring is often seen as one of the sweetest seasons – the birds are chirping, the flower buds are bursting, the Earth feels like it’s beginning to wake up from her long and cold slumber. One of the most important and simple ways of reharmonizing to the Earth’s cycles is to spend time outside in nature: taking a neighborhood stroll, going shopping at a local farmers market, making a weekly ritual of visiting a hiking or walking path.

Make it a practice to witness mother nature waking up; watch the growth on a neighborhood tree, as it moves from a small, tightly wound bud into a beautiful blossom, ready for pollination. If possible, walk barefoot on grass to deeply connect with Earth as it awakens. Approach spring from the eyes of a child – full of wonder, amazement, and awe. Act as if every chirping bird is the first song you’ve ever heard, as if every blooming blossom is the first you’ve laid eyes on, as if every warm breeze is the first you’ve danced with.

Keeping in tune with the invigorating energies of spring, find ways to invite the energies of play and spontaneity into your life. Spring, as the symbol for new beginnings and carrying the energy of lighthearted softness, supports new experiences. Our wild sides need outlets for expression. Try exploring new and spontaneous activities – maybe joining a local meetup or new club, hosting an event, trying a new craft or movement class, or visiting a museum or botanical garden you’ve been wanting to see. Socializing is another beautiful way of welcoming the season, by rekindling or initiating meaningful relationships. Inviting a healthy sense of play to our lives is a healing way to invigorate ourselves as we move into the new season.

In Shamanic traditions, spring is associated with the Spirit of the East on the Medicine Wheel. The East governs dreaming and visualizing, new beginnings and creative ideas. During the springtime, invite these energies and practices into your life. Welcome new beginnings; make space for your creativity to flourish.

As with all transition periods, we are gifted the opportunity to move forward more mindfully. Ask yourself: what kind of life do I dream for myself? What did the past season, or year, teach me? How would I like to move forward into this season? Working with creative visualization exercises is a beautiful way for us to gain clarity, invoke our creativity, and be active agents of change for our life. During the spring, we are reborn. We are renewed. We are given an opportunity to approach life with a new lens.

We hope you enjoy this spring healing guide as we welcome in a new season. Reconnecting with natures rhythms and cycles offers us a rich opportunity to honor every transition with grace, gratitude and ease.

May the spring sun shower its golden rays of light down upon you blessing all your endeavors.

May the spring rain nurture your connection to the swelling of the Earth.

May the sweet spring flowers remind you of your beauty and effortless blossoming.

And may your heart find ease and grace with the changing of the season.

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