Can you feel it? The turn of the season, the warmth in the air?
The beach almonds shed their leaves and put on the vigour of new growth. The birds are far more active and chatty — they rise earlier, and you see them flirting about the garden. People begin to emerge from their withdrawn winter state and become more social. We fire up the barbecue and start sharing the warmth of ourselves with others.
Rising yang, and why it pays to go gently
In Chinese medicine, spring is when yang begins to rise — the outward, active, warming half of things waking up after the inward quiet of winter. It's not time to throw off the doona and crank the air conditioning just yet, though. Our yang is rising, but like a sprout emerging from the ground it isn't strong or settled, and it's easily knocked about by a cold snap or a run of late nights.
A small thing that helps
A few gentle shifts
Move more, and outdoors if you can. Spring is the season for stretching out after a winter of drawing in — a walk, a paddle, anything that gets you moving.
Lighten the plate. Less of the heavy, slow-cooked winter food; more fresh greens and things that are quick to cook.
Go to bed a little later and rise a little earlier — but don't burn the candle at both ends while your energy is still finding its feet.
Get some sun on you early in the day. It helps your body clock settle into the new season.
If the change of season knocks you about
Some people sail through the turn and some feel it — itchy eyes and a stuffy head, a short fuse, sleep that goes a bit haywire. If that's you, be kind to yourself about it and give your body a few weeks to catch up.
A session over the change of season is supportive care — a calm reset while things settle — and it sits alongside your GP's care rather than in place of it. If something new or persistent turns up, please get it looked at properly.
Enjoy the turn of the season — and if it knocks you about, come and see me. — Rebekah
