Spring

In Chinese Medicine we are taught about five elements or phases, each element relates to a season and has acupuncture channels/meridians related to it. The Wood phase relates to spring and the organs are the Liver and Gallbladder.

The Wood element’s power is birth, uninhibited growth and renewal. The liver is thought of as your planner and the gallbladder helps us with good judgement and decisions. However, on the flip side if we are feeling unstable in our Wood element, all this new energy that rises upwards can set us off balance especially if we are not following our true path, we can find ourselves feeling irritable and frustrated. The emotion linked to Wood is anger and the climate is wind. Wind is mercurial and changeable it can whip up our emotions but is also an instrument of change. We definitely see an increase of client’s coming in with headaches, itchy skin & rashes, hay fever and menstrual irregularities during springtime. This is because the Wood energy is linked to the smooth flow of energy, emotions and blood in our bodies.

Here is an acupressure point that might help if you have any of these symptoms:

Liver 3: Tai Chong, Great Surge

Good for: irritability and frustration, depression, moving forward with future plans, period pain, irregular cycle, exam stress and so much more!

The point lies on the top of your foot between the first and second toes. Rub your finger along the outside edge of your big toe until you get to the base of the big toe joint, at this level move onto the top of your foot and feel for a tender dip between the big toe and second toe.

Sketch of Liver 3 by Clay Saunders

• If you are doing this on yourself, find the points gently and feel for a tender spot or ache, when you are ready inhale through your nose for about 4 counts and on the exhale press on the point, breathing out through your mouth for 5 counts.
• Each time you inhale, you are breathing in revitalising energy or Qi through your nose and taking your breath down to your belly. On each exhale sigh out the breath through your mouth and press down on the points feeling for the tender spot. On each inhale release the pressure.

Do this for about 6-10 deep breaths either bilaterally or one point at a time. If you are doing this for another person, use a lighter touch to begin, feel for the Qi and gently pressing and releasing the point for 1-2 minutes on each foot