Spring equinox is March 20, 2021, marking the first day of the spring season in the northern hemisphere.
Spring is the beginning of one of many energetic cycles found within Nature: the four seasons. Spring is the start of new growth after a period of quiet rest and retreat during the winter season, which prepared us for this time of new blooms and fresh beginnings.
The days are gradually getting longer, lighter, and warmer during springtime. We see the spark of life spring back into the natural world, and everything around us—plants, animals, and even human beings—appear to reawaken from winter’s slumber.
When spring arrives, Nature is telling us that this is a time for new growth and new beginnings. While winter was all about resting and retreating, spring is about renewal, rebirth, and rejuvenation. This season is abundant with creative potential and the desire to revitalize our bodies, our minds, our spirits, our goals and aspirations, and even our home environment!
Spring is all about planting seeds, both literally and figuratively! This time of year, many of us feel instinctively drawn to plant seeds in ourselves by consciously engaging in new routines, starting new projects, or planning for the future. It’s also a great time to literally plant seeds and start a garden!
Spring often instills within us a renewed sense of well-being, optimism, and more energy. We start to feel that innate longing to reach out and connect, and may feel more romantic or sociable this season.
Spring Season and the Air Element
In relationship to the four elements (Earth, Water, Air, and Fire), the spring season corresponds to the Air element.
Like a breath of fresh air, the Air element inspires the living world with movement and dynamic energy. This gives the natural world a spark of life, awakening dormant plants and bringing hibernating animals out of their dens. Spring blossoms and fresh greenery pop up all over natural landscapes, infusing the world with a sense of vibrancy.
Air is changeable, in alignment with its gaseous nature, which lends itself to changing weather patterns in springtime. This is why we can get snow or downpours one day, and bright sunny skies the next!
The spring season and the Air element governs the mind, digestive system (specifically the large intestine), nervous system, kidneys, and adrenals. When these organ systems are in balance, you’ll have strong digestion and a calm mind and nervous system. It’s important to take special care of these organ systems during this season, as they are prone to imbalances when living out of alignment with Nature and her seasonal rhythms.
The Air element also rules the following tastes: astringent, bitter, and pungent. Working with foods and herbs that embody these tastes is a great way to support yourself this season.
So what are the energetic qualities of spring? In excess, the Air element can create symptoms related to coldness, dryness, and tension in the organ systems mentioned above. This can lead to gas and bloating, irregular bowel movements, nervous tension, anxiety, adrenal dysfunction, and disrupted sleep. To balance the energetics of spring, we must adapt our lifestyle to align with the season, tending to our digestion and nervous system, and ensuring that we stayed grounded amid the natural changeability of the season.
All life forms—animals, plants, and human beings—flow with the cycles of Nature. We are at our healthiest when we are in tune with Nature’s rhythms. The following self-care practices will help you align with the season and can prevent physical or mental/emotional imbalances from arising.
#1 SPRING DETOX: Cleanse your body, mind, and environment
Spring cleaning time is here! After a wintry period of retreat and inner reflection, spring is a welcome invitation to do a deep cleansing of your physical body, your mind and emotions, your lifestyle and routines, and your home environment.
Cleanse your body
Your body has an innate ability to detoxify and eliminate wastes and toxins. Yet these routes of elimination (including your liver and kidneys) can get backed up, leading to inefficient detoxification and symptoms of toxicity.
Your body naturally wants to upregulate these elimination pathways in the spring season after a long, cold winter: a season where we typically eat heavier foods and have a slower metabolism. While springtime often brings the urge to deep clean your whole house, you’ll likely often feel the need to change up your diet and eat cleansing foods to do an internal “spring cleaning” as well. So listen to your body’s wisdom and support it in its natural desire to optimize its ability to detoxify!
Here are some ways to support your body’s detox organs this season:
- Eat foods that support liver function: leafy greens, beets and beet greens, cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and kale), artichoke, lemon
- Eat lighter foods like spring greens and salads, incorporating some raw fruits and vegetables. Focus on fresh foods (versus frozen or canned). If you eat meat, you may find you don’t need as much meat this season (unless you have certain symptoms of excess Air).
- Eliminate sugar and processed foods, focusing on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and herbal teas. Consider adding fresh fruit or herbs (like mint, rosemary, or basil) to your water.
- Move your body: Be active every day, ideally outside in the sunshine and fresh air.
- Consider taking key supplements, like a detox protein powder or specific nutrients, to further support your detoxification pathways. (Consult with a licensed naturopathic doctor before starting new supplements.)
- See plant allies below for detoxifying herbs.
Cleanse your mind
While the season is pulling us to be more extroverted, spring is a time to tend to your inner landscape as well.
Mental and emotional self-care practices for the spring season can include:
- Journal on new beginnings: Take out your favorite journal and write down your goals for the future and what you wish to manifest this “new year.” Reflect on the goals you might have made in January and see how you can re-energize or reframe those goals. Maybe you’re ready for some completely different goals, and that’s ok too!
- Focus on manifesting your dreams: You want to focus on how to make your dream future reality appear real to you. First, visualize your future—what are you doing, how are you acting, what do you feel? Then take some time to really feel the feel-good emotions of gratitude and joy when you’ve completed those goals and are living as that future self in that future reality. Manifest your dreams!
- What do you want to let go of? What do you want to change about your life? Take a look at your daily routine, your habits, your self-care practices, your relationships. Journal about what’s working and what you wish would be different. What are you doing that’s unnecessary or no longer serving you that you could release? Where could you invite new routines and habits into your life to achieve the life you want to live?
Cleanse your environment
Are you getting the urge to spring clean your entire house? That’s what Nature wants you to do!
Your physical spaces are often a mirror of your internal space (your body and your mind). Cleaning and organizing your physical space can allow you to feel more vital, balanced, and peaceful.
By cleaning your home, you also significantly reduce the amount of dust and other allergens. Spring is the season when allergies can flare, so by reducing your allergen load within the home, you’re supporting your immune system!
Here are a few ways to cleanse your environment this season:
- Deep clean every room in your home at the start of spring, making sure to vacuum at least once weekly (or more often if you experience allergies)
- Consider getting a HEPA air filter
- Embrace the KonMari method! This is a great time to get rid of things you no longer use or enjoy, and organize and “tidy up” your home.
- As often as you can, keep your windows open to circulate fresh air around your home.
#2 EAT SPRING GREENS
I mentioned leafy greens under the “Cleanse your body” section above, but I wanted to reiterate this because it’s SO important: eat your spring greens! Nature created fresh greens in the spring for a reason. We’re meant to eat these plant foods in abundance to support our bodies as they transition from winter into spring.
Bitter spring greens wake up your digestive fire and support optimal liver function. They optimize your metabolism and provide your body with the nutrients you need this time of year.
Spring greens also provide a number of antioxidants that protect your body from sun exposure and free radical damage. So as the days are getting brighter and warmer, the foods you eat can help protect you as you spend more time out in the sun.
Some examples of spring greens include arugula, dandelion leaves, baby lettuce, chard, miner’s lettuce, chickweed, pea shoots, and watercress.
#3 GET OUT INTO NATURE
What a more perfect time to enjoy Nature than in the springtime! The natural environment is constantly evolving during this season. Every day, you’ll see new flowers sprout up, dormant plants awaken from the slumber of winter, and birds expressing their joy over the the birth of a fresh seasonal cycle.
I love going on walks and hikes this time of year, watching the landscape change in front of my eyes. I find myself taking lots of pictures of all the plants and wildflowers. Spring is a rejuvenating time to reconnect with Nature.
#4 PLANT SOME MEDICINAL HERBS OR FOODS
Spring is asking us to connect with the Earth, as we get to see the spark of life come back into the world around us. What a better way to connect with the Earth than by working directly with the soil!
Consider planting a garden, full of vegetables and medicinal herbs. Even if you live in an apartment or don’t have a yard, many plants can be grown in pots in a windowsill or on a balcony.
Spring is all about new growth, so do what you can to embrace growth in all its forms. Watching seeds grow into little seedlings, and then transform into your food or medicine is such a fulfilling experience!
You can also start sprouting seeds this time of year and add the sprouts to your meals. Sprouts are full of nutrients to support your body’s physiology in the spring. Consider broccoli, alfalfa, and radish sprouts.
#5 BEFRIEND YOUR PLANT ALLIES
Plant medicine helps support your inner terrain so that it’s in balance with the energetics of Nature.
Plant allies that help balance the energetics of the spring season are primarily going to act on the organ systems associated with the Air element (digestive system, nervous system, kidneys/adrenals). These herbs are typically going to be astringent, bitter, and/or pungent.
Bitter herbs are essential for detoxifying the body and stimulating digestive function. Many bitter herbs also act as diuretics or alteratives, stimulating the function of your organs of elimination, which improves your body’s innate ability to detoxify.
Some examples of bitter herbs to work with this season:
- Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica): As a gentle diuretic and alterative, Nettle leaf is supportive of liver and kidney function. It’s also very nourishing to your body as a whole. Nettle leaf can be especially helpful for those who experience allergies. Make a tea out of the dried herb, or incorporate fresh Nettles into your meals much like you would any leafy green (but be sure to steam the leaves first before eating, else they will sting you!). I love making pesto with Nettles—so divine!
- Chickweed (Stellaria media): This cute spring “weed” is highly medicinal and nutritive. It’s a spring green that you can add to salads or use in place of other leafy greens. Chickweed acts as a gentle diuretic and supports immune function and skin health.
- Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Dandelion’s cheery yellow flower is a welcome sign of spring! Dandelion is often denounced as a “weed,” but like Chickweed, Dandelion is far from a pest and is actually the perfect medicine for springtime. Every part of the Dandelion plant is medicinal: the roots can be infused as a liver-supportive tea, the bitter leaves can be eaten steamed or raw, and the flowers make beautiful adornments to spring salads. As a mild diuretic, Dandelion leaves are especially supportive of kidney function and healthy elimination of wastes and toxins.
In addition to bitter detoxifying herbs, nervines (herbs that support the nervous system and reduce nervous tension) are indicated during the spring. As mentioned above, an imbalance in the Air element during this time of year can cause us to feel ungrounded, anxious, tense, or scattered.
These herbs can help us remain centered, calm, and balanced this season:
- Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora): Skullcap is a great plant ally for nervousness, tension, and difficulty sleeping. It can alleviate spasmodic pains throughout the body, including abdominal cramps and headaches.
- Chamomile (Matricaria recutita): Chamomile is most indicated for people who are restless, irritable, and impatient. This tension can also manifest in the GI tract, creating stomach upset or gas and bloating.
- Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata): Blue vervain is both a bitter and a nervine with an affinity to the digestive and nervous systems. It’s especially indicated for people who experience anxiety in their stomachs and may exhibit “type A” personality traits.
- Mullein (Verbascum thapsus): Mullein is a quintessential Air plant, perfect for support during the spring season. Mullein can soothe the airways if you’re experiencing dry, spasmodic coughs due to allergies and post-nasal drip. It acts as a mild nervine on the nervous system, alleviating nervous tension and allowing you to breathe deeply and calmly.
Sending you all many blessings this spring season!
Disclaimer: Some of the links to herbal products in this article are affiliate links. I make a small commission off of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping to support my small business!
