Spring Cleaning Your Life

If you look outside, Spring appears to already have sprung in Vancouver.

The cherry blossoms are out, the seawall is packed with runners preparing for race season, and the days are slowly getting longer.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is a time to conserve energy while Spring is a time for growth, renewal and rebirth. Spring is represented by the ‘Wood’ element which houses the liver and gallbladder, organs that aid in the clearing the body of harmful substances. For these reasons, Spring is a great time for cleansing out what may be dragging us down physically, mentally and emotionally.

Every day, our bodies attempt to clear toxins through our detoxifying organs such as the liver, gallbladder, kidney, colon, lungs, and skin. If our bodies are working so hard to detoxify, you may be wondering why we would need to do a cleanse. Unfortunately, the daily assault our bodies experience is often too much of a burden for our detoxification systems to keep up with.

We are now exposed to toxins every day, whether it be the pesticides on our food, chemicals in our cosmetics, or heavy metals in our air, to name a few. Additionally, we live in a society that demands constant connection and consumption. Ultimately, we perceive physical and mental clutter the same way – as stress that keeps us from moving forward.

When we talk about cleansing, we are not talking about a strict ‘detox’ diet that promises to help you shed 20 pounds in two weeks; these regimens often deprive you of essential nutrients and are impossible to sustain.

When we say ‘cleanse’ we’re referring to a deep cleaning of your body, home, and mind. We’re talking about adding in practices and foods that nourish you, while riding yourself of the clutter that is preventing you from living your best life.