Flexibility & The Wood Element
This season, birch trees have been pulling my attention, particularly after the massive spring snow storms we've received. There has been so much snow that the birch trees are completely bent over under the weight of the snow. In many places, even right off the highways, birch trees look more like upright horseshoes than trees.
The birch trees led me to thinking about flexibility. In the case of the beloved birch trees, without flexibility, the snow would have fallen and the trees would have resisted until they weight became too much, at which point, they'd snap, essentially concluding their life. As I observed these horseshoe shaped birch trees with the tips of their branches touching the snow, I became more and more contemplative.
In Chinese Medicine, the element associated with spring is Wood which is ruled by the liver and gall bladder. The spirit of the liver is Hun, our ethereal soul. When the wood element is balanced, resistance slips away to make way for growth. We are flexible in thought and body. We are smooth and pain free. We are in control. We are seeking expansion. We easily make decisions and have direction. We have good vision. We are positive.
The birch trees have been an affirming reminder for me to increase my flexibility in body and mind in order to release resistance and tension.
Here are a few tips to increase your overall FLEXIBILITY:
The wood element is directly linked to the tendons of our body, making the spring the perfect season to begin a yoga or stretching program. The physical impacts the mind and the mind impacts the physical.
Spring is a season of cleansing your body from the hibernation of winter. Thus making it a great time to harness the cleansing powers of your liver and gall bladder by drinking water with lemon and introducing bitter spring greens like dandelion into your diet.
Transform your anger and confusion into kindness and clarity with the "shhhh" sound.
Be intentional in creating flexibility in your thoughts. The wood element teaches us about planting a seed and nurturing that seed. Rather than reacting, observe, see what else is possible, see another perspective and let it develop.
Resistance may serve you in the moment, but in the long run, resistance creates tension in our body. Be present and when you find yourself in resistance, visualize other options, other choices and make decisions consciously in alignment.
We don't set out on this journey to be in a state of resistance but rather in a state of growth and exploration. When we utilize the lessons in nature and align our intentions with Spirit, we feel more and more clear, more and more conscious and more and more positivity.
How are you going to bring more flexibility into your life?