Two redbuds are blooming brightly in my yard. They withstood the storms and the late snowfalls and are now showing themselves through their beautiful color. Just like the redbud, I withstood a long winter and now embrace and enjoy springtime’s splendor.
Our bodies mimic nature. Just as nature goes inward to rest and restore before it can flourish in its abundant bloom, so do we. Winter allows us that inward time. Spring is a time for renewal. It calls us to move, expand, and create. It’s an invitation to reboot your health, reframe your thoughts and reset yourself. Sounds great, but easier said than done. The heavy eating from winter makes our body and mind sluggish. It takes a willful intention to clean up. It’s about choosing yourself. It’s about choosing one thing to focus on for self-care.
Macrobiotic lifestyle practice allows me to choose self-care in a focused way. It has taught me how important it is to live according to the seasons. This simple knowledge has allowed me to choose one thing I can do each season to enhance my health. For example, springtime resets the gallbladder. According to Chinese medicine, spring is when this organ system needs support as it detoxes and rejuvenates.
In the spring, this is what I choose to do. I focus on supporting the gallbladder by creating habits such as choosing foods that will enhance regeneration and movements that bring more blood flow. The primary function of the gallbladder is to control the flow of bile. The role of bile is to help break down fats. During winter, eating is heartier, usually with increased oils, salt, and baked foods. This combination may constrict the bile flow, resulting in the gallbladder getting stagnant and congested.
Learning to nourish the gallbladder for optimum efficiency is the topic of April’s cooking class. I will discuss the physical functions that need attention and focus and address the emotional expressions that arise, such as resentment, irritability, and anger. Join us on Saturday, April 15, at 9.30 for a discussion on healthy ways to care for the gallbladder physically and emotionally. Enjoy a delicious “gall bladder” supportive lunch with like-minded students.
By choosing one action, and one focus, you can create a habit of self-care. Choosing your self-care is a practice so crucial to maintaining our overall well-being that two of my colleagues and I have devoted a whole day to it. Please take a look at the flyer below. This day is for YOU. (Flyer)
When was the last time you took a moment for yourself? When the only person to tend to and care for was you? To catch your breath, be quiet, be still, listen to the silence, and hear what it is whispering to you. To calm your brain-chatter and choose the direction of your thoughts. If you can’t remember? Then come, join us, and make this your moment. Check out the unique Self-care ❤ Soul-care retreat on Sunday, April 30th. Choose YOU, choose to do this one thing for yourself, and watch the positive ripple effects.
~Virginia
