February 4th, 2011. "spring commences", the 1st small Spring season arrives

   Happy Chinese New Year! This is the year of the Rabbit. I'm not a astrologist so can't help you much with it. But as the New Year day is February 3rd, our next season  “Spring Commences" is February 4th. This is the first small spring season, also the first small season of the year. It indicates a brand new start for the universe and we human beings. Everything starts to "wake up" from now on and ready to "born".


    Starting from now, the main direction of the weather is getting warmer. But this is not a warm season itself. Carrying the "leftover" from the last season "severe cold", and mix with the next element "wind", the weather of this season is actually very similar to the last season. Except when there is a clear day, we can feel the sunlight is stronger and at some moment we may be able to sense the scent from the earth. 


   For human beings, our body also is moving from "store" to "born". Our blood and energy starts to move outward therefore makes our breath, heart beat and metabolism faster, so we have enough energy for our organs to "born". However, as the temperature is still low, mixed with the spring energy, our blood and energy circulation is in between of "in-out" and "fast-slow" a lot. Our organs will have to adjust themselves to this pattern and this requires a lot body energy to complete. Therefore, if you didn't "store" too well and don't have enough backup energy, or you are weaker to start with, this is usually the moment when you at risk of getting sick. So one very important thing in this season is that you still make sure you keep yourself warm just like what you did for the past season, no matter what the weather is like, even if there happen to be a warmer day. "Tree energy" is the spring energy, for organ will be the Liver and Gall Bladder. The direction of the energy is upward. Here are some suggestions for you to fit into it:

1. Keep your lower body warmer than upper body: Physically, heat goes up and cold goes down. To keep your lower body warmer help the body energy to go upward, which is the direction of the spring.
2. Eat less sour food and little bit more hot (spicy) food (not too much): Sour taste has strong withdrawing force and it's not helping with the energy going upward or outward. Whereas hot food has strong emanating force that helps with the "born" in the spring.
3. Avoid wind: Spring is wind season, and the wind in the first spring season carries strong cold energy and that make it extremely harmful. Strong wind will affect our inner "wind organ"-the Liver, and this may create strong emotional wave in us. Therefore not only we need to be careful of the external wind, meanwhile make sure our inner "wind" also stay calm. Cultivating yourself or do meditations to calm the body and mind.

    Now here are some tips to nourish and protect your liver (the spring organ):

1. Drink more water: To reduce the toxin level of the body
2. Balance your eating: Never make yourself too hungry or too full. This will cause digestive juices secretion malfunctioning and may lead to liver dysfunction. 
3. Drink less alcohol: Drink less but still drink some. Some alcohol helps blood circulation and energy emanation. But it's common sense that too much alcohol will damage the liver.
4. Stay in a good mood and be optimistic: That's the nature of the liver. Anger and depression are the 2 extreme ends of liver energy and both of them will hurt the liver.

    As our blood starts to move more, those who have blood related health issues should be more careful. This may be a high season for hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular issues. These people need to pay more attention to the change of the weather but meanwhile when there is a nice day out, please go out and do some mild walking or exercise to adjust your body to the season.
    
    This is also a high season for common cold and stomach issues. As the earth wakes up, so are the virus and bacteria. So make sure you eat well and more important, sleep well, so you will have strong immune system to protect you for now and for the next several spring seasons. Lot people find themselves being sleepy in spring. This is a very normal symptom in spring and it is not sickness. As our whole body system starts to "born" it demands more energy, and comparatively the brain will get less blood and energy and this is the reason for the sleepiness. Plus after a long "hibernation", our body needs some time to adjust from it. Also since the cold air travels to the stomach easy, eat more ginger or make some ginger tea for yourself so you stomach stays warm.
    
    After all, the main character of this season is "random". It can be warm one day and very cold the next. To stay warm is always safer.