Energy lightens as days lengthen.
At Dance of Vitality, we believe in going with the momentum of the change of seasons, and moving away from the stagnancy and dormancy of the colder months this spring and summer. Movement is essential to our well-being, and an intentional way to lean into this idea in our day-to-day lives.
What might this look like for you in the warmer months?
Yoga and pranayama are firm favourites of mine, along with positive and uplifting thoughts and mantras.
Tai Qi and Qi Gong are so grounding, cultivating and regulating for our energy internally. Yet there is an aspect of connecting to our outer world and harnessing energy from nature and the cosmos that I truely love and resonate with. After my sessions, my lungs feel expanded, as though I have been swimming laps!
Walking in nature, especially with bare feet on the ground and swimming in natural waters give us negative ions to charge up our cells and healthy microbial exposure to seed our various microbiomes. You know that feeling, when you swim in the ocean or jump into a river, that your sinuses have just had a clear out? Well this is because you have just seeded your ear, nose and throat microbiome with beneficial microbes. It’s the same when you walk through a rainforest. It's truly amazing, so make sure you breathe in the benefits. We are made up of more microbes than not, and the more we support their harmony, the healthier we will be.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the element of wood predominates in Springtime. This encompasses the Liver and Gallbladder organs.
These organs are so important and perform some really crucial functions for nourishment and detoxification.
The liver has a rich network of blood vessels. When blood passes through the liver, it employs many nutrients, enzymes and antioxidants to break down chemicals, by-products of metabolism, immune function, hormones from our glandular system and toxins, transforming them into forms that can be sent to either the kidney for further detoxification and elimination through the urine or the gallbladder for release into the intestines and to leave the body through the stool.
We can help the liver in its immense work by ensuring that the elimination pathways of detoxification are open.
What are these?
Sweat is an obvious one - exercise, dancing, warm baths and sauna are effective ways of reducing toxic load. Did you know that you can release heavy metals, mould toxins, endocrine disrupting chemicals and others through your sweat?
Breath - in addition to respiration, the lungs have a rich supply of lymphatic vessels, a system where waste products also accumulate, and toxins get released through the breath. This is why intentional breathing, especially diaphragmatic breathing, exercise, pranayama (part of the yogic tradition) Tai Qi and Qi Gong are so important to incorporate. Not only do these practices calm your nervous system, but they help to eliminate toxins!
Urination is another obvious one - support this process by consuming adequate fluids and minimising caffeine and alcohol can assist here. Regular, easy and complete bowel movements are also so essential to moving toxins out before they be reabsorbed and recirculated through the bloodstream.
Other ways that we can support detoxification are:
Opening up lymphatic drainage points with dry brushing and lymphatic drainage massage.
Yoga poses and fascia stretching to move lymph fluid.
Regularly using castor oil packs.
Taking detox baths with epsom salts, magnesium chloride flakes, bicarb of soda and dead sea salts.
Integrating binders like activated charcoal, activated zeolite clay, bentonite clay and others into your well-being routines.
Receiving enemas and colonic hydrotherapy.
Juicing.
Integrating TCM Herbs and supplements.
Ensuring our diet is enriched by and based on nutrient-dense foods.
There are many ways to support your well-being, no matter the season you're in. If you'd like to learn more, please get in touch with me directly to explore how we can best support your needs at this time. I hope to hear from you.
~ Nadine x
*Images via Pinterest
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