We can say that Spring is finally here. Yayyy!!! I am loving longer days, warmer temperatures and no more snow…Personally, it was a strange winter so I am very happy it’s gone.
I thought it would be a great time to share a few tips for your body and skin care as we welcome Spring because every season is unique and we ought to approach it as such.
If you are already paying attention, you can surely recognize the distinguished feelings both in body and mind that come with Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
It actually is very important to pay close attention to the relationship between our body and the environment we live in.
When we do, we quickly notice that even if we love all seasons there is always that one that brings our physical and emotional challenges to the surface.
For example, if you are by nature prone to overheat and your skin has a tendency for redness, you may not feel your greatest on a very hot Summer day. If you are always cold and your skin is dry you will probably not love very cold winter months.
This of course is very simplified but the gist of it is that ‘like increases like and opposite heals’.
If nature presents you at a given time with qualities that are already very high in your physical and emotional makeup you will want to work to bring balance through diet and daily practices which pacify these qualities.
We are part of the environment and nature’s rhythms bring us along if we are ready or not. The moral of the story is be ready! From now on, let’s look to transitional time between the seasons as time for personal renewal.
As seasons change we need to let go of what’s not needed and make space for the new. Breathe in fresh air and breath out the old. Clear our house and closets … you probably already know this and already do this:)
But there is more and going along with nature’s rhythms rather than against them will bring greater ease to adapt to our environment and will also bring greater health, the skin included:)
When Spring arrives, snow melts, earth thaws and becomes saturated with water (I should know, I just got water in my basement… bummer:( ) and plant life awakens beneath the ground.
This is a beautiful process of life awakening (except for the water in my basement) but the strong presence of this quality in the environment makes it challenging for some of us.
If you are of a constitution that is prone to stagnation, water retention and heaviness you may want to be particularly ready for Spring. Time to cleanse is here for everyone but if you have many of the earthy and watery qualities in your body and mind, you will need some extra self-loving and discipline to go through it smoothly.
This is what you maybe experiencing as Spring arrives:
Feeling blue, depressed, unmotivated, lazy
Your skin may look dull, congested, puffy, stagnant, lack of luster
Your body may feel heavy, puffy, more cellulite shows up, water retention, extra weight, general lymphatic congestion.
If you are experiencing a few of the above (not a great feeling) there is lots you can do to get over the hump.
The suggestions bellow are great for any constitution to follow this time of the year but the earthy type must apply itself very well.
There are few very important things to know before you begin.
Movement is of the essence! You will want to make a conscious commitment to move your body, especially if movement does not come easy to you. Not negotiable!
This is also the best time of the year to cleanse. It does not need to be complicated.
Here are suggestions related to food:
Remove dairy, flour products, sugar and all heavy meats and go easy on salt.
If you normally include a lot of nuts in your diet, go easy on nuts at this time of the year.
Coffee… let go if you can:)
Add plenty of bitter, astringent and pungent foods… greens and sprouts, dandelion greens, radicchio, arugula, endive… broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, garlic, onion.
Berries, blueberry, strawberry, apples and pears as well as dried fruit will be good choices now.
Barley, buckwheat, rye and millet are good grain choices for Spring.
If you are experiencing a lot of stagnation and congestion and would like to let go of some weight, sip hot water throughout the day.
DAILY ROUTINE:
Wake up by 6am:)
Good to start your day with gratitude.
Drink a glass of warm water with a squeeze of lemon.
Dry skin brushing every morning before your shower, will make you feel awake and light and will encourage healthy lymph flow. Use natural bristle brush. None of that synthetic stuff please.
Stretch.
Movement: yoga, walk, dance or anything that you like and gets you moving.
Few minutes on a mini-trampoline every morning provides excellent support for the lymphatic system (especially if you are prone to water retention and lymph stagnation). You will be very pleased with the results! You can buy an inexpensive mini trampoline at Walmart.
But this is the one I love: needak.ca
There are so many practices which can enhance your health and beauty… don’t want to put you in the overwhelm lol
How you eat is as important as what you eat, so sit down and take your time. Favour foods which I have already listed.
Eat a light breakfast.
Have your hot water handy throughout the day and sip.
Lunch should be your biggest meal of the day.
Small dinner no later than 6pm.
In bed by 10pm.
Ending your day with meditation or breath awareness practice or journaling would be ideal. Actually, best to do all of them:)
SKIN CARE:
If you will apply all of the above your skin should be feeling pretty good already. But we can make it feel even better!
A good facial will be of great benefit now. You know where to get one:) I do keep busy so please plan ahead.
I will include more lymph drainage, more stimulation and more detoxification in your treatments at this time of the year. We want to bring lightness, brightness and softness back to your skin after the long cold winter.
There will be more clay and Spring specific herbs to help us achieve this. Kind of like what you will be doing with your body and your diet at home.
You can add a few minutes of self-face massage to your skin care routine at home. This works wonders!
I am not much for scrubbing but a very gentle exfoliation can be beneficial now. If you live in a very sensitive skin... skip it.
You may need to adjust your skin care routine and products you are currently using. We can chat about this if you’d like.
Good gentle clay mask 1x a week will help with detoxification and exfoliation….
To sum up, free flow, releasing excess and stagnation, movement and lightness are what we are going for. You want to make sure that all channels of elimination are working well.
If you are constipated and congested in your respiratory passages you must address the issue. No free flow can happen if you are pooping every other day and if you are full of mucus…. I can make suggestions and recommend holistic doctors to help you.
If fresh juicing is something that you want to explore I recommend Pure Kitchen. They offer organic fresh pressed juices which are delicious. I recommend green juices from their menu, preferably with a little bit of ginger to warm things up. As a boost, their Healed juice with turmeric is my favourite:)
I think this is it for now. If you apply these suggestions, you will feel an improvement in how you feel and you will experience that healthy glow. You will also prepare your body for a smooth transition into the Summer season and you will become more in sinc with nature's rhythms. And that's always a good thing!
Have an amazing Spring and may you feel light and bright!
Magdalena
