SPRING RITUALS TO SUPPORT YOUR LYMPH
Spring Equinox is the balance of light and dark. The time of the year when the number of hours of sunlight equals the number of hours of darkness! Magic! Flowers like crocus will start to poke up through the snow on the prairies in about a week or more! Can’t wait!
The return of the sun ignites the fire of growth in this season. I find it so joyful to welcome back the longer days and get a dose of more sunshine each day! I get more lymph movement outside with walks, and skipping, and I do more errands on my bike or on foot. How about you?
I encourage you to embrace the sunlight energy happening in nature around us as well as the lightness in the air. My kids seem to pick up on the extra solar energy and are still often wide awake near their usual bedtime. If you notice your kids are more awake this time of year, know that they might be tuned into the solar energy a bit more than us adults and they need a little extra help winding down. Foot massages with tallow balms can do wonders! It's a tried and true ritual in our house this time of year., along with sleeping masks, closing the curtains in their bedrooms, and sometimes a cup of chamomile tea.
As a lymphie, what changes do you experience in the spring time? Do you notice a difference in your skin, swelling, pain, or moods?
Spring can awaken energy within us to cleanse and try new things! I think as a lymphie, it’s a great time to tune up our self-care strategies to get us into good habits before the summer heat comes and we want to just hide or find the nearest pool to cool off! Swimming can be your best friend in the summer. It’s mine.
Download my free Spring mindset & self-care bingo challenge to help you get a jump start! It’s FREE and every completed one is entered into a draw for a weekly prize of a FREE 30 min self-care strategy session with me! The contest closes May 31st, 2023.
SPRING RITUALS:
Feel the sunshine and embrace the daylight. Take a nature walk in the daylight hours for 20 min. Touch some trees with your bare hands and feel their grounded energy and invite it into your body to ground with the trees. Turn your face towards the sun, close your eyes, and enjoy the warmth on your face for a moment or two.
Plant some seeds - figuratively and/or physically. We've included a small batch of Calendula seeds in our Spring Wellness boxes. If you have children or grandchildren, planting seeds with them can be a wonderful ritual to do together and give them lifelong memories and skills.
Spring clean our homes and physical vessels like - rooms, drawers, clothes closet, purses, lymphie cabinets or drawers, and phone.
Spring clean our bodies on the inside - by tending to our inner river system - our lymphatics, liver, kidneys, lymph vessels, and spleen energetics. Potions we have that can help with that are the Rooted Tincture made with Burdock, Dandelion, Cleavers, and Poplar Buds, and a new rooted tea blend called: Herbal Cafe Mocha, or inviting in new cleansing rituals like Tongue Scraping, or try out an Ayurvedic detox online or in person. All 3 of these items are in the Spring Wellness Boxes!
Spring cleaning our bodies on the outside - with dry brushing 3X a week or go for a Lymphatic Drainage Massage. This type of massage is gentle and really effective. It is something I have gone for frequently in the past for my Lymphedema. I would recommend my Massage Therapist Lee, who is a Certified Lymphatic Therapist with the Vodder School. His business is in the community of Riverdale in Edmonton, Alberta and is called Shape & Flow.
Make your own lemon infused spring cleaner!
If you love lemon water in the morning, save your peels and place them in a mason jar, keeping them covered with white vinegar, slowly add your peels to the jar until it’s full. Let the jar infuse in a windowsill for 2-4 weeks or more while you are adding the peels. Once the time has passed, strain the peels, and place your lemon infused vinegar in a spray bottle and use for a all-purpose cleaner for counter tops, windows, mirrors, your car, etc. smells so refreshing and is TOXIN-FREE which our lymph system LOVES!
HERBAL FORAGING in SPRING:
Just like any outdoor activity, dress for the weather and bring what you need to feel comfortable. Not much is needed when foraging on your own in terms of how much you pick. My top tips for foraging that I learned from Robin Wall Kimmerer in Braiding Sweetgrass, are: Respect mother nature, make sure you can identify the plant and know what you are looking for, only take what you need or plan on using, say thanks, and leave a gift. Take time to ground with the plants, get to know them, say hello, and ask permission. Chose an area that is at least 15 metres away from a road to reduce contamination, and make sure the plant is, as well as neighbouring areas, haven’t been sprayed on. Never take the first plant you see and never take the last. That way there will always be more for others now and future generations.
botanicals you can look for in the spring:
Poplar Buds (march-april when it’s still cold and snow hasn’t left completely yet),
Willow bark (early spring)
Dandelion Greens and Dandelion Roots April-May (check out our spring cleanse tea, and dandelion mocha)
Burdock Roots (dig them when they are in their first year and don’t have a tall stock with burrs yet. - April-May)
Lilacs in May, - (make an infused honey, oxymel, or soda syrup, popsicles, or sprinkle on desserts)
Spruce Tips in May-June (spruce tip salt, pickled spruce tips, or infuse in ACV
Plantain in May-June
Stinging Nettle in May-June (wear gloves. Stinging nettle needs to be cooked or dehydrated before consuming)
These herbs can be very helpful for lymphies addressing our unique skin, and immunity challenges, as well as supporting our detoxification pathways with bitters like dandelion root and leaves, as well as nourishing and salty herbs like plantain and nettle. For example, dandelion and nettle, have magnesium, potassium, and calcium as well as a host of trace minerals.
