How To Balance The Effects Of Spring

Spring is a time of cleansing, rebirth, and regeneration. As the days grow warmer and longer, the snow melts away, the rivers flow faster, and the animals come out of hibernation. Gentle rains soak the land, bright green grass and yellow flowers pop up everywhere, more fruits and veggies begin to come into season, and mating season begins for many animals. It’s a very active and fertile time of year.

Just as the plants, animals, and environment are affected by the change in season, so are we. At the beginning of spring we often feel the lingering effects of winter as one has typically built up of a good deal of mucus over the last few months. Just as the snow melts and is flushed away in the river, it’s important that we flush out our excess mucus which is why spring is an excellent time to cleanse the body.

As spring progresses we see an increase of the qualities of spring (moisture, heaviness, oiliness, smoothness, stability, density, nourishment, and grounding) in ourselves.

If these qualities become too dominant they can lead to imbalances/symptoms such as excess mucus, congestion, clogged ears or sinuses, sluggishness, allergies, brain fog, colds, coughs, slowed digestion and a tendency towards indigestion and fullness, slowed metabolism, slowed lymphatic flow, and difficulty losing excess fat.

While this is pretty typical of spring, it should be noted that the qualities of the seasons vary based on where you live so make adjustments to these recommendations as it’s relevant to you and your environment.

It should also be noted that not all of us are affected equally by the same seasons. This often has to do with what imbalances we are prone to and currently dealing with, and in Ayurveda this is linked with your dosha (if you are the kapha dosha you will likely feel the effects of spring more).

So What Are Some Things You Can Do To Restore/Maintain Balance?

The main overarching goal here is to balance the qualities of spring by bringing more of the opposite qualities into our daily lives. Those qualities are: lightness, sharpness, dryness, and heat. We can do this by doing the following things:

1) Be More Active

While fall and winter are more restful slow seasons, spring is a good time to pick up the pace! Get up early, go out on hikes with friends, push yourself a bit more in your workouts, go on walks, and just be more active in general!

This will help to balance the sometime sluggish feeling of early spring. It will also help keep things moving (digestive wise, metabolically, and detox wise). All 3 of these can often need a little help in the spring time too, so be sure to stay active!

2) Detox

Like I mentioned before, coming out of winter one typically has built up a lot of mucus in the body due to the heavy cold wet nature of that time of year. Therefore spring is a great time to cleanse your body of built up mucus and toxins.

Doing things like dry brushing, the neti pot, tongue scrapping, enemas, taking epsom salt baths, using a sauna, using castor oil packs, and taking herbal cleansing supplements are all great ways to cleanse your body during this time! For more information on how to do a cleanse, check out my In Depth Guide On How To Detox And Cleanse Your Body.

I should also mention that if you’ve been wanting to lose some fat, this is the perfect time of year to do so. Fat loss goes well with the cleansing/shedding nature of spring and doing a cleanse is an excellent and healthy way to lose a few pounds.

3) Spring Cleaning

Similar to how we cleanse our bodies, cleansing our environment can be another beneficial spring practice. It’s really a time of year to let go of the old to make way for the new so go through your belongings, get rid of the stuff you no longer want, and tidy up a bit. You may be surprised how much your external environment affects your mind. A tidy neat space often leads to much more focused work and a calm mind, while a messy home often leads to a scattered and unfocused mind.

4) Embrace Spontaneity

In the fall it’s best to ground yourself with a routine to counteract the light airiness and scatteredness of fall. However the opposite is true for spring. While a routine is still incredibly beneficial, embracing a little more spontaneity this time of year helps to offset the grounded sluggishness of spring.

5) Extra Digestive Support

In the winter our energy/heat is focused in our core and gut (similar to how many plants transfer their energy to their roots), however as the weather warms up in spring our energy/heat returns to be spread more evenly throughout our body (similar to how plants divert energy out of the roots to grow new stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits).

When our energy/heat is focused in our core and gut, our digestive fire is very strong, but when it spreads out in spring our digestion tends to weaken a bit. Therefore it’s good to give your digestion a little extra attention in the spring time (especially if you’re prone to digestive issues)!

To support your digestion focus on eating warm lighter foods (like those listed below), prioritize animal based foods and don’t overdo the plants, drink ginger lemon tea (made with fresh ginger and lemons), eat relaxed and mindfully, exercise regularly, and make sure you’re having daily bowel movements. For more info on digestive support, check out this article.

6) Eat A Light Seasonal Diet

Spring is a great time to enjoy the lighter foods that naturally come into season. Things like leafy greens, asparagus, artichokes, citrus, and of course plenty of nose to tail animal foods! In spring, it’s best to prioritize the flavors bitter, spicy, and astringent as these help to cut the heaviness and moisture of spring.

Below are some common examples of spring foods and if you want to check out some of my favorite spring recipes click here!

Also note that these food lists are based on what’s seasonal in California where I live. However, what’s in season where you live may look a little different. It’s best to go by what’s in season for you because that will best balance your body in relation to your climate. Remember the seasons look a little different everywhere as well.

Ideal Spring Foods:

Animal Products:

Fruits:

Vegetables:

Herbs And Spices:

Other Foods:

Works Cited

1. O’Brien, Doug (PA and Ayurvedic Practitioner). Personal interview. 17 March 2022.

2. “Spring Guide Stay Inspired and Revitalized This Spring with Ayurveda.” Banyan Botanicals. Accessed 17 March 2022. https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/seasonal-guides/spring-guide/

3. Seasonal Food Guide. Accessed 17 January 2022. https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/

4. “Signs & Symptoms of Kapha Imbalance.” Banyan Botanicals. 16 October 2012. https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/blog-the-banyan-insight/details/signs-symptoms-of-kapha-imbalance/

6. Flowers, Amanda. “21 Best Spring Herbs To Grow In Your Garden.” Garden Season. 15 May 2020. https://gardenseason.com/spring-herbs/

7. “The Ultimate Ayurvedic Seasonal Guide For Spring.” The Ayurveda Experience. 13 March 2018. https://theayurvedaexperience.com/blogs/tae/the-ultimate-ayurvedic-seasonal-guide-for-spring