April is a celebration of Spring and the Wood Element in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The archetype of the Wood Element is the Visionary and the Warrior and is associated with the expansive young yang energy in the Spring. Think about the energy it takes for the dormant plants to begin to push their little green heads out of the earth after being underground all winter. The Wood energy is fresh and vibrant, full of vision about what to do, where to go, and how to act. Wouldn’t you like to feel that way????

The organs associated with the Wood Element are gall bladder and liver. The gallbladder is associated with the emotion of judgment (anger directed outward) and the liver is associated with self-criticism (anger directed inward). Energy Medicine practices help move that anger to assertive action, forgiveness, and kindness towards oneself.

Wood also rules the muscular system, tendons, and ligaments needed for movement and activity. People that express their healthy Wood energy are strongly muscled, coordinated, and physically well-organized. They are not easily swayed by the winds of change, standing their ground for what is right and just. With the world as unsteady as it is right now, these qualities can support our ability to weather the uncertainty without losing ourselves.

The eyes are associated with Wood and, while this might mean you are more susceptible to problems here, metaphorically “the eyes” represent the ability to be visionary, creative, and imaginative. The deeper energetic basis for the Visionary and the Warrior is in her ability to dream, see the future, elevate above restrictions, and clarify goals. The Wood Element brings a sense of hope, renewal, transformation, change, new beginnings, rebirth, and reanimation.

Right now you might be feeling a need to come alive with new ideas and ways to act in your life. When you want to be a Visionary Warrior you need to be able to ground in your body with balanced energy. One of the best ways I know to do that is through Energy Medicine and Yoga. Putting these two practices together, you can move out of your reactive brain and into the prefrontal cortex which is related to problem solving, creativity, and decision-making–responding rather than reacting.

The whole month of April, I will be teaching an Energy Medicine Yoga class with a focus on becoming a Visionary Warrior. The classes are live on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Central Time. If you can’t make it live, no worries! I record the sessions and send them to people who can’t make it to the live class. NOTE: The first class in April is by recording only as I will be traveling.

Come with a sense of what you would like to birth this Spring that would serve you more fully and what you can let go of that is not serving you. Registration for is now open. You can sign up for the whole month or class by class. Register here. https://tasting-mindfulness.square.site/