Organs: Liver (yin) & Gallbladder (yang) 

Emotions: Anger, irritability, frustration, resentment

Climate: Windy

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Flavor: Sour

Color: Green

Connecting to: eyes, tendons, joints, ligaments, nails

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CYCLES

Seasonal Cycle: Spring

Phase in the Menstrual Cycle: Follicular, build lining for implantation

Lunar Cycle: First quarter

Cycle of Day: Sunrise, Morning

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Human Life Cycle: Birth through childhood; post Menopause (2nd Spring)

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Stage in the Manifestation Process: Planning & decision making, new growth 

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Yoga Asana: Side body opening, twists, hip openers, inversions, movement you enjoy, practice with a clear progression & purpose

Healing breath: Shhhh

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Balanced: Peaceful, confidant, insightful, strategic, decisive, motivated, resourceful, forgiving, patient, assertive

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Wood in Deficiency: Blurred or weak vision, deficient immune response, passive behavior, scanty menstruation, dry skin, low self esteem, cold hands and feet, inability to make decisions, depression, lack of creative interest, inability to take action or come up with ideas 

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Wood in Excess: moodiness/ irritability/ depression, high blood pressure, anger, menstrual cramps, rigidity, inflammation, diarrhea, nausea, pounding headache, lack of energy, stuffy head or chest, difficulties bending and stretching 

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Direction & energetic Flow: South, upwards

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Hours: Gallbladder (11 pm- 1 am) Sleep & regenerate; Liver (1 am- 3 am) Deep resting & dreaming. If you wake up during this time your liver is overwhelmed by the detox process (alcohol, chemicals, drugs, poor diet all need detox by the liver)

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Wood & Food: The Wood Element manifests in the food we eat with its distinctive flavor, shape, and color. The foods eaten during Spring and the quality of the foods we eat affect the Wood element and the Liver (which absorbs the toxins and the excess metabolites).

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Sour Foods: Bok choy, chard, broccoli rabe, spinach, asparagus, celery, citrus (especially oranges, lemons, grapefruit), sour plum, pineapple, sourdough bread, pickles, olives

 

Balanced lifestyle: healthy stress response, healthy processing of emotions, work/ life balance, reining in "type A" tendencies 

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Elemental Spirit: Hun "ethereal soul" associated with long range commitments, karmic connections, and continues to exist after death