Spring Cleansing for Procrastinators

Spring is a season of fresh energy that lends itself to possibility and renewal. We feel the urge to reflect this in our homes and bodies, which can lead to a whole range of spring-cleaning-inspired activities: purging unworn things from the closet, pulling out old growth from garden beds, wiping down cobwebs, and thinking through ways we can support our body’s own mechanisms of renewal.

What if you wanted to do all those things at the arrival of the vernal equinox, but events or forces interceded? Is it too late to dive into seasonal cleaning and cleansing? The answer is a resounding no!

Five Great Ways to Cleanse the Body Now

Follow Nature’s Lead

Nature always provides the best cues for what we should be doing at any given point in time. Plants have come out of the ground and have opened themselves to the light, just as we should be emerging from indoors to sit in the sun and feel the fresh air on our skin.

[Read: “7 Stories to Inspire Getting Outdoors.”]

Additionally, that which has sprung from the earth is what’s most supportive for our body. Springtime offerings include delicate new life such as:

• Young onions
• Baby greens
• Radishes
• Asparagus
• Herbs

Most spring veggies don’t require much cooking, so they can be consumed raw or lightly cooked. They are easy to digest, simple to prepare, and they provide the body with abundant nutrients that support cleansing and lightening.

Do a Conscious Fast or Detox

The body is very good at detoxing on its own; it has incredible mechanisms to keep it refreshed. That being said, we live in a world that carries a heavy exposure to toxins, so offering the body a helping hand with detox processes can make them more effective and ease the burden on the body. This can be as simple as amping up fresh, easy-to-digest foods for a few days or as involved as embarking on a rejuvenating fasting journey.

Recent science has shown that a five-day mimicked fast (fasting with food) can induce autophagy, where the body purges old and damaged cells, which is then followed by a flood of stem cells. Autophagy is a process that literally renews the body on a cellular level.

Activate Creative Inspiration

As new life springs up all around us, it is important to reflect on what wants to grow within our own spirit. If you were slow to emerge from winter, it’s not too late to let this new energy take shape for the world to see. If you’re unsure about what’s ready to sprout from your spirit, activate your creative field by doing something that inspires with no expectation for being productive. This could be as simple as freewriting, walking in nature, or getting your favorite paint set out.

Move Your Energy From Water to Air

The element associated with spring is air. Begin to pull your energy up out of the heavier element of water (associated with winter) to free it much like mist rising from a river. A great way to do this is through breathwork. Take deep, full breaths in through the nose and then exhale by sighing out the mouth. Really feel the jaw relax open, decreasing tension, as the breath is released out. Another wonderful way to work with moving your breath is by singing. Put on your favorite song and let that energy flow out through your mouth. You can also practice a more embodied form of breathwork with qi gong, yoga, or dance.

Take It Slow

Remember that the flowers in full bloom now didn’t get that way immediately. They gently unfolded from the earth. There can be an impetus to blast into the warmer weather and fresh air of spring, but slowing down will yield stronger life in the heat of summer.

Just like any baby, new life requires a great deal of sleep. Protect your energy and body for the more intense days to come by getting plenty of rest. Protect your energetic field by saying no to draining people or activities, but do load up on all the forms of nourishment, including food, friends, laughter, and quiet.

Learn more about the brain structures that explain procrastination.