Simple Ancient Practices for a Healthy Spring
Practices developed in ancient times are still used to celebrate when the ecliptic and celestial equators intercept on March 20th, marking the Spring Equinox. “No Ruz,” meaning new day, is celebrated in the Persian region, the “Holi Festival” comes to India, the “Festival of Isis” to ancient Egypt and “Shonbun no Hi” takes place in Japan. St. Patrick’s Day is feted in Russia, and Passover is observed in Judaism. Within these celebrations are the practices and rituals that promote health and bond us to Nature and each other.
We, as individuals, experience seasonal change regardless of our beliefs, where we live, or what we celebrate. Our five senses give us our perception; this produces our individual realities. We see the swelling of our rivers, lakes and streams. We hear the birds rejoice in song with each new day. We smell and taste the nutrient-dense spring greens pushing up from the cold earth. We feel the wet, heavy and dense earth under foot. These attributes are mirrored in the human body.
Water in all thoughts, religions and metaphors, cleanses both the body mind system and the earth. This fluidity is responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients, and it assists with elimination and transformation in the body and the earth. The ancient practice of drinking hot water to soothe cold, heavy, dense accumulation has been practiced for millennia. Ayurvedic medicine, a 5000-year-old medical science about life, Nature, plants, and the inherent understanding that everything is connected and interrelated in our universe, recommends this simple practice every morning upon waking, before morning coffee, tea or breakfast and/or throughout the day to subdue the spring elements. When water has been boiled for 5-15 minutes, its property is lighter it helps to remove toxins, stagnation, extra weight, and overwhelm. Rishis and Great Sages observed Nature and came to the same conclusion that modern science today has told us about the molecular separation in water at higher temperatures. Being witness to Nature and the environment around us may reveal how ancient healing practices emerged.
Although observing Nature is a simple practice, the act of watching the rising sun makes us feel warm, light and dry. It resets circadian rhythms in the body mind system and rejuvenates our sense organs. This has been a ritual--and a reverent practice--for thousands of years by Native Peoples everywhere. Today, in our fast paced, technology inundated world, the eye, which is the sense organ of seeing, is overtaxed. Computers, TV, smart phones, screens and artificial light keep this organ working far past sundown, a time when it needs and requires rest and renewal for proper discernment. The result is a world of unrest, insomnia, and estrangement from one another and Nature. This causes our faculty of reasoning and understanding to be skewed. When is the last time you watched a sunrise?
Starting your day outside to experience a sunrise also triggers another underused organic response: the ancient practice of deep breathing. Imagine yourself sipping from your cup of hot water as you witness the sun rise over the horizon emanating its dry warmth. A biological action ignites spontaneously. You inhale. The practice of Pranayama, “Prana” meaning vital life force and “yama” meaning to gain control, is a deep-rooted traditional practice dating back to the fifth century BCE. It is the practice of breath regulation through certain techniques and exercises such as slowing down and elongating an inhale to allow the belly to expand, then slowly exhaling. This simple practice triggers a cascade of physiological responses. Decreased sympathetic activity floods the body mind system and we feel a sense of calm, our attention improves, tension and pain levels decrease, and the heart rate regulates. The result is that we can be conscious and mindful of the subtle things around us, like the environment, Nature, its elements, other people and humanity.
Many individuals have lived in harmony with the universe, its elements, celestial bodies and earth cycles throughout history. Majestic structures like Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and the Native Anasazi Sundials are examples of how ancient cultures synchronized themselves to cycles and tides. Being mindful of a sunrise, when the ecliptic and celestial equators intercept, or the simple inhale and exhale of the breath brings us inward to a focused state of mind. This practice is used in the Zen Traditions to encourage peace, joy, relaxation and meaning in daily life. We can deeply connect to one another and align with something much greater than ourselves when we reach this state of mind in which we have no assumptions, no expectations and no prejudices.
I invite you to practice the ancient wisdoms of health. See, feel, smell, hear, and taste spring this season. Sip hot water, watch a sunrise, breathe deeply. Contemplate and care for your five sense organs. Be mindful of one another, the earth, and all the cycles and rhythms we experience and possess as humans. Investigate where and when you feel aligned or in the presence of something greater than yourself.