Your Element is Wood

Picturing a tree is the best and easiest way to grasp the deep concept of the Wood element. Trees will always grow branches towards the sky; hence wood’s natural movement is upward and outward.

On a very windy day, trees stay rooted firmly and they can bend and move to avoid a break. Wood is flexible, yet strong and durable; wood can also make a fire.

According to this classic theory, wood is related to the Spring season – this means that at this time of the year, the wood energy of our bodies stands at its peak.

Every year, after a cold, dull winter, the days start turning warmer and brighter. Spring is the time when everything comes back to life. The trees, the plants and all life that had been dormant now experience re-birth.

There’s so much growth and blossom in Spring, thus this is the perfect opportunity to act upon and begin new projects, to be creative, make important decisions and nurture fresh friendships.

To balance your wood element you’ll need to apply the four acupressure points below.

When the wood element is in balance, you trust yourself and take full responsibility for your life. You feel a strong sense of self-worth and positive self-value and act with integrity that is guided by your own personal honor code.

People with a balanced wood element are often decisive, visionary, and great at forward planning. They can express their feelings peacefully and they’re often patient and thoughtful. When this element goes out of balance, all these qualities can be lost.

You may experience imbalance as an inability to take responsibility for yourself and your life experiences. You may lack self-control and blame and criticize others for your inability to make decisions, organize, plan and take consistent action towards the fulfillment of your life purpose.

The organs related to the Wood element are liver (yin) and the gallbladder (yang). To understand the common signs and symptoms that manifest due to an imbalanced wood element, we must first be aware of the functions of these organs.

In Chinese medicine, the liver oversees two main tasks. One is to smooth the flow of energy (also known as Qi), blood and body fluids by dredging their routes throughout the body. This means that the liver is an important regulator of the functions of all organs and systems in our bodies.

When a smooth flow is not achieved, obstruction and stagnation may occur. This may lead to poor blood flow (think of varicose veins, menstrual cramps, fixed pain), retention of fluids (edema or swelling) and qi stagnation (abdominal pain, emotional disturbances, anger in particular).

The liver’s second function is to store blood and regulate its volume. When you are resting, for example, your blood is stored in the liver, but when you engage in some physical activity, blood exits the liver towards the muscles to ensure blood and oxygen are available.

For this reason, bleeding and menstrual issues can be associated with a Liver-Wood imbalance. Menstrual pain, PMS, irregular/poor/excessive menstruation, breast tenderness, polycystic ovary syndrome, all of these can be linked back to the liver organ.

Another physical function of the Liver is to nourish the eyes, the nails, the muscles, and tendons. An issue with this element may cause symptoms such as blurred vision, dry or red eyes, dry and thick nails, shivering limbs, and joint stiffness or pain.

The Liver also sends energy to the head, and when it gets excessive, this can cause headaches, migraines or dizziness. If the Liver fails to circulate this energy as it should, problems such as depression can also occur.

Have you ever got a headache after arguing with another person? Well, this is a perfect example of the liver’s wood energy rising and branching upward to the head.

The gallbladder is connected to the liver and contains bile, which is needed to assist digestion and absorption of food. This is the gallbladder’s main function; when impaired, it can lead to anorexia, vomiting, yellowish skin, bitter taste in the mouth, loose stools and pain below the ribs.