Hello friends,
Birds bounce in the bushes, squirrels dash from rock to rock, and fresh plants pop out everyday. Spring has sprung! Equinox is March 20, the peak of spring in the Chinese lunisolar calendar. We went through a cold rainy patch mid-February, and now there’s swell, blue skies, cleaner waters— and a changing surf break. Promenade reconstruction and storms are reshaping Surfer’s Point waves here in southern California. The shoreline and waves are always shifting, but alongside the current climate, sociopolitical, and other ongoing and acute changes of all sizes that rock our personal and collective lives— it can feel like a lot.
What steadies you, amidst all this change? How can you ride the energy of spring without getting swept up?
Responding to seasonal cues— responding to life— is a dance. We feel the push-pulls of yes, no, and maybe dragging us in all directions. Contact what’s clear under the noise. Breathe into it. Practice moments of micro-presence before and amidst the bustle. Stretching. Journaling. Five minutes of meditation first thing in the morning, maybe even in bed. What nourishes you?
Try this breath practice. Count a 4-4-4-4 inhale-hold-exhale-hold box-breath to steady your breath. Or, count a 3-3-6-6 inhale-hold-exhale-hold to lengthen the exhale, extending the pause before the next breath, next leaping monkey-mind impulsive action. Find moments to pause, stop, and savor. There is so much beauty right now, as ever.
Spring Herbal Ideas
🌿 Make herbal vinegars. Stuff a clean glass jar with chopped up fresh herbs and veggies from your early garden. Cover with apple cider vinegar or another organic vinegar that you love. Include aromatic spices like sages, mints, and chives. Weedy mineral-rich plant pals like nettle leaves, dandelion leaves and roots, and chickweed leaves and flowers. Shake daily for two weeks then strain, keep refrigerated, and enjoy on salads, in cooking, and as sipping vinegar!
🌿 Make finishing salts. Windstorms knocked black and white sage branches off plants we planted at my parents’ home. So Ma is making black and white sage finishing salts. You too can make your own salts! Either we clean our garden beds in the spring or branches get knocked down by weather. Finishing salts are a fun and easy way to preserve the fallen bounty. Simply wash and chop your aromatic herbs. Let herbs air dry until lightly wilted, then toss into your favorite coarse grain salt, about a handful of herbs per cup of salt. Dry in a dehydrator if you live in damper environments, or out in the sun if you live in drier places. The back window of a car parked in a sunny spot makes a nice DIY dehydrator here in so-Cal. Just lay your herb and salt mix on a large flat metal tray in the back window, let sit all day or for a few sunny days, and toss daily until dry. Sages, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and other aromatics all make lovely finishing salts.
🌿 Plant your plant pals. Many culinary herbs are easy to grow and delicious and healthy to consume. Grow rosemary and lavender hedges. Let peppermint and thyme crawl around below. Basils and tulsi take up more space; partner with tomatoes! Visit your local nursery or farmer’s market or explore your favorite online seed catalogs, ask questions, and add more herbal friends into your life!
Recommendations
Equinox Acupuncture & Sound Bath at Bodhi Salt Yoga, 3/16
Herbs for Fire & Smoke Support podcast on Herbal Radio
The California Wildflower Hotline Fridays from March through May!
❤️ May this be the best season of your life,
Jiling
Jiling Lin, L.Ac. • Acupuncturist, herbalist, artist • JilingLin.com
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, then please
Hi! I’m Jiling, a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac) and herbalist in Ventura, CA (USA). I provide integrative medicine and experiential education for thriving personal and ecological wellness with gentle acupuncture and herbs, accessible lifestyle medicine solutions, and empowering classes and retreats integrating nature, art, movement, and ritual. I’m writing my first book about these topics! Learn more about me here, join events here, and get acupuncture here. See you next month!
Nicely done 💗❤️ very motivating 🕊️