For most of my life, I didn’t notice when the seasons changed.

I’d be so deep in work or screens or travel plans that I wouldn’t realize it was spring until someone else said it.

I didn’t feel it in my body. I didn’t move with it. I was out of sync.

But that changed when I started living in Pisac, Peru.

Here, I feel everything more clearly—especially nature.

Even though the seasons in Peru are technically reversed from the U.S. (with fall here beginning around March), I still feel the energetic pull of northern spring in my body.

I realized that my internal rhythm is still synced to the U.S. cycle—winter as a time to hermit, and spring as a time to rebirth.

This year, I noticed it more than ever.

I didn’t plan a cleanse.

I didn’t think, “Let’s do a reset.”

It just started happening.

The Shifts Started Subtly

I began wanting to eat less and drink more water—not out of discipline, but intuition.

Then I realized it was Orthodox Lent—a 40-day period in Christianity where people traditionally fast, reflect, and prepare for Easter.

I hadn’t planned to observe it, but my body already was.

At the same time, I became obsessed with bath rituals—more than usual.

I was constantly called to the water. I’d soak in herbal baths with flowers, oils, and prayer as if the water could carry something away from me.

I started wearing floral dresses, buying spring flowers, drawn to purples, yellows, and whites.

And feeling the urge to clear everything: my space, my schedule, my mind.

I was purging emotionally and energetically.

In one meditation, I even felt like something pressed on me—a spirit or weight—and I had to physically purge.

I was released, and so much emotional and mental garbage came out of me.

But it wasn’t messy. It felt…beautiful.

Like a flower blooming.

Messy and sacred at the same time.

And that’s when I realized: this is spring.

Not just on the calendar. But in my system.

Ancient Wisdom on Spring Cleansing

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is the season of the Wood element—movement, growth, and rebirth.

The liver and gallbladder govern this season, and when their energy is stagnant, we can feel stuck, irritable, or physically heavy.

The liver is tied to anger—so if old frustration or emotional intensity comes up in spring, it’s not random. It’s part of what this season is here to move.

In Ayurveda, spring is the time to clear excess Kapha—the heavy, cold, slow energy of earth and water that builds up over winter.

This might show up as brain fog, water retention, fatigue, or emotional dullness.

A cleanse helps melt that buildup and rekindles our digestive fire (Agni), so our body and mind can feel light again.

Spring cleansing in both systems isn’t just about food or herbs.

It’s about getting things flowing again.

Seasonal Rituals Across Cultures

Cultures all over the world treat spring as a time of sacred reset:

• In Nowruz (Persian New Year), families do a deep home cleanse called khaneh tekani—shaking out everything from the old year.
• In Jewish Passover, people clear out all leavened foods as a symbolic act of letting go of what’s no longer aligned.
• In Orthodox and Catholic traditions, Lent is a time of fasting and reflection, leading to Easter—a celebration of resurrection and renewal.
• In Taoist traditions, spring cleaning is done before the Lunar New Year to clear out negative energy and welcome luck.
• In Zen Buddhism, cleaning is part of spiritual practice—bringing order to the external to bring peace to the internal.

The message is the same:

Clear out the old so the new can arrive.

Your Body Is Asking for Renewal Too

Even science backs this up.

When spring light increases, your body naturally produces more serotonin (mood), less melatonin (sleep), and more energy overall.

Your circadian rhythms shift. You sleep slightly less, crave more movement, and feel more motivated.

Spring vegetables like spinach, dandelion, and asparagus support your liver, digestion, and even neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

You’re literally feeding your body and brain the building blocks for clarity and calm.

This isn’t just about “detoxing.”

It’s about realigning with what your system is already trying to do.

Your body wants to renew itself. You just have to let it.

A Holistic Spring Cleanse Isn’t Just Physical

The body is only part of it.

The rest is internal.

We carry emotional buildup—resentments, grief, thoughts we never processed.

Just like clutter in a closet, this takes up space in our nervous system.

Spring is your chance to clear that too.

• Journal what you’re letting go of
• Cry, sweat, move, shout, breathe—whatever clears your energy
• Clean your home as a symbolic and literal act of release
• Visualize a spring wind or shower clearing you from the inside out
• Practice breathwork, twisting yoga, Reiki, or Qi Gong to get your energy flowing

Even something as simple as opening your windows and letting in the breeze can reset the vibration of your home—and your body.

My Spring Cleansing Practice

For some years, I have done more physical detox. Other years, it’s all emotional or spiritual.

This year, it’s been all three.

• It started with water.
• Then came the flower dresses, the cleaning, the colors.
• Then the emotional release, the energetic purge.

All of it felt intuitive—almost channeled.

Every bath, every meditation, every time I cleared a corner of my room, I felt like I was making room for something new to arrive.

That’s what spring feels like to me now:

Releasing. Realigning. Reawakening.

Try These Rituals for Your Own Spring Reset

You don’t need to do everything.

Start where your body or spirit is guiding you.

Physical

• Drink warm lemon water each morning
• Eat more greens, bitter herbs, and simple meals
• Try a few days of lighter eating or a gentle kitchari cleanse
• Move your body daily—even a walk or light stretching helps

Mental & Emotional

• Journal: What am I done carrying?
• Write down what you’re releasing and burn or tear it
• Reduce screen time, social noise, and digital clutter
• Let yourself cry, laugh, rest, move—whatever you need

Energetic

• Clean your home mindfully—one space at a time
• Burn sage, palo santo, or incense to reset the space
• Open windows, change air filters, and bring in fresh flowers
• Meditate on the image of a flower blooming from your chest
• Do breathwork (like kapalabhati or alternate nostril) to clear stagnation

Final Reflection: Let the Season Carry You

You don’t have to force a transformation.

Spring is already doing the work. You just have to say yes to it.

Let go of the rigidity, the pressure to “cleanse” the right way.

Start with what feels real:

A craving for fresh air.

A drawer you keep avoiding.

An emotion bubbling under the surface.

Follow that. That’s your path.

And remember: letting go is not just about loss.

It’s about making room.

For clarity. For creativity. For what’s ready to bloom next.