Maybe this winter you strayed a bit from New Year health resolutions, skipped few too many workouts or stayed up late too many nights watching Netflix. It’s easy enough for imbalance to occur. It is the result of the little things accumulating every day. But boy, can that imbalance leave us feeling lackluster.

We were feeling that stagnant Winter energy at Supple too; finding ourselves sluggish +YINA our skin looking less radiant than we like. We looked to our friends at 5YINA for some ideas and inspiration. They did not disappoint! Not only are Ervina + Angela skincare gurus , they are practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine and they gave us their take on a Spring cleanse.

Cleansing does not have to be complex and complicated. Spring is an ideal time to detox because according to TCM theory, spring season is related to the liver.

While Spring cleaning and Spring detox go hand in hand some detoxes seem so extreme. We like to keep things simple. Just like imbalance, balance is created by small things adding up every day to create positive change. Try these 5YINA simple steps:

1. LOVE YOUR LIVER.

   Stimulate your liver with sour flavors. Start your day with the juice of half a lemon in a glass of warm water. Or add a splash of apple cider vinegar to your salads. Cleansing helps to awaken the digestive functions + remove toxins from your liver. Herbal teas are allies to rest the liver ( see recipes below).

2. IN WITH THE GOOD AIR.

   Get fresh air into the house to move out stagnant energy. It’s incredibly helpful to air out your home even if it is just for 30 minutes a day. Even better, get outside in the fresh air!

3. GET MOVING.

   Increase physical activity with whatever gets your Qi moving. Yoga, dance, HIIT, spin or Fiona’s favorite Zumba. A brisk walk will do the trick too! Sweat flushes out toxins + extra fat in our bodies stores toxins, so another good reason to get moving.

4. BIO-HACK YOUR SLEEP.

   Exercise leads to better sleep but so does going to bed before 11pm. The hours between 11pm - 1am correspond to gallbladder/liver time in Chinese medicine. If you stay up beyond 11pm, your body gets a second wind by producing a cortisol spike, a stress hormone which effects your REM. The good news is that if you are robbed of a good night’s sleep, a power nap the next day can undo the damage from the night before.

5. DRINK YOUR VEGETABLES.

   If you are prone to allergies, lethargy + weak digestion, it’s helpful to cut back on consuming refined sugars, alcohol + dairy products. Add more vegetables to your repertoire. Spring carrots are in season right now + are perfect for making Carrot Ginger Soup (see recipe below). Think beyond the land when you shop for vegetables. Sea vegetables like seaweed are full of minerals, vitamins + amino acids all great for supporting detoxification.

Since we are skin passionate at Supple, we couldn’t stop the detox train without creating a Skin Spring Detox. We were inspired by 5YINA to create a seasonal treatment for our menu.

The Enlighten treatment combines 5YINA skincare in every step with Gua Sha massage. We start with your facial + décolletage , working our way down from your neck to your fingertips for a total upper body detox. Stagnant Winter lymph will be moved out to make way for healthy, radiant skin.

We think you’ll be hooked on Gua Sha massage + 5YINA once you’ve experienced it, so after your treatment we’ll send you home with directions on how to re-create this Spring beauty ritual at home. we can’t live without our the Enlighten Beauty Oil + Hydrolat duo. If you decide you want them too, you’ll get your own Gua Sha tool with your purchase .

So book an Enlighten treatment, take 5 simple steps , make a few detox recipes + you’ll be well on your way to be blooming this Spring.

HERBAL TEAS:

Add a small handful of herbs as needed in hot water, steep for 5 minutes, take a deep breath, enjoy + repeat!

For bright eyes: chrysanthemum flowers + goji berries

For allergies + sluggishness: numeric + nettle + lemon

For poor digestion: ginger + hawthorn berries

Sweeten with a bit of raw honey as needed.

SPRING CARROTS SOUP : serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

Carrots, coarsely chopped 4

Onions, coarsely chopped 2 cups

Ginger, grated 1 -2 inch

Tumeric, grated 1-2 inch

Vegetable Stock 4 cups

Coconut Milk 1/4 cup

Lemon juice to taste.

Optional: toasted pumpkin seeds,Black Seame seeds 1 tbsp each

Directions:

1. Heat a small amount of avocado oil or other healthy cooking oil in a large stock pot + saute onions for 3-4 minutes. Ad vegetable stock + simmer for 30 minutes until carrots are soft. Add salt to taste.

2. Blend soup until smooth. Add lemon juice + coconut milk, then top with black sesame seeds or toasted pumpkin seeds.