Harmonizing Ourselves to the Wisdom of the Seasons
Summer
Summer has arrived. Although some might consider this a bit premature, in Chinese medicine Summer begins today. This isn’t necessarily a reflection of our current climate, but of the energies of the universe and nature. With summer arriving, we now begin to feel energetic, active, and alert.
When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high,
no trouble too difficult to overcome.
- Wilma Rudolph
Summer is the element of Fire- its restless flames dancing upwards demonstrate to us how summer is the peak of yang energy (to learn what yang is in TCM check out my free download HERE). During summertime, we feel positive and invincible, reaching the peak of energy, clarity, and sociability.
Emotional connections
Fire is related to the Heart and Small Intestine meridians in Chinese medicine (capitalization to signify TCM differentiation from the western understanding). You can easily understand the emotional connection of the Heart to joy, happiness, and love. In Chinese medicine however, they include these emotions even to the extent of agitation and frenzy. In disharmony, this related
Summer and the Fire element have an association with the color red. There’s also a relationship established to the sensory organ, the tongue. The tongue gives us our ability to speak and communicate in the world. Also included with the tongue is the affinity to the flavor, bitter.
Our heart is actually our “being”
The Heart is considered the “Emperor” of the 5 organ or element system, and houses the Shen in Chinese, or what we consider the mind-spirit. When we are unsure if someone is speaking to us, our innate instinct is to point to our heart and ask, “who, me?”. This is because our Heart is actually our “being” and is the seat of where our consciousness arises from.
To live in harmony with Summer time, there are many things we can do and eat. I want to share some of those with you but you can also watch my Summer food and conduct
video below.
Ayurveda
This is the time to speak and express your truth, openly communicating your “heart” to the world (see this Heart-speaking connection again?). For those who are more familiar with Ayurveda, it doesn’t surprise me that summer is associated with the heart and upward activity. Think about bringing the “heart energy” “upwards” to the “throat chakra” to be expressed and released (hopefully lovingly!)
In disharmony during summer, you may feel a bit down. If so, go out and do things that bring you joy and pleasure. This is the time to feel through the heart. To do this, partake in hobbies that put you in “the zone” or “flow”. I find these are often activities that are done with the hands or body and help get you out of your head!
Beat the heat
Try eating energetically cooling foods; mung beans, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, watery vegetables, hibiscus. Avoid protein heavy meals (especially grilled!) as protein in general is considered more yang or heating. Opt for seafood instead if you are looking for a protein source.
Be balanced with time spent in the sun. Some sun Is good and can help circulation, warm, and energize us -but over do it and you’ll cause too much internal heat. The harshest time in the sun is midday, so head for shade 10am-2pm.
Cultivating Harmony Today
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